Cash Splash For Evanston's Creative Class, Arts Council Cultural Grants Reach Record High

EVANSTON, IL — City arts commissioners have awarded a record amount of money to Evanston nonprofit arts organizations this year.

The Evanston Arts Council has allocated $109,715 in cultural funds grants for 2024, with the money headed to a range of organizations, including arts education, music, dance, theater, visual and literary arts.

Forty organizations applied for the program. Last month, a panel of six jurors met to score their applications in a competitive review process. The panel picked 27 winners, so each grantee receives an average of more than $4,000.

Six of the 40 applicants (see below) received the full $6,000 grant they requested. Of those, five were also funded last year. Seven of the 27 grantees are based outside of Evanston, and eight are led by people who identify as Black, indigenous or people of color, according to the arts council.

Four new organizations received funding this year: Guild Literary Complex, The WasteShed, Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts at Northwestern University and Alchemy Training and Development. And two organizations that received funding last year did not make the cut this year — North Shore Choral Society and Sounds Good Choir.

Funding for city's cultural fund grant programs comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and the Evanston city budget.

According to city staff, programming supported by the funding is expected to involve more than 780 artists and reach an audience of more than 38,000 people.

Related: 2 Evanston Arts Groups To Get National Endowment For The Arts Grants

Staff provided descriptions of each organization that is set to receive 2024 cultural fund grants from the Evanston Arts Council, a 12-member commission appointed by the mayor:

Alchemy Training and Development, Inc. for Ubuntu Diaspora Co’s Youth Arts & Music Camp, which celebrates the African diaspora's rich cultural heritage and empowers youth and young adults through immersive experiences in music, visual, and performance arts.

ARTSiE is an Evanston-based non-profit whose mission is to engage and empower children and families through equity and excellence in arts after-school enrichment programs. ARTSiE will collaborate with Fleetwood Jourdain Community Center, Evanston Grows, and artist Piloto Nieves to create Fleetwood Jourdain's first public mural. www.artsined.org

Art Encounter’s mission is to educate, empower, and connect people of all ages and backgrounds through interactive explorations of visual art. Funds will support the expansion of Art For All: Creativity and Visibility for Adults of all Abilities, which serves local adults with disabilities. www.artencounter.org

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre's mission is to use multiple artistic forms and the combined talents of our diverse company to convey intense personal narratives. In 2024-2025, it will present 2-4 concerts of The Heart of the Story in Evanston. www.cerquarivera.org

Chicago Ballet Arts’ mission is to provide equitable access and opportunity to high-quality ballet training to all those with the desire to learn. Funds will cover general operating support since tuition only covers a small portion of operating expenses, and need-based scholarships are provided. www.chicagoballetarts.org

Crossing Borders Music is a multicultural organization of color that shares the stories and music of those whose voices are suppressed through free, accessible performances in community spaces. In collaboration with the Haitian American Museum of Chicago, CBM will present the fourth-annual We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community at Dawes Park. www.crossingbordersmusic.org

Curt's Cafe was founded with input from Evanston young adults, ages 15-24, who are mostly BIPOC and living in at-risk situations. This grant, a partnership between Curt's and Art Encounter, will empower young adults to explore art and connect with BIPOC adults with similar backgrounds who are passionate about both art and using their entrepreneurial skills to build their own businesses. www.curtscafe.org

The Evanston Art Center fosters the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences by offering extensive and innovative instruction in broad areas of artistic endeavors through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities, and community outreach. Funds will be used for a Black Curatorial Fellowship and a BIPOC exhibition in the Lobby Gallery. www.evanstonartcenter.org

Evanston ASPA's mission is to provide resources and support for the local Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander American communities, and increase the visibility and representation of the Asian American diaspora. Funds will cover general operating support of year-round arts programming, free cultural arts festivals, and community-wide events. www.evanstonaspa.org

Evanston Grows is focused on building community within the community by increasing food access, improving health equity, promoting educational programs, and creating workforce opportunities. Funds will go towards a mural to be installed at Ward Farm, a collaborative project of Evanston Grows and Ward Manufacturing. www.evanstongrows.org

The Evanston In-School Music Association (EISMA) is dedicated to inspiring students, supporting local musicians, and connecting the community through live music programs. Funding will support Community concerts and the Concerts for Kids series, which take place in the fall and spring at all District 65 schools. www.eismaconcerts.org

