Diego Perez | Dan Dunn Grant | 2021

I used the stipend to prepare for my solo exhibition "Onions of Walla Walla" at Combine Collective Gallery. The show was displayed from March 31st to May 1st. I was able to prepare 24 pieces for this show focused on humor and pop elements such as Star Wars, cat love, comedians, etc. My stellar piece, "Thank you Jesús for my food", was dedicated to migrant farm workers in Walla Walla. The show was well received , I was able to sold 5 pieces. Then, I displayed the remain pieces from July 5th to October 1st at Henry's Earl Winery.

Kim Nemeth | Dan Dunn Grant | 2021

The project is still in process.  There were many factors that have lead to the project being delayed past the grant's timeline. The project is still happening. As of now, I've secured the musician, Robert Gomez, who has composed a draft piece of music for it based on discussions he and I have had about weaving grids and possible progressions and I have drafted an initial pattern to work from based on those. Tentatively, mid January is scheduled for the performance.

Dale Hom | Dan Dunn Grant | 2021

The Dunn Memorial Grant has provided a jumpstart as a self-declared working artist. My focus is to exhibit artwork, paintings and mixed media, that reflect the duality of urban and rural insights from a BIPOC perspective, and promote cross-cultural awareness. The grant enables me to reach this artistic goal with art exhibits at commercial spaces and a new graphic novel for public release this year.

Lincoln High School | ABC Grant | 2021

Our records show that approximately 30 students in total participated in the mural creation from initial phases to the completion of the mural. As is true for the Lincoln demographic as a whole approximately one half of the students that took part in the mural production were on behavior plans or had Independent Educational Plans (IEP), 90% of the students helping on the project were female or identified as non-binary, 10% were male. Lincoln High School is a Title One school which means that students are on free or reduced lunch plans. Students helping on this project ranged in ages from 14-18.

Central Middle School | ABC Grant | 2021

The printmaking unit explored the history and artistic uses of printmaking in our world. Students learned how to develop collagraph and relief plate designs. For the collagraph project, students were given the opportunity to explore the subject, "Life on Land or in the Sea." The history and cultural significance of Mandalas was explored in the relief print project. 130 students (approximately 50% Hispanic, and 10% special needs), were served in our rural school which has a high poverty rate and limited artistic opportunities.

The Refinery | ABC Grant | 2021

I had initially intended to use this grant for scholarships for two individuals for six-week workshops in the studio. Shortly after I opened, I opted to work with organizations that served the individuals I wanted this scholarship to go to. Community Clay offered free or significantly discounted workshops to 47 individuals these organizations served. The cost for 47 people to take these workshops would ordinarily be $3,055. Three organizations were able to pay $20 per person, covering amounting to $760 and the $500 grant also went toward the cost. The additional funds came from The Refinery.

The Little Theatre of Walla Walla | ABC Grant | 2021

Deep in the salty waters of the Sassafras Sea, there lived a Little Mermaid. Her name was Celia.  She lived for music. In fact, it was said that she had the loveliest scales in all of the Deep. Celia and her three sisters were allowed one visit to the World Above, each on their sixteenth birthday, to learn the secrets of life on dry land. Their discoveries included ferocious dragons, advancing armies and, of course, a handsome and resourceful Prince Charming. In a new version of the age-old tale, lots of music, plot surprises and humor await the audience.

Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT), the nation’s largest touring children’s theatre, has been touring extensively for more than 30 years now from Montana to Japan, and will visit more than 1000 communities this year with 35 teams of Tour Actor/Directors. A tour team arrives in a given town with a set, lights, costumes, props and make-up, everything it takes to put on a play...except the cast. The team holds an open audition and casts approximately 60 local students to perform in the production.

The show is rehearsed throughout the week and public performances are presented at the end of the week. All MCT shows are original adaptations of classic children’s stories and fairy tales . . . a twist on the classic stories that you know and love. Also included in the residency are three enrichment workshops presented by the Tour Actor/Directors. Creativity, social skills, goal achievement, communication skills and self-esteem are all characteristics that are attained through the participation in this unique, educational project. MCT's mission is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.

