Click a grant or award named below to read about the recipients in that category....

Premiere Grantees | Funded by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

2009 Premier Grantees
38 applicants, 17 awards, total awarded: $39,900 .
Requests range from $500 - $3,000.

Justin Bacolo: The American Veteran
Bacolo will create and exhibit a series of photographic portraits depicting the American Veteran. The portraits will be taken at local VFWs located throughout Staten Island, and will include veterans from WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the first Gulf War, and veterans returning home from the current conflicts in the Middle East. $1,800

Laura Del Prete: Cages and Cases
Del Prete will create and exhibit assemblage and collage work inside of birdcages and suitcases, focusing on the themes of social work and social services. The work will also include hand-stitched journals, cigar box purses, and collage-inspired jewelry. $1,800

Nicholas Fevelo: Todt Hill Wash Site
Fevelo will create a multi-media installation, re-creating a future archaeological dig. Artifacts and sculptures will include a partially-excavated Greek-style bust of Guy V. Molinari, a tripod-style dirt sifter, archaeology tools, bullet casings, and other “evidence,” like maps, photos, and the remains of settlements. Appropriated as well as artist-created photographs will hang in the space to further the story. $2,500

Cecilia Flores: The Big Blue
Flores will choreograph and perform contemporary and post-modern dance that articulates the diversity and cultural life of Staten Island. The piece is called “The Big Blue – Leaving the World Behind,” inspired by a French film called Le Grande Bleu. $3,000

Justin Gaynor: Metastatic
Gaynor will use kiln-fused art glass to create work that comments on the destructive force cancer has on individuals and their family. Glass sculptures will reflect the cellular, imaging, and emotional changes that occur during the disease process. $2,000

James Harris, Jr.: Ashland & Division
Harris will create a film about a generation of kids in their twenties who struggle with becoming adults. His film will capture the colors, tone, and texture of a world of dive bars, cocktail napkin poets, and confused young lovers. $2,000

Matthew “Matt-U” Johnson: Cross Cultural Music of Staten Island and Abroad
Johnson will create a mixture of Caribbean and American music, combined with European cultural music. He will create a CD, music video, and perform in small venues across Staten Island to showcase his talent, as well as the talents of international performers. $2,000

Bob Kaiser: A Tribute to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
Kaiser and his band will perform a tribute to two of the greatest jazz composers of all time at Westerleigh Park. $3,000

Randy Ludacer: Songs about Packaging
Ludacer will write and record a series of new songs about packaging, culminating in a solo performance atop a capped garbage mound at Fresh Kills. $2,000

Rudolph Montanez: Shreds
Montanez will create and exhibit shredded words constructed using discarded bank monies and instruments of various types, such as international currency, deeds, and stock certificates as a critique of the current economy. $3,000

NYC Arts Cypher: M.U.R.A.L.
NYC Arts Cypher will work with Staten Island youth between the ages of 13 and 18 who have engaged in vandalism to instill positive values. Participants learn about the history of urban art, how to take creative direction, how to work as a team, and will develop artistic techniques. $3,000

Janet Robinson “The Kwanzaa Lady”: Kwanzaa Extravaganza
Robinson will present a free community event that includes music, dance, song, spoken word, and drama. Workshops will highlight the seven principles of Kwanzaa. $1,800

Marcel Rominger: Carnegie Hall Piano Recital on Staten Island
Award-winning Staten Island pianist Marcel Rominger will present two piano recitals, building upon the success of his concert at Carnegie Hall. The recitals will include the majority of the pieces and program notes from the Carnegie recital, and will include artist commentary. $2,000

Philip Sanders: Interactive Panoramas at the Tibetan Museum
Sanders will give public workshops at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, demonstrating taking digital photography of the museum’s gardens and exteriors. He will show how to create digital panoramas using QuickTime VR, and will display his and his students’ interactive panoramas. $2,000

SICoLab: Bridge the Gap
Bridge the Gap is a free outdoor “art happening” that includes music, theatre, visual and performance art, and films. The festival will bring together artists of all artistic disciplines, as well as expose the general public to the Staten Island artistic community. $3,000

Staten Island Creative Community: Art by the Ferry
Art by the Ferry is a celebration of art and culture that spans two weekends in June in St. George. A wide variety of visual arts, crafts, music, dance, spoken word, and workshops will enliven the community and draw people off the ferry. $3,000

