The Arts Council of Hillsborough County awarded a total of $20,000 to 11 accomplished, local Tampa artists. The money is part of the council’s 2014 Individual Artist Grants program, which supports the professional growth of skilled artists in the area.
Twenty applicants applied for the grants. Each artist proposed a specific project, which was evaluated and scored by a panel of seven arts professionals. The Arts Council’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the panel’s choices on Feb. 27.
The grantees’ media of choice included film, dance, photography, music, painting, visual art and installations. Individual awards ranged from $780 to $2,000.
An extra $1,000 was awarded to Michael Covello, the highest scoring visual artist and 2014 recipient of the Carolyn Heller Visual Arts Award. Heller, a popular visual artist in Tampa, died in 2011. Her family funded the eponymous reward to support Hillsborough artists.
Grantees included: Michael Covello, Shawn Cheatham, Tommy Durham, Diane Elmeer, Brian Dean Fidalgo II, Jason Henthorne, James Lennon, Aaron Lepley, Natalie Symons, Sigrid Tidmore and Bryan Weinstein.