Carnegie Picture Lab | ABC Grant | 2021

Art Chopped is modeled on the Food Network show “Chopped” where participants from a family team area given a mystery basket of art supplies from which to create a work of art. Additional supplies from the art “pantry” are utilized, and families participate in two rounds: an “appetizer” round (15 minutes) and an “entrée” round (30 minutes). A final exhibit of the art work allows everyone to enjoy the event’s creative work. In March of 2022, Art Chopped premiered in Walla Walla elementary schools where creativity, teamwork, and fun were the main ingredients.

Mika Means | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2020

Mika Means holds a BA in Studio Art from Whitman College and resides in Walla Walla, Washington. She works primarily with cyanotype, a light-sensitive liquid emulsion that can be applied to surfaces such as paper and fabric, and exposed to UV light to yield a unique print. Through this medium, she has explored issues related to memory, family ancestry, superstition and loss. Her more recent work has been centered on investigating the boundaries and limits of the cyanotype medium as a method of examining the liminal spaces created by her bi-racial, bi-cultural Japanese identity. Her recent exhibitions have included Studio Articolore in Walla Walla, the 10x10x10 juried exhibition at Tieton Arts and Humanities, ArtSquared at CAVU Cellars in Walla Walla, and the Alternative Processes juried competition at Soho Photo Gallery in New York City.

"Purchasing this exposure unit has completely changed my ability to work. Because my work in the cyanotype medium is dependent on an ultraviolet light source, I have been limited to working during the daytime and during the summer months when UV light is plentiful. While sunlight was a very effective light source, I found myself having to adjust my exposure times depending on the time of the year and intensity of sunlight. I also experienced limitations on the size of work I could make. Purchasing a tabletop exposure unit has not only allowed me to create larger pieces, it has allowed me to work indoors, year-round and throughout all hours of the day. The exposure unit has also allowed me to use a consistent exposure time, thus making my work more efficient. As a full-time parent of 4 children, my time and space is incredibly limited; being able to have this kind of flexibility and efficiency with my work has been tremendously helpful. I am deeply grateful to have received these grant funds as they have made a significant impact on my art practice and my future productivity."

Novavilla Whitney | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2020

Novavilla is a local artist born and raised here in small town Walla Walla. She works on visual art with mediums such as fine detailed pen work and sculpture. Her main inspiration for her work deals with the relationship between wildlife and mental awareness.

"The scope and impact of my project is to experiment with larger canvases and different mediums that I haven't tried. One of my projects included a memorial piece for a client's pet. for the canvas, I used a ~20"x25" blank stretched cotton canvas. For the mediums, I used a combination of Copic markers and acrylic paint. The impact of my project was to encompass the memory of a beloved pet with the combination of suburban architecture and flora in a dream-like state. One great story that I can recall from my work on this project is the impact it had on the client during the final reveal. They were impressed by the outcome and said the piece captured the memory of their beloved family member. I'm glad to have been a part of this project."

Abigail Wissink | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2020

Abigail is a fiber artist, primarily working with wool to knit sweaters and socks. They began as a self-taught knitter in January of 2020, and since then have completed over 20 garments, with many more in process.  Their goal as a fiber artist is to create clothing that helps the wearers feel comfortable in their clothing and bodies by designing clothing for all body types and genders. They have been selected to test knit two new designs from fellow knitters, and have designed and written two patterns of their own. 

Carnegie Picture Lab | ABC Grant | 2020

Over the last ten years, Carnegie Picture Lab has established partnerships with 13 schools in Washington and Oregon, serving over 185 K-5 classrooms, and reaching over 4,000 elementary schoolchildren. Within a school year, our programs provide over 2,000 hours of classroom teaching, the only dedicated art instruction most of these children receive. Beyond the classroom, hundreds of children participate in community events, after-school programs, and summer workshops presented by Carnegie Picture Lab.

"50 students (4th, 5th and 6th graders) from Sharpstein, Green Park and Prescott Elementary participated in the art project. They art they created was projected during the Walla Walla Symphony concert on May 10, 2021 during the performance of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. In-person attendance at the Walla Walla University Church was 97 (out of 100 maximum due to pandemic restrictions), and 145 people watched the livestream performance."

Foodscape Walla Walla | ABC Grant | 2020

Foodscape fosters cultural associations & community connection through honoring the food of the valley from its production through consumption phases.

