Organization helps nurture local talent and support the arts in our five-county area.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) – The Art Council of Wilmington/New Hanover County awarded dozens of local artists and organizations grants on Wednesday during their annual ‘Jingle and Mingle’ event.
A total of $74,242 will be awarded to 29 arts organizations in New Hanover County through the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program (GAP). This program provides funding to ensure that all 100 counties in North Carolina can offer arts programming to their communities, fostering widespread access to the arts. A total of $25,361 will be awarded to 26 local artists across New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, Bladen, and Columbus counties. These grants are designed to fund professional development projects for individual artists and are in partnership with arts councils in Brunswick and Columbus counties.
The mission of the Arts Council of Wilmington & NHC is to support artists, arts organizations, and audiences through innovative public/private partnerships that develop jobs, stimulate commerce, and showcase the region as an arts destination.
Below is a list of the years’ grants. as provided by the Art Council.
FY 2024-2025 Grassroots Arts Program Grants
Big Dawg Productions $2,325.00 — The Playwright Project will develop a full-length unproduced play in SENC.
Black Arts Alliance, INC – The NC Black Film Festival $ 4,000.00 — The 22nd North Carolina Black Film Festival
Brooklyn Arts Music Academy $2,500.00 — Supports the Music is Life! program
Cape Fear Chorale $ 1,200.00 — Fall 2024/Spring 2025 Concerts
Cape Fear Cultural Association of India $2,000.00 — Journey Through India’s Most Adored Festivals: Celebrating Colors, Culture and Tradition
Carolina Beach Mural Project $2,500.00 — Get on Board with CB100
Chamber Music Wilmington $3,000.00 — Taking it to the Streets
Children’s Museum of Wilmington $3,000.00 — Wall Mural for the Children’s Museum of Wilmington
Delta Foundation of the Cape Fear $2,500.00 — A Celebration of African American Arts and Culture
Forward Motion Dance Company $2,500.00 — Arts in Motion
Fried Fruit Art Space $3,000.00 — UNCW’s off-campus Fried Fruit Art Space Exhibition Series
Harrington Repertory Theatre $1,000.00 — Production of “Shakers Revised”
Mouths of Babes Theatre $2,500.00 — Scotopia: A New Works Theatre Festival
North Carolina Jazz Festival(NCJF) $4,000.00 — North Carolina Jazz Festival music workshops
Opera House Theatre Company $3,000.00 — Supports the Access Theatre Program
Opera Wilmington $3,000.00 Production of “Tosca” Performance Club Theatre Company (PCTC) $ 2,500.00 — Summer Stock youth productions
Port City Music Festival $3,000.00 — 17th Annual Port City Music Festival 2025
Port City Playwrights Project $1,200.00 — Production of Ten-Minute Miscellany
Society for the Enjoyment of Art $1,000.00 — Cape Fear Youth Art Education Program
Techmoja Dance and Theatre Company $2,500.00 — Production of “The Scottsboro Boys”
Thalian Association $ 4,017.00 Youth Theatre is For Everyone Community Theatre Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc $4,000.00 — Gaspard & Dancers at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts
The Dance Cooperative $ 500.00 — Dance-a-lorus
Turning the Wheel Productions, Inc. $ 3,000.00 — Fall and Spring Programming
University of North Carolina at Wilmington $ 3,000.00 — Modern Warrior LIVE
WHQR $1,500.00 — Special Arts Programming during Black History Month
Wilmington Jewish Film Festival $3,000.00 — 11th Annual Wilmington Jewish Film Festival
Wilmington Symphonic Winds $4,000.00 — 2024-2025 Season (3 Concerts)
Total $ 75,242.00
FY 2024-2025 Artist Support Grants
Joseph Bounds
New Hanover – Visual Arts $1,000 – Travel expenses to join in a wood firing in Dillsboro, NC
Marybeth Bradbury
Pender – Film/Podcast
$1,000 – Production of “Real Deal Divas”, an innovative audio and video podcast series hosted by a writer and a painter
Rayana Briggs
New Hanover – Film
$1,000 – Purchase of camera and accessories and studio rental fees to expand Road to Representation consulting agency for the entertainment industry.
Lesa Broadhead
New Hanover – Dance
$750 – Choreography and costumes for “Visions and Revelations”
Bradley Carter
New Hanover – Visual Arts
$1,000 – Purchase of Pro-Panels, two wall bins, and a pro-panel table for use at art festivals.
Carolyn Colby Millis
New Hanover – Visual Arts
$1,000 – Creation of “Echoes of Time”, a series of mixed-media artworks that integrate historical photographs, personal stories, and modern visual techniques
Travis Corpening
Brunswick – Film
$1,000 – Production of a short film/musical performance of an original piece titled Black Fire: The Unfinished Story of a Port City
Carolyn Faulkner
New Hanover – Visual Arts
$1,000 – Creation of eight to twelve large-scale acrylic paintings
Shannon Gehen
New Hanover – Visual Arts
$1,000 – Purchase of a new Skutt digital kiln
Summer Hammond
New Hanover – Literary
$1,000 – Funds to write a memoir titled “The Poison House” that explores severe and unusual chronic illness due to high levels of formaldehyde in her family’s trailer home.
Amanda Hoke
New Hanover – Music
$1,000 – KinderFlute and Colour Flute Training, group class and studio materials, pedagogical resources creation, and personal website and Flute Examiner website update
Wells Jackson
Brunswick – Dance/Film
$1,000 – Production of ASPHYXIA. a contemporary ballet work about men’s mental health to be presented at Cucalorus Film Festival
Brian Jones
New Hanover – Visual Arts
$1,000 – Equipment and tools for the creation of intricate and detailed metal sculpture
KaToya Fleming
Brunswick – Literary
$1,000 – Purchase of a computer and website to promote published works, including “Finding Frank”, a bibliomemoir about author Frank Yerby
Jessica Landes
New Hanover – Music
$1,000 – Purchase of amplification equipment for musical gigs
Rachel Lewis-Hilburn
Brunswick – Film
$1,000 – Production of “Speaking of Trees”, a series of cinematic hikes in North Carolina forests
Sarah Marcus
New Hanover – Visual Arts
$1,000 – Purchase a new tabletop kiln that will work for silver clay firing and also for kiln enameling.
Elizabeth Claire Nakamura
New Hanover – Visual Art
$1,000 – Printing, promotion, and travel for“Fin-tastic Shark Tooth Coloring”, a children’s coloring/activity book and companion illustrated book