The Warrior Microgrant Series, created by Ottawa groups Loud Black Girls, You Tell ‘Em Girl and Black Market Creative on May 7, will provide financial aid to local BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists as well as art advocacy groups in response to COVID-19.
Loud Black Girls and You Tell ‘Em Girl are two groups aimed at celebrating and promoting the achievements of women of colour. The two organizations have combined their funding with the marketing agency Black Market Creative to provide a $1,100 prize to be split among seven different categories.
$100 grants will be awarded to four separate performing artists and two visual artists — in an attempt to diversify applications so that applicants have a chance at funding regardless of their art form or community of origin. Creatives who are members of Black, Indigenous or Trans communities can also apply for separate $100 grants aimed at prioritizing these marginalized groups.
A final $200 grant will be awarded to any arts advocacy group that creates opportunities for artistic development.
Kingsley Swim, creator of Black Market Creative, said there are many challenges particular to artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to look at how the creative process is completely different now, there’s a kind of halt because of COVID,” Swim said.
“[Artists] can’t necessarily do art exhibits or receive money through live performances,” Swim added.
While government grants for young artists exist at both the provincial and federal levels, Swim said many people feel they are intimidating, confusing, and do not account for the institutional disadvantages that members of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities face.
“A lot of people maybe only create for social media, or they only have one art installation, but it’s still art,” Swim said. “They’re still artists regardless of their fanbase, so we wanted to provide a boost.”
Applicants for these grants do not need a professional portfolio to apply — they are required to upload documents or link to their YouTube or social media accounts as a substitute.
Maya Basudde, founding member of Loud Black Girls, said the reaction to this project has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I know lots of people from the communities we are supporting are very encouraged to have the visibility and to have something where their needs are being prioritized as well,” Basudde said.
Basudde added that whether they paint, write, record music or dance, marginalized artists have been coming together online to support their communities through programs like these.
“I’ve seen a big shift in how we connect with each other online and how we support one another, and it’s really inspiring to see,” she said.
Local R&B artist Lonely Boy said he is applying for a Warrior grant to offset the high costs of producing his upcoming music projects, and that the money will benefit both him and his colleagues who are sound mixers and audio engineers.
“A lot of artists, when they start, they underestimate the amount of time and effort that it takes to make sure that an album is beautifully crafted,” he said.
Lonely Boy, who works 70-hour weeks as an essential worker to fund his living expenses and music career, said he is appreciative of the Warrior grant’s focus on BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists.
“Being a queer artist, it makes it a lot more challenging for me, so I really want to make sure that when I’m creating something my best foot is forward,” he said.
Elisabeth Priscilla, a local painter who is considering applying for a Warrior grant, said she felt touched by this renewed sense of community among marginalized artists.
“I have received a lot of love and support as well as constructive feedback from local artists and overseas,” she said.
While she is encouraged by this success, Swim said she recognizes that more is needed to make a lasting change.
“Initially we were discussing how we wanted to make this more of a relief fund so that anyone who applied could receive $100 or so, but we, unfortunately, don’t have the means right now,” she explained.
Grant winners will be announced on Instagram live between June 12 to 16. The organizers said they hope this won’t be the end of the Warrior grants.
Swim said she hopes to see this series become an annual event with a heartier budget, wider reach, and live performances of applicants’ art; and that she’d “love to be able to compensate everyone participating for that.”
Basudde said she hopes that by providing a platform for minorities, other larger organizations may be inspired to do the same. She added the stipulation that all grant recipients must use social media to reveal how they plan to use their art in support of societal change to help increase visibility for the cause.
“Art is a very powerful force in the world,” Basudde said. “So we hope that through art, people will be inspired to make changes in their world.”
Featured image by Sarah Mizannojehdehi.