Innovation Charter School | ABC Grant | 2020

Innovation Charter School was a tuition-free, public middle school for students in grades 6-8. ICS was committed to preparing and empowering students to discover their potential and craft their futures. Their mission was to create an environment where students can choose to take risks, make mistakes, learn new things, and build the future. ICS featured a small setting, personalized approach and project-based learning. The arts are an important component of learning. Instead of having a separate art class, art was integrated into core classes. 

Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Program | ABC Grant | 2020

Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project (TVAMP) is a project of Rural Youth Enrichment Services 501c3, Waitsburg, WA. They are a volunteer led organization that teaches youth music lessons (ages 6 - 18), coaches youth bluegrass bands (ages 6 - 21) and organize local bluegrass jams (ages 6 - 90) in Waitsburg, Dayton & Walla Walla and they produce, promote and sponsor live music concerts in the Touchet Valley.

Patrick Flemming | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2019

Patrick Fleming is a ceramic artist who uses locally dug clays. Fleming applied to the Dan Dunn Memorial Grant to fund demonstrations for traditional pottery techniques worthy of production. His demonstrations will include setting bats, basic cylinders, lids using a template, throwing from the hump, matching sets, quick bowls, pulling and attaching handles, applique, engobs and stains.  Along with demonstrations will be discussion of the use of local earth materials and wood ashes for clay and glazes and a discussion of the economics of digging your own material and the cost of firing. Several examples of all processes will be furnished.

Jonathan Hickerson | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2019

Jonathan Hickerson cuts, burns, shreds and blasts wood to symbolize the destructive and creative nature of erosion. He creates landscape sculptures that are taken from both topographic imagery as well as his imagination. Within these landscapes he grapples with the erosion patterns that create the cracks, crevices, mountains and streams which the stories of the land that encompass our lives emerge. He is currently working on more three-dimensional free standing pieces and focusing on moving his work off the walls in addition to translating the work into more permanent mediums that could withstand the outdoors like bronze and steel. Hickerson recently had his first commissions and installed work in public venues in Portland. John applied for the Dan Dunn Memorial grant for his project called Fluxus, which will be his first free-standing Topographic sculpture.

The Little Theatre of Walla Walla | ABC Grant | 2019

The Little Theatre has a rich 75 year legacy of offering a full spectrum of live theatre, everything from Broadway musicals and serious dramas to sophisticated comedies and children's theatre outreach experiences. Both their audiences and their many volunteers are diverse in every way. The Little Theatre was built to serve as a place of opportunity for people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and skills to participate and learn about live theatre at every level. Their goal is to create a catalyst for community vitality, artistry, and service for the Walla Walla Valley for many years to come.  Through true community theatre involvement and children's theatre outreach, theatre cultivates a love of the arts, helps teach life skills, develops confidence and creates a robust sense of belonging…all of which effect and promote health in both individuals and a community. Their annual involvement is approximately 6000 comprised of both patrons and volunteers.

The Little Theatre is in the process of creating a series of community workshops teaching various theatre arts to groups of adults as well as children.  They applied for the ABC grants because these workshops require materials and supplies for each participant as they learn about how to build sets, create stage props from scratch, how to create and paint flats, learning about costume creation, special scenery and other aspects of theatre craft.  For the children involved, these opportunities will also include participation in acting workshops taught by established and experienced theatre members during the regular season and the directorial team from Missoula Children’s Theatre each summer.  As they contribute to the community by offering these workshops at no charge, it is their desire to help fill a gap in community arts education and to create opportunities for those that may not otherwise be able to learn or participate in the arts. Their goal is to have at least 150-200 participant slots for workshops filled from October 2019-September 2020 (theatre season).

Central Middle School | ABC Grant | 2019

Central Middle School serves 420 students in 6th-8th grades. 86% of their students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. They have a wide diversity of students; many are from low income families. Central Middle school applied for the ABC grant because the Art Club is the only artistic offering for middle school children in the Milton Freewater area.

The mission of the Central Middle School Art Club is to provide students with a safe environment where opportunities for developing artistic skills, friendships and connections with the community, which are paramount to their ongoing success. The positive and creative culture that art brings to the club members and the school is powerful. Having been awarded an ABC Grant last season, this years proposal seeks to gain funds to expand the Art Club from one session to two during the 2019-2020 school year and serve up to 28 students. This year they hope to work as a club to bring back a ceramic arts program to the school which would culminate in a collaborative ceramic mural project as a gift to the school.