Meg Whitlock: Lhasa on the Hudson
Whitlock will record and share the lives of representative sections of the Tibetan community living in exile in New York City, utilizing the visual medium of photography. $2,000

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2009 Art Fund Grantees
19 applicants, 8 awards, total awarded: $20,000.
Requests ranged from $750 - $5,000

Mikhael Antone: To a Man
Antone will create a feature length film documenting young men from Staten Island’s South Shore. $2,000

Lars “Christoph” Mayer: The Return of the Great Blue Heron 2.1
Christoph will present a musical theatre project that combines music, dance, film, photography, and comedy. $3,000

Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble: Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble Fifth Concert Season
Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble will present a five-part concert series with two pre-concert panel discussions set in a cabaret setting. $1,575

Janice Patrignani: The Children of Staten Island – Painted Silk Banners
Patrignani will share the magical experience of the centuries-old Chinese art form of silk painting with the next generation of Staten Island artists. $1,500

Tina Thompson-Pope: Skin – Eccentrica Project II
Thompson will choreograph and perform an evening of dance that draws the audience into a world of subconscious and emotional thought regarding the patterns of life. $5,000

WaFoo: 2009 Concert Series
WaFoo, a trio with flute, keyboard, and bass, will provide a series of concerts in South Staten Island. $4,000

Bob Wright: The Oyster Aristocracy
Wright will compose and perform songs related to the historic oyster industry on Staten Island. $1,425

Frank Zuppardi: Original Composition for Orchestra and Saxophone
Zuppardi will create an original composition for the Richmond County Orchestra combining the characteristic styles of classical, jazz, and Latin music. $1,500

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2009 SI Creative Communities Grantees
29 applicants, 18 awards, total awarded: $47,240.
Requests ranged from $500 - $5,000

Stephen Barnett: 25 Years: Photography & Sculpture Alike
Barnett will produce a series of 50 framed Black & White photographs to further his current aesthetic of photographic sculpture by incorporating found objects such as rusted nails, hairpins, small bolts, and springs. Sponsored by CSI Foundation. $1,900

Celebrating Real Family Life: Family Harmony Event Series
This project consists of a series of two performances by Fantasia Youth Orchestra of The Noel Pointer Foundation, a nonprofit-organization dedicated to teaching musical string instruction to youth residing in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Sponsored by Central Family Life Center. $4,500

Robert Conroy: Songs of Snug Harbor’s Sailors
Conroy and the folk group STOUT will compose and perform songs used onboard ships and performed for sailors’ entertainment. Most of the songs will have been collected and preserved by Mr. William Doerflinger through interviews with actual sailors from Snug Harbor. Sponsored by the Noble Maritime Collection. $2,390

Day de Dada Performance Art Collective: Shop-o-Rama
The annual “Day de Dada” festival will celebrate the freedom and experimental nature of Dada, bringing non-traditional entertainment to Staten Island. This year’s theme focuses on collaborations between art and commerce. Sponsored by the Unitarian Church of Staten Island. $1,450

Friends of Westerleigh Park: Young Artists in the Park
This summer art program in the park will encourage children and their families to receive art lessons from a professional artist. $1,200

The Loris Bend Foundation, Inc.: Concert Series: Staten Island Rocks
Peter Zummo will use the traditional Western notational system to combine, juxtapose, and develop melodic and rhythmic fragments and generate musical materials he might not otherwise hear or play in a jazz context. He will present these new compositions in a four-concert series across Staten Island. $3,000

Lars “Christoph” Mayer: The Return of the Great Blue Heron 2.1
Christoph will present a musical theatre project that combines music, dance, film, photography, and comedy. Sponsored by the Alice Austen House Museum. $1,000

Nylon Wound: Neighborhood Concert Series 2009
Nylon Wound will offer four free classical guitar duet concerts across Staten Island. The concerts will feature new arrangements and original compositions created by the duo. $3,000

Pink Diamond Steppers Association, Inc.: Talent and Purpose Performing Arts Workshops
Youth will be given the opportunity to enhance their skills through instruments, song, dance and poetry during and eight week performing arts workshop series that will give them the inspiration to enhance creative expression and personal development. $4,500

Nancy Quin: Global Art Project: Native America
This national art exchange project will bring together children from different organizations on Staten Island and connect them to children living on Native American Reservations in the South Western United States through visual art. Sponsored by Universal Temple of the Arts. $3,000