The Evanston Symphony Orchestra is a true community orchestra with 80+ volunteer players and a professional music director, Maestro Lawrence Eckerling. Funding will support hiring BIPOC soloists and renting Black composers' works for their 2024-25 season at Pick-Staiger concert hall. www.evanstonsymphony.org

Guild Literary Complex provides a creative platform for marginalized voices and community groups. Grant funding would be used for Evanston-based programs: a) a cultural program and reading with Velia Vidal at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in October 2024 and 2) an event about Black country music, a poetry performance, and a blues violinist performance as part of the Musicality of Poetry series. www.guildcomplex.org

Identity Performing Arts enables ALL to dance, from year-round free dance classes to the underserved in Evanston, continuing with creating and performing dance works that affirm each individual's identity. Funds will support One's Voice Being Heard, a series of free performances at the Evanston Art Center and the Noyes Cultural Arts Center Theater in the fall of 2024. www.identityperformingarts.org

In the Realm of Senses engages both artists and audiences to explore different ways to understand and appreciate the arts through all our senses. Funds will support a) Bach to the Future immersive experience for Evanston students that explores music from Bach to the Beatles through 300 years of music and b) Creation in Motion immersive live art and music experience at Evanston Art Center. www.intherealmofsenses.com

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian’s mission is to increase the visibility and elevate Native voices through education, awareness, and advocacy. Funds will be used for honoraria and supplies to work with and invite local Indigenous artists to share their Great Lakes inspired work, art, and stories with Evanston audiences. www.mitchellmuseum.org

Mudlark Theater collaborates with kids to tell youth-centered stories. The Evanston Public Library and Mudlark Theater are partnering for the fourth year of Story Quest, a hybrid book and theater club for Black-identified youth. www.mudlarktheater.org

The Music Institute of Chicago’s mission is to lead people toward a lifelong engagement with music, by providing widely accessible resources for high-quality music teaching, performing, and service activities. Funds will support Third Coast Suzuki Strings, which brings tuition-free Suzuki strings education and fully subsidized instrument loans to 45 K-12 public school students in Evanston. www.musicinst.org

The Musical Offering is a nonprofit educational institution committed to the growth and development of the individual and community through music instruction and performance. Funds will support the 2024 Women Composers Series, a three-part series celebrating the music of female-identifying composers from the 18th Century to the present day. www.themusicaloffering.org

Northlight Theatre is an award-winning regional theater company. Funds will cover training for Northlight teaching artists who will conduct Speak Up residencies at ETHS and King Arts; Workforce Readiness Training workshops for un- and under-employed youth at the Youth Job Center; and work with seniors participating in Northlight's High Lights Writing and Storytelling workshops. www.northlight.org

Open Studio Project's mission is to bring art directly to individuals for personal growth, social-emotional learning, and community well-being. Funding will support the 5th Ward Studio, including materials for visual art-making, staffing for instructional and therapeutic programs, and developing further partnerships with organizations based at Family Focus serving the 5th Ward community. www.openstudioproject.org

Piven Theatre Workshop was founded by an Evanston woman in 1973 and has been an Evanston institution for over 50 years. Funds will support the re-establishment of theater classes in partnership with Rice Child + Family Center, which were paused during the pandemic. www.piventheatre.org

Search Inc.’s mission is to empower adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their full potential and feel welcomed in their communities. This project focuses on three community arts classes led by Visibility Artists: one with the City of Evanston's ADA Department, one class with Park School, and a third class at a location to be determined. www.search-inc.org

Studio 3 is a community art studio & gallery that promotes social justice and community care through art. Funds will support the general operation of its three major programs: Studio 3, Gallery 3 & Kids Create Change. www.studio3evanston.org

Theo is dedicated to building community and celebrating our shared humanity through the use of joyous art, meaningful stories, and powerful performances, realized through productions of music theatre. Funds will support the production of WinterFest: A festival of Hot New Work to chase away Cold Winter Nights! in January 2025, featuring 8 one-night performances of 8 different shows. www.theo-u.com

The WasteShed Evanston's mission is to reduce barriers to access to art and education by offering an organized, affordable, and reliable resource for repurposed creative and educational materials. Funds will go towards teacher support, art-making workshops for youth, and our mini-art gallery. www.thewasteshed.com

The Wirtz Center is the School of Communication's laboratory for artistic experimentation in the performing and media arts. Imagine U is the Wirtz Center's program dedicated to producing theatre for young audiences, ages 3-12. Funds will help support the spring 2025 production of an Imagine U production for 4-7-year-olds. www.wirtz.northwestern.edu