Walla Walla Symphony | ABC Grant | 2019

The Walla Walla Symphony delights and challenges the Walla Walla community by providing live orchestral performances and opportunities for learning about music.  They are committed to making the region a better place to live by awakening a passion for the arts in as many people as possible.  With over a century’s experience training and developing countless generations of classical musicians and music lovers, they have been and continue to be a vital thread in the arts and cultural fabric of Walla Walla.  As the oldest continually-operating symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi, they are the only arts organization in our community capable of providing world-class full symphonic and classical music experiences.

Each season they offer full symphonic concerts, smaller chamber music events and, because they believe no child with a love for music should be deprived because of socioeconomic status, extensive, free and low-cost offerings for youth and families. The Symphony applied for an ABC grant to help fund the annual Free Rock and Roll Camp. The camp, which began in 2008, is the cornerstone of their efforts to engage and empower young people through music. Each summer this camp serves 50+ area young people with high-quality music production and performance experience and instruction.  No experience is necessary in order to participate in the camp, and many campers are students who don’t have access to or can’t afford private lessons—both of which are made available to them through camp participation.  During the camp, students take lessons, form bands, and explore music marketing and merchandising.  The camp culminates in a free, student-produced concert for the community in a local park—an event that has become a beloved annual celebration where families come together and celebrate the community and the talented young people.  Campers showcase their newfound skills and many bands continue after the conclusion of the camp.

Touchet Valley Arts Council | ABC Grant | 2019

Touchet Valley Arts Council’s mission is to promote cultural opportunities in Dayton and the surrounding region. The Liberty Theater in Dayton, WA, owned and operated by TVAC, serves as the center for civic and educational activities as well as performing arts for people of all ages in the wider community. They consistently invest in local youth and families through the variety of programs and events offered.

TVAC applied for the ABC Grant to fund Dan Luce of Sacred Playplace Studios. Luca gave a puppet/ marionette performance and facilitated a puppet making workshop which inspired participants to explore the multidisciplinary art of puppetry. Dan has been involved with puppetry for over 20 years, performing internationally and has designed and created puppets collaborating with clients such as Cirque de Soleil and Disney. Dan grew up in Dayton, and motivates and inspires other local artists, particularly youth and children, interested in the arts in the community to follow their dreams. 

Meghann Heinrich | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2018

Meghann is an actor, writer and director with a passion for working with children. She was most recently seen playing Sally Brown in Walla Walla University's production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," for which she was nominated to take part in the Irene Ryan Scholarship competition at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival this coming February. When she is not performing she enjoy developing her writing skills in creative, feature and playwriting projects. She is studying communication and drama and this academic combination has opened her eyes to the profound importance of telling stories and inviting others to engage in the art of storytelling.

"There are many great stories, it's just a fact of life when you get three 10-year-olds in a room and ask them to let their imaginations run wild. I think the moments that will stick with me are the ones where these young script writers caught the vision that they could literally write anything in their stories. They showed me unbridled enthusiasm and commitment I didn't expect from such young creatives. One instance that sticks out, happened during our final show. I was sitting with the students in the front row, and it was the final reading of the show. The writer was in awe of his creation on stage, but the best part was when he started to hear the audience laughing along and engaging with his story. He couldn't decide whether he should watch the stage or turn around and watch the audience reaction. Either way he was grinning ear to ear and having the time of his life sharing something he created with such a supportive audience. It was precious."

Maddie Bailey | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2018

As an artist working in the Anthropocene, Maddie is interested in navigating the dynamic relationship between the human and natural worlds. Material exploration fuels her artistic practice, culminating in sculptures made with found objects—both natural and human made— that highlight the material’s unique characteristics and visual elements. Maddie also use photography to document her sculptures, since many are ephemeral. She graduated from Whitman College with a BA in Art (Cum Laude) in 2017 and has continued her artistic practices in Walla Walla. Recent exhibitions have included the Juried Winter Student Art Salon (2014-2017), where I received the Louis B. Perry Award of Excellence (2016); 2 shows at Studio Articolore; Senior Thesis Art Exhibition (2017); pop-up shows at ArtEscape Studio and ArtWalla; and the 2018 ArtSquared at CAVU Cellars.

