This year‘s winners are:

• DANCE: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago) to commission African American choreographer Alonzo King to create a new dance work to be performed jointly by Hubbard Street and King’s company, LINES Ballet of San Francisco. This will be his first new work on the Chicago stage in more than a decade.
   
• MUSIC: VocalEssence (Minneapolis) to support a new composition by African American composer/musician Hannibal Lokumbe, tentatively titled In the Spirit of Being, which will highlight the stages of human existence and incorporate spiritual leaders in the community.
   
• THEATER: Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis) to support the development and production of a new play based on classic Japanese folktales by Asian American playwright Naomi Iizuka, recipient of a 2004 Joyce Award for Theater with the Goodman Theatre.
   
• VISUAL ARTS: Central Indiana Community Foundation (Indianapolis) to commission African American visual artist Fred Wilson to create a new public art sculpture for permanent installation on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
   

Since its inception in 2003, Joyce has awarded more than $1.6 million to support new works by artists of color in major midwestern cities. The Joyce Awards is the only program that exclusively supports artists of color in the Midwest to create art that strengthens cultural venues and draws together people of diverse backgrounds. Award winners will present their works to their host institutions’ traditional audiences and will also have the opportunity to work with community groups, school children, and public art projects.

“We are pleased to recognize the artistry of these talented individuals and the lively organizations that will showcase these works,” stated Ellen S. Alberding, president of the Joyce Foundation. “On behalf of the Joyce Foundation, we are proud that our Joyce Awards provide a springboard to highlight the vibrant array of artistic talent in the Great Lakes region.”

Click here to watch the 2011 Joyce Awards video and read media coverage.

For more information on Joyce’s Culture program, please click here.