Six North Carolina artists were recently awarded Artist Support Grants that were made possible through a partnership between the North Carolina Arts Council, Pocosin Arts, Arts of the Pamlico, Dare County Arts Council and Martin County Arts Council.
A panel of artists, art professionals, and experts in various disciplines selected the six artists below from a pool of applicants from Dare, Tyrrell, Washington, Martin, Beaufort, and Hyde counties, and awarded them grants ranging from $875 to $1,500.
2022 Artist Support Grant Recipients:
- James (Mike) Bennett of Hamilton, NC for the development of civil rights illustrations.
- Fay Davis Edwards of Manteo, NC for the purchase of caster mounted flat filing storage.
- Laura Martier of Kitty Hawk, NC for studio time to record her recent jazz body of work.
- Gary Mitchell of Ocracoke, NC for music and video production equipment.
- Christina Weisner of Kill Devil Hills, NC to help offset the cost of the Arctic Circle Residency.
- Alison Williams of Kill Devil Hills, NC for the purchase of a kiln for her enamel work.
Artist Mike Bennett received an Artist Support Grant to create a series of paintings for an educational publication and community displays that will depict scenes from Martin County’s civil rights movement that occurred in Williamston, NC.
“My project will create a chronological series of illustrations based on historical events that occurred in Williamston, NC during a time when segregation existed throughout our county,” said artist Mike Bennett. “There are many people who are unaware of this part of Martin County’s history, and I hope my illustrations will tell the story of what these children and teens did during the summer of 1963. I also hope this project will benefit our county’s tourism, and provide information on this historical event at educational and community events.”
The Artist Support Grant program was created in 2020 by the North Carolina Arts Council as a way to assist individual artists during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dare County Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to encouraging the arts in Dare County through advocacy, enrichment and opportunity.