Maddie wishes to pursue in learning how to preserve and document her work. The inherent ephemerality of her work proves to be a challenge as a working artist. She sees documentation through photography and preserving the raw materials used in her sculptures as the next step needed to further her artistic practice. Photographing work, while important for all mediums, is crucial for ephemeral art, as it is often the only way to preserve the work and share it with others. Many of her sculptures continue to evolve as time passes, and photographs are the only lasting evidence of these processes happening. A camera would allow her to really embrace ephemeral art, further exploring seasonal changes and location based work. She is also interested in developing a way to preserve the raw materials she uses in sculptures.

Walla Walla Music Organization (Walla Walla Public Library) | ABC Grant | 2018

The Walla Walla Music Organizations mission is to enhance academic, creative and social/life skills for Walla Walla-based students via Digital Music Production/Audio Engineering programs. The WWMO was founded by Rodney Outlaw, who has offered this kind of programming at local high schools (Lincoln, Garrison, Willow -- see UB article Nov. 2016), Rock Camp, and currently offers them at the Walla Walla Public Library. Through these programs, Rodney has established partnerships and volunteers across the Valley who support this initiative. Rodney is a recording artist, music producer and audio engineer, with a degree in Audio Engineering. He has also worked with youth for over 10 years at the Y, as a para-professional and as a studio sound teacher. 

“Audio Afterschool” is a fun hands-on program for creative expression and team-building that significantly enhances students’ writing, grammar, critical thinking and creative skills, utilizing the latest audio software/technologies as well as real-world employability “soft skills”. Past participants have created their own CD’s, and some are helping run sound for local events for their churches. Since 2016, the WW Public Library has generously hosted 8 sessions of Audio Afterschool. Additional funding would allow more courses to be offered, and ensure continuity between funding cycles. It would also allow for better program promotion and participation across middle and senior high schools in Walla Walla, along with home-schooled students, with a goal of reaching the close to 1000 students in the area.

Central Middle School | ABC Grant | 2018

Central Middle School serves 420 students in 6th-8th grades. 86% of their students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. They have a wide diversity of students; many are from low income families. Central Middle school applied for the ABC grant because the Art Club is the only artistic offering for middle school children in the Milton Freewater area.

Lynne Burnham, Art Teacher recently conducted a survey of students to assess interest in an after school art program. Over 30 students expressed a desire to participate. The project is the development of an after-school art club where 30-40 students can gain exposure to the arts, develop an appreciation for visual arts through creative activities, artistic explorations and shared experiences in a safe and positive learning environment once per week. Because the students and many local families are low-income, Lynne cannot collect club dues and has offered up $100 of out-of-pocket seed money to purchase expendable supplies. The grant will provide funding for colored pencils, acrylic paints and brushes, canvas boards, watercolors and watercolor paper, and a drying rack and potentially an annual "field trip" to an art museum. 

The Walla Walla Choral Program | ABC Grant | 2018

The Walla Walla Choral Program has 5 traditional choirs: Chamber Singers, Belles Voix, Concert Choir, Treble Choir, and Harmonia. The  mission is to develop well rounded musicians, and expose them to music styles from all over the world and different genres of music. The target audience is the entire Walla Walla High School student body and home schooled students (1,500). The current size is 100 of students in the traditional choral ensembles, but there many musically talented students that are not interested in the traditional choral style of singing, but are interested in Musical Theater and Modern Music. I would to love to reach at least 25+ new students each semester.

There is an additional course fee for students in addition to the costs of purchasing the rights to the music the class has chosen.  Students are willing to pay the price, but the teacher Coleen doesn't want this opportunity to be limited to those that are financially well off. The funding from the grant will be used to purchase music, and to have a showcase at the end of each semester.

Carnegie Picture Lab | ABC Grant | 2018

Over the last ten years, Carnegie Picture Lab has established partnerships with 13 schools in Washington and Oregon, serving over 185 K-5 classrooms, and reaching over 4,000 elementary schoolchildren. Within a school year, our programs provide over 2,000 hours of classroom teaching, the only dedicated art instruction most of these children receive. Beyond the classroom, hundreds of children participate in community events, after-school programs, and summer workshops presented by Carnegie Picture Lab.

