Welz Kauffman, Ravinia Festival; Megan Lykins Reich, MOCA Cleveland; Jill Snyder, MOCA Cleveland; Iona Rozeal Brown;Ellen Alberding, The Joyce Foundation; Gerald Clayton; Quiara Alegria Hudes; Robert Falls, Goodman Theatre.

Each of these institutions will receive $50,000 to support the new projects and elevate the visibility of creative works by minority artists in their communities.

In place since 2003, the Joyce Awards program is the only award exclusively supporting artists of color in major Midwestern cities to promote the diverse collection of artistic expression in the region. This year’s winners include:

• DANCE: Ravinia Festival (Chicago) to support “Fondly Do We Hope, Fervently Do We Pray…,” a full-evening dance production commissioned from African American choreographer Bill T. Jones, inspired by Abraham Lincoln in recognition of the Lincoln bicentennial;
• MUSIC: Detroit International Jazz Festival (Detroit) to support a new jazz composition that would pay tribute to two Detroit jazz icons: the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit and the music family dynasty of the Jones Brothers by African American bassist, composer and arranger John Clayton;
• THEATER: Goodman Theatre (Chicago) to support a new play that draws on the cultural heritage of traditional Jibaro music by Latin American playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes;
• VISUAL ARTS: Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (Cleveland) to support an exhibition and commission a series of new works by African American visual artist Iona Rozeal Brown;

Award winners will present their works to the institution’s traditional audiences, and they will also have the opportunity to work with community groups, school children and public art projects.

"Not only does the Joyce Awards fund vivid, new works of art," commented Ellen S. Alberding, president of the Joyce Foundation, "but it strengthens the cultural venues, draws new, diverse audiences to the arts and elevates the visibility of minority artists."

Read more about the 2009 Joyce Awards

Read recent media coverage about the 2009 Joyce Awards
Detroit Free Press
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
WBEZ

Find out more information about the cultural programs funded by the Joyce Foundation.