Celebrating Excellence in the Arts
Description
Supported by the Cleveland Foundation, Verge Fellowships provide unrestricted monetary stipends to promising, developing artists across multiple disciplines from underserved neighborhoods in Greater Cleveland. This program celebrates and supports artists at the introductory stages of their careers, recognizing those who demonstrate creativity, passion, and commitment. Fellows, in addition to receiving monetary support, will also be introduced to community partners that will help promote their works, provide mentorship and offer other crucial wrap-around skills and networking opportunities during their fellowship period.
Community Partners
Eligibility
- Only one application per person will be accepted.
- Applicants must be at least 15 years of age.
- Applicants must reside in the Northeast Ohio area.
2024 Winners
Shatara Jordan
Shatara Jordan, known as Mixxed Rose, is a multifaceted creative force in contemporary performance. Nationally ranked as a poet, her words pulse with a rhythmic intensity that resonates far beyond the page. In addition to her poetic prowess, she embodies the roles of writer, actor, and director, bringing stories to life in vivid, arresting detail. She released her debut album, “THE GOOD GIRLS LOST HEAVEN '' a testament to her multifaceted talent and boundless creativity. This original project weaves a tapestry of emotion, melody, and narrative, revealing her ability to meld music and poetry into a cinematic experience. As a content creator, she creates poetry covers the same way a singer performs a cover song—interpreting what music would sound like if it were a poem. Mixxed Rose is an artist who breathes life into narratives that resonate deeply with the complexities of the human experience.
Antonio 'TJ' Maclin Jr
Antonio 'TJ' Maclin Jr, known as Peachcurls, is a musician, songwriter, voice actor, and sound designer from Cleveland, Ohio. Songs from his latest body of work have been featured on Netflix's 'Freeridge' TV series, Freeform's 'The Come Up', and HBO Max's 'Rap Sh!t.' He voiced several characters on FX/Hulu's animated mini-series, 'Daytime Noir' for which he also co-wrote an episode. His sound design work can be found in music videos such as Babyface's "Keeps On Falling" and Foushee's "Simulation". His latest album, Sketchbook: Volume 1, was released in January of 2022; focusing on themes of personal acceptance, the loss of a parent, survivor's remorse, and cycles of poverty. Maclin shares his musical expertise with students at the School of Rock, where he guitar and bass. He is currently living and working in Cleveland, performing his music and stand-up comedy. He also co-hosts and curates a weekly, live performance showcase in Cleveland's Clark Fulton neighborhood called Con Tú Variety Show.
Carol Malone
Carol Malone is a proud Cleveland resident who serves as the dynamic creator, researcher, writer, and dedicated host of the "Neighbor Up Spotlight" podcast. Born in Glenville, Carol's deep community roots inspire her multifaceted roles. In 2016, Carol launched "Neighbor Up Spotlight," a platform showcasing citizens making positive contributions to their neighborhoods. With 43 episodes, available on platforms like SoundCloud and Apple, the podcast weaves a tapestry of diverse voices enriching Cleveland's social fabric through her dedication to grassroots impact. . As the podcast's face and voice, Carol is the driving force behind its production. From guest booking to research, scripting, directing, and coordinating, she manages the entire process, even contributing promotional photos for a personal touch. Carol Malone, a tireless advocate and storyteller, illuminates extraordinary efforts through "Neighbor Up Spotlight," shaping Cleveland's narrative, one neighborhood at a time.
Lo Smith
Lo Smith was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and as a result is both aggressively midwestern and unapologetically black. They are a printmaker and curator interested in reproductive justice, revisionist history and black joy. In their silkscreen and collagraph prints they interrogate hidden histories of medical experimentation on black bodies, untold stories of black American life, and interrogate their own queer positionality and future. They are also interested in the racial democratic possibility of print. Their work has been shown at ORI Gallery, Granoff Center for the Arts, Emerson College, The Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender, The Cleveland Institute of Art, and The Morgan Conservatory. Their curatorial work has been presented at/published by New York University, Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Sculpture Center.
Aaron D. Williams
Aaron D. Williams (Aawful Aaron) is a contemporary artist, designer, muralist, and entrepreneur from Cleveland. His alias, a cunning play on the word awful, also a contrary meaning awe-inspiring and horrible, personifies Williams' aptitude to challenge perception, perspective, and meaning through visual communication. A multi-dimensional creative, Williams' visual storytelling examines topics of social significance related to identity, culture, and mental health. Working primarily in mixed media, Williams uses layering, manipulation, and distortion to deconstruct perceived realities. Williams blends traditional painting and street art aesthetics and draws influences from Afro-surrealism, science fiction, and anime. Williams illustrates vibrant, dreamlike scenescapes in which individuals clash with larger forces at play. These figures— symbols of "otherness" morph and transmute into supernatural beings while navigating consciousness-expanding, alternative universes where the marvelous and mundane collide. Williams had a solo museum exhibition at MOCA Cleveland and his work has been featured at the Cleveland Public Library, Riffe Gallery, Green Light Gallery, and FutureLAND® A.Rt Show. He has partnered with Next, FRONT International, Maker's Mark, and Collinwood Community Development Corporation. Williams currently works as the Arts Education Specialist at Zygote Press.
Juror Bios
Quartez Harris
Quartez Harris is the Ohio Poetry Association's 2021 Poet of the Year. Harris is the author of We Made It To School Alive, a full-length collection of poems published by Twelve Arts Press, and Nothing, But Skin, a poetry collection published in 2014 by Writing Knights Press. His poetry and ideas have been featured in The Plain Dealer, Ideastream, and City Club of Cleveland. Harris is represented by McKinnon Literary Agency. https://www.quartezharris.com/#/
Amanda D. King
Amanda D. King's socially engaged creative endeavors combine visual communication & design, creative direction & consulting, and arts education to mobilize her community and reciprocate grace. King earned a JD at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a A.B. in art history at Bryn Mawr College. King was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she manages her studio practice and serves as co-founding creative director of Shooting Without Bullets. King is a 2018 Verge Fellow and a 2022 Front Fellow. https://amandadking.com
Aisia Jones
Aisia Jones (Verge Fellowship Chair, CAP Board) is a community organizer, cultural arts advocate, non-profit consultant and engagement strategist who previously served as the vice president of community empowerment for Midtown Cleveland. She is an alumna of Cleveland’s Neighborhood Leadership Institute and former outreach coordinator for Black Lives Matter Cleveland.
Grafton Nunes
Grafton Nunes (Verge Committee, CAP Board) is the retired president of the Cleveland Institute of Art and former founding Dean of the Arts at Emerson College. His co-produced feature film, THE LOVELESS directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Antwoine Washington
Antwoine Washington makes work inspired by the black experience in America. Through drawing and painting he creates realistic storytelling portraits. His work has been shown at the Cleveland Print Room, Worthington Yards, The Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Rooms to Let and Artist Archives of the Western Reserve. Antwoine also started the non-profit organization, Museum of Creative Human Art as a vehicle to teach art through graphic design courses. Washington is a 2019 Verge Fellow and a 2022 Front Fellow. https://www.antwoinewashington.com/home
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