Carnegie piloted the free art program for the YWCA Summer Adventure Club, a childcare program for elementary school children. Children in the program come from all backgrounds, including those from low-income households and those who may be living at the YWCA women’s shelter. This year they would like to improve and formalize the program by developing a more detailed curriculum that provides a variety of art lessons and more in-depth art projects. They will provide lessons weekly throughout the summer. In addition to the three art/art history lessons they will be preparing for the 2019-20 school year curriculum, they will supplement those with lessons on color theory, shape, texture, techniques, etc. Picture Lab will also work to develop a collaborative, ongoing project that students can work on throughout the summer. This cohesive curriculum will provide children with a strong foundation. Because many of these children may be coming from difficult circumstances, they hope that the program will provide a source of joy and solace. To continue that positive feeling, they would also like to provide art kits that the children can keep in order to keep creating art after the classes are finished.

Eric Rannestad | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2017

At ECONorthwest in Portland, Oregon, and the Oregon Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Eric Rannestad is researching the ecological, economic, and cultural challenges of rangeland restoration in the Interior West. Drawing from this research - along with his own experiences with nature and place - Rannestad creates paintings and sculptures that combine organic and industrial material with landscape and maps. This artwork is an expression of the complications, externalities, and symbiotic intricacies that exist at the intersection of nature and industry. Recent shows and exhibitions include the 2016/17 ArtSquared at CAVU Cellars, a solo show at Sapolil Cellars, the 34th Annual Festival of the Arts in Joseph, Series II, CAHOOT, and Toner Cartridge Almost Empty– three group exhibition in Glasgow Scotland, and recently Connect at Studio Articolore in Walla Walla. Eric is also the recipient of Whitman’s Presidential Scholarship in Art, a Lewis B. Perry Award, and three consecutive Whitman Internship Grants.

"I plan to use these funds to further an existing body of work titled Market Boxes -- a series of lightboxes made from concrete,plywood, and Styrofoam that host plants and organic material in their interiors. I have been developing this project for 8 months now and the trajectory of the boxes have taken a turn toward site specificity: hosting plants that are native to the Interior Pacific Northwest, to Washington, and to the Walla Walla/Wallowa counties. To incorporate native plants into my artwork, I will collect the seed from the surrounding environment, clean, and grow the plant myself within a small studio greenhouse. Seeds of interest include: bluebunch wheatgrass, crested wheatgrass, local mosses, wyoming big sagebrush, cheatgrass (non-native), and a variety of native forbs. This plant material will be collected on a rolling basis as fall turns to winter, winter turns to spring, and spring turns to summer. Seeds will be grown out in plots within this studio greenhouse. This greenhouse would be compact enough to fit in a large car for transport should it be used as a component of future shows and exhibitions. As each plant matures it is transplanted into new artworks, each equipped with the appropriate light and irrigation systems to sustain the plant. The first installation of this body of work will be shown in April at the 2018 Senior Thesis Exhibition held in Whitman College’s Sheehan Gallery. However, this body of work will continue developing into the late spring and summer."

Lindsay Tebeck | Dan Dunn Memorial Grant | 2017

Lindsay Tebeck is a freelance Illustrator based in Walla Walla, WA. She attended Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design as an Illustration major (BFA) and graduated with the high honor of Summa Cum Laude in 2015. Lindsay admires line and uses it predominately in her work. She is heavily inspired by line art from the Nouveau period and American Neotraditionalism. She uses watercolor, gouache, oil, and digital media to colorize her ink works. Lindsay exhibits her fascination with line by creating personal works which marry nature and symbology to share social, political, and internal commentary. She's received the ArtSquared People's Choice Award in 2017 and numerous RMCAD awards from 2012-2015. Her most recent project was partnering with the Carnegie Picture Lab to illustrate the children's book, "Lillian Pitt – She Who Watches", which has been distributed among local elementary schools as part of the Public School District's art curriculum.

