Microgrants for Waterloo Region Artists – 2023

Pat the Dog Theatre Creation is delighted to announce the recipeints of the 2023 Micro-grants for Waterloo Region artists: 25 micro-grants of $1,000 each ($25,000 total) with each micro-grant representing the equivalent of 1-week paid work. This program is made possible through the support of the City of Waterloo and the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.

2023 Jury:

Tara Butler – Artistic Director, Dust and Soul Dance (Hyperlink: https://dustandsouldance.com)
Vanessa Spence – Artistic Director, Virtu Arts https://virtuartstheatre.com
Caitlin Sutherland – Director, CAFKA https://www.cafka.org
Lisa O’Connell – Artistic Director, Pat the Dog Theatre Creation

2023 Recipients:

Ellie Anglin: Reproduction, a new zine on the fertility industry, pregnancy, motherhood and how they intersect with grief, feminism, queerness and the body.

Claudia Aquirre:  Creation of new choreographies for Flamenco dance.

Lese Awodiya: investigation of how Nigerian culture is consumed, adopted and commercialized by people with white racial identities. Special interest in the how it  is both empowered and undermined by digitalization.

Shelia Brewster: The Basement is Flooding, a ten-poem manuscript exploring the experience of teetering between debilitating depression and what is called “high functioning” depression.

Olivia Brouwer: Development of a new body of sculptural work that explores various interpretations of accessibility for visually impaired audiences.

Cassio Calaigian: Photographic portraits of local immigrant business owners.

Carol Campbell:  Re-weaving, the re-creation of re-wearable and re-imagined sustainable fashion .

Maria Colonescu:  Mycelium, an immersive theatre experience exploring isolation and connectivity post-pandemic.

Julie Dring: Polaroid Aura, a photo-based project using polaroid photography to capture individuals’ auras through portraiture.

Hiba Elmiari: Ask me about Palestine, a series of short stories reflecting on day-to-day interactions as seen through the eyes of a Palestinian refugee in Canada.

Behnaz Fatemi:  Video performance art in response to the death of Mahsa Amini and its aftermath investigating and illustrating the price people pay in Iran to achieve their freedom.

Marichka Galadza:  Creating “Pysanky” in the Face of Genocide:  a small collection of 10 pysanky (gentle art of wax-resist egg dying,) practiced throughout Eastern Europe and particularly in Ukraine.  “Since the invasion of Ukraine in February of last year, our entire community has been emotionally and mentally broken.”

Ashley Guenette: Pick Me a series of 3 oil stick paintings on stretched canvas referencing the viral TikTok content of the persona, the Pick-me girl.

Sarah Hunsberger: –  The Laviniad, is a personal exploration into the violent and difficult story of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus daughter, Lavinia into a one-women show.

Rufus John:  Momma’s Kitchen video editing.

Faki Kuano: A new collection of CoBrA style encaustic painting.

Danielle Petti:  Creation of a piece in which all the mineral pigments are from Waterloo. “Foraging botanical and landscape for my art creates opportunities to understand complex societal and ecological details of who we are and where we are at.”

Lauren Prousky: Black Tie Soup Night, an absurdist art happening.

Medea Rasheed: Design and build of a low-fidelity probe Public Art installation.

Brenda Reid: Soft Bricks, a large construction sculpture using fabric and plywood. “I continue to intertwine my architectural background and art practice, looking at the inherent politics of space-defining and city-building.”

Racquel Rowe:  BODIES OF WATER: WATER IN RELATION TO BLACKNESS, specifically investigating at swimming in public pools in Waterloo Region.

Tri City Hip Hop: Hope in Hip Hop,  a musical collaboration engaging Waterloo Region musicians in the writing and recording of a four song performance exploring the power of Hip Hop to spread hope.

Nathaniel Voll: Views from Mount Trashmore, a study and celebration of the suburban park in southwest Kitchener through writing, illustration, collage, and photography.

Nomi Wiersma: No, Buddy , a comedic dance story of misunderstanding between a Pet and their Person.

Mengchao Wu:  Patchwork: a series of plate-sized Girl Guide badges made of clay and decorated to resemble a sewn on patch. “Unlike the Girl Guide badges I worked hard to earn, these clay “minority badges” are abstractions of unwanted tokens that others have pinned upon me without consent. They’ll range from seemingly innocuous compliments (“your English is so good”) to other, more pointed overtures (“me love you long time”).”