MRAC is pleased to announce our 2026 Next Step Fund Grantees! Thanks to generous funding from the McKnight Foundation, these artists will grow their careers, make new art, and enrich our communities in the seven-county metro region.
Silvana Agostoni
Creating a series of ten photopolymer gravure portraits of immigrants in the Twin Cities, advancing independent platemaking skills through mentorship with a master printer.
Fode Bangoura
Traveling to Guinea to compose new traditional music and share it with Minnesota artists and audiences.
Melissa Borman
Learning woodworking and textile techniques to create a new installation work integrating these materials with photography, culminating in exhibitions and public programming in Minnesota.
David J. Buchanan
Conducting a technical research and development phase for the film This is America, involving script workshops, professional staged readings, and previsualization to elevate the project for national distribution.
paige carlson
Finalizing the first in-depth body of sculptural work and professionalizing the materials that represent it, including the documentation images and the artist statement, with support from a trusted mentor.
Chikahuatopiltzin
Completing the traditional, master-carved painting Seed to Huehuet under mentor guidance, hide hunting with rawhide preparation, building a protective case, and artwork documentation.
Dana Chiueh
Completing a debut poetry manuscript, Merchandising, through attendance at literary conferences.
Jessica Clem
Planning, organizing, and promoting two book launch events in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in Omaha, Nebraska for the debut novel This Never Happened.
Aria Dominguez
Traveling to do research for the manuscript of Guide to the Flora of Costa Rica, an essay collection exploring the connection between what I learned about the natural world and myself in Costa Rica.
Sara Fowler
Developing a picture book proposal to secure a literary agent and making accessibility updates to studio workflow, including a 32-page dummy book, final art, and e-ink monitor for post-TBI recovery.
Cándida González
Researching in Puerto Rico to finish a second solo show, Retrazos, and travel to meet with curators.
Laura Hanson
Creating new paintings, learning to build custom frames, exhibiting finished pieces, and reflecting on the process in a self-published book.
Kelly Huang
Completing the final stages of the documentary My Borrowed Name, with targeted support in editing, music composition, color grading, and funds set aside for festival submissions.
Riley Kleve
Learning new skills in textiles in order to expand their work as a fiber instructor and social practice artist.
Kristin Lebben
Transitioning from individual feminist pieces to installation-scale work through research on artistic precedents, creating an anchor piece for Barbie’s Bad Dream House, a kitchen installation revealing patriarchal control.
Céleste Macias
Creating a cookbook documenting recipes shaped by workshops, travel to Mexico, and community storytelling that blends food, memory, and cultural knowledge rooted in land and nourishment.
Rose McGee
Getting executive coaching, brand development, and sustainability training to clarify my value, strengthen my leadership voice, and build a professional platform that supports my independence as a creative.
david quady
Attending a workshop led by artist Joe Paquet in fall 2026 as well as updating materials and studio equipment to reflect an evolution of artistic practice.
Emily Quandahl
Attending weaving intensives at Vesterheim Folk Art School to learn Norwegian rutevev, purchasing a studio loom, and integrating hand-woven panels into painting and quilting practice.
Emiko Rainbow
Creating a debut author-illustrated picture book, with focused studio time to write, storyboard, and illustrate.
Ranee Ramaswamy
Creating a new piece of choreography drawing from 6th century Tamil poetry and lived experience that explores creative aging, as well as hiring a composer in India to creating the score, and hosting community engagement workshops.
hal sansone
Exploring low mobility theatrical movement forms and developing of a new solo performance about survival strategies of queer trans men.
Bethany Summersgill
Creating a new duet/exercise book for flute students of all ages that fills major gaps in existing intermediate pedagogical repertoire.
Sana Wazwaz
Completing a debut prose and poetry book for publication and presenting excerpts of the book-in-progress at a community reading to gather feedback in an audience discussion.
XINA
Closing the rollout of the upcoming jazz-fusion album Metaphorplay, and creating a flagship music video featuring hair-hanging, a respected performance art tradition originating in ancient China.
Alison Young
Purchasing and upgrading professional field recording and studio equipment to improve audio narrative production and outcomes.