"The project I am hoping to receive funding for is an exhibition under-works titled "Illustrated Confessions". The conceptbehind this project is to bring a visual voice to anonymous submissions from the community which highlight cultural, communal, and personal grievances. The event would invite people to write in about personal faults, misdeeds, and slights against them by others. "Confessions" would be collected through anonymous email, (a web page that does not require the sender to present their address would be available,) or by a physical drop box located at the gallery. The illustrations I anticipate creating would be visual renderings of the anonymous responses with the use of thick symbology. This interactive exhibition will bring interest to viewers by means that the work produced has a direct connection with the audiences' unique experiences. I anticipate that this layer of intimacy with the work will bring a constructive dialogue about what challenges we face as individuals and what we can do about them as a community. I am tentatively set to display the illustrative works at Studio Articolore in 2018."

Walla Walla Public Library | ABC Grant | 2017

The WW Public Library (WWPL) serves the people of Walla Walla as a community information and lifelong learning center. The WWPL organizes, provides, and promotes informational, educational, recreational and cultural materials and offers opportunities for exploring ideas and furthering knowledge for people of all ages. The Library welcomes close to 200,000 visitors annually and circulates over 300,000 materials. The WWPL expands beyond its location through its outreach visits to all the schools in the Walla Walla Valley and they house a state of the art media center for art classes, 3D modeling, video-making and instruction in audio production. WWPL is also the only library in the nation to offer creative writing courses for veterans with PTSD. 

The WWPL project is a Graphic Novel Project for fourth and fifth graders. Children at this age often struggle to find success at school. Active listening, reading at grade level, collaborative learning, critical thinking, and the ability to communicate effectively in a group environment are required skills for success in the classroom. The challenge is to help them meet these goals without losing their love of learning. Art can often be the answer to keeping their passion for curiosity and creativity alive while reinforcing the skills they need. The Graphic Novel Project incorporates writing, reading, design, composition, illustration, collage, painting and book art. Through art activities, children have the ability to engage, use critical thinking, follow directions, develop a plan and execute the plan, and work collaboratively in a text-free environment. Through art activities, children enjoy success through the creation of art. The Graphic Novel Project will engage 20-25 underserved children who have been identified for participation in the Walla Walla Public School’s after school program during April-July of 2018.

Lincoln High School | ABC Grant | 2017

Lincoln High School is an alternative learning environment for students who have struggled to thrive in traditional settings. Lincoln serves students in 9-12 grade as well as older students pursuing their GED or high school diploma through a program called "Open Doors." Lincoln has a significant portion of low-income, at-risk youth who have experienced major trauma and obstacles in their lives. The school focuses on building positive relationships with each and every student to help them gain skills for success in school and life. Lincoln believes in every student's potential to achieve and embody the spirit of the school mascot, the phoenix.

Throughout the year Lincoln's art teacher runs a Teaching for Artistic Behavior classroom with a very small budget. The Teaching for Artistic Behavior philosophy is to give the students some basic skills and have them create what they want whether it be painting, drawing, assemblage, collage, etc.  This project will fund  the materials and supplies like canvases, paint, brushes, ink, printing supplies, silkscreen, spray paint, pencils, woodblocks, and more for the students Lincoln High School serves for the 2017-2018 school year.

Walla Walla Symphony | ABC Grant | 2017

The Walla Walla Symphony delights and challenges the Walla Walla community by providing live orchestral performances and opportunities for learning about music.  They are committed to making the region a better place to live by awakening a passion for the arts in as many people as possible.  With over a century’s experience training and developing countless generations of classical musicians and music lovers, they have been and continue to be a vital thread in the arts and cultural fabric of Walla Walla.  As the oldest continually-operating symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi, they are the only arts organization in our community capable of providing world-class full symphonic and classical music experiences.

Sharpstein Elementary School | ABC Grant | 2017

Sharpstein is an elementary school serving 415 students in grades K-5. Almost 60% of the students are eligible for free and reduced price lunches, and just over 25% are learning English as a second language. The school's vision is "Every Child, Every Day, Every Step of the Way, Welcoming, Achieving, Caring, Educating." Our school district's mission statement is: Walla Walla Public Schools ensures all students receive high quality instruction in an aligned and coherent system while addressing their social and emotional needs in a safe and engaging environment."

Sharpstein does not have an art program at the school, so this grant will help fund a school art program in partnership with the new 21st Century After School program. Sharpstein will have three 4-week session, meeting once weekly. Each session will serve up to 20 students, and will be taught by Outside the Lines art instructor Katy Rizutti. Student art will be displayed on the evening of Feb. 1, 2018 at Sharpstein Family Night of the Arts.