Francis Quinlan: Shadow Wars
Quinlan will mount a full production of the original stage work, Shadow Wars, a fantasy-comedy set against the background of post-Civil War Virginia. Sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Food Program. $2,000

Raja Rajeswari: Synergy of East and West: A Creative Dance Fusion
Rajeswari will choreograph traditional Indian dance to popular western music, and will conduct demonstration workshops during the performance which will enable young audience members to learn simple and creative hand gestures. Sponsored by Staten Island Zoological Society. $2,000

Serenade: Historic Christ Church Concerts
During 2009, Serenade will present a flute recital with piano accompaniment, a bass-baritone operatic program, a piano recital, and a women’s choir with sixteen vocalists. Sponsored by Christ Church New Brighton. $3,000

Staten Island OutLOUD: Grassroots Readings, Dialogues, and Performances
Staten Island OutLOUD will make great works accessible to a wide audience, and build cross-cultural understanding. Programs will include intimate participatory readings and large staged performances. Sponsored by Friends of the Abandoned Cemeteries. $5,000

The Verrazano Foundation: Arts of Recovery
This program gives artists living with mental illness the opportunity to collaborate with highly-skilled professional artists in the creation of works of art. $4,000

WaFoo: 2009 Concert Series
WaFoo, a trio with flute, keyboard, and bass, will provide a series of concerts in South Staten Island. Sponsored by St. Peter’s Church. $1,000

Barbara Wesby: Patriot Dreams
Wesby will create a new composition for soprano, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, inspired by patriotic themes. The work will be written for members of the Viva Voce Ensemble, and will explore poetry and texts spanning the two centuries of our nation’s history. Sponsored by DanzAisa. $1,300

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2009 Original Work Grantees
22 applicants, 4 awards, $2,125 each

Susan Amessé: Literature
Amessé will complete a polished draft of a contemporary young-adult novel involving a main character who is a concerned environmentalist and a member of a Teen Environmental Awareness Group. Through the course of the story, the protagonist becomes aware of an impending development that will destroy a Staten Island wetlands habitat. Her commitment to saving this marsh for future generations propels her into action as she attempts to stand up to her father, a New York politician, and the corporate giant he is negotiating with.

Willie Chu: Photography
Chu will photograph storefront houses of worship on Staten Island that represent various faiths, ethnicities, and communities. After photographing these houses of worship, the congregants and their leaders, Chu will present a photo installation consisting of 16” x 20” matted and framed prints.

Ann Marie McDonnell: Sculpture and Printmaking
McDonnell is interested in exploring the relationship between her two and three dimensional art. She will create sculptures based on her prints, and prints based on her sculptures, as well as several new pieces which will include both mediums. She will exhibit the work in a show called Exploring in Two and Three Dimensions.

Tattfoo Tan: Community-Based “Intervention” Art
Tan’s art practice seeks to find an immediate, direct, and effective way of exploring issues related to the individual in society, through which to collapse the categories of “art” and “life” into one. Lot 67 is an ephemeral and conceptual project, consisting of a feast in a community garden based on plants grown by immigrant neighbors to supplement their daily consumption and medicinal usage.

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2009 COAHSI/NYSCA ABC (Arts Bring Change) Grants

Lyle Foxman & P.S. 11
(Award Amount $2,087)
"Focus on Community through Photography"
P.S. 11 in Dongan Hills undertakes “Focus on Community through Photography,” a photojournalism and writing project for three 2nd-grade classes. Students will learn to use a camera, take photographs of their neighborhood, and keep related journals. Link to P.S. 11>

Alice Austen House Museum & P.S. 19
(Award Amount $1,938)
"History through the Photographer's Eye"
Two classes of third graders at P.S. 19 will enjoy “History through the Photographer’s Eye,” a course with teaching artist Ann Marie McDonnell, which teaches history and photography through the life and work of Alice Austen. Link to Alice Austen House Museum> | Link to P.S. 19>

Sarah Yuster & P.S. 20
(Award Amount $2,000)
"The Memory Project"
P.S. 20 in Port Richmond will work with teaching artist Sarah Yuster on “The Memory Project,” where 5th grade students will write about and illustrate “small moments in time” by evoking specific memories. Link to P.S. 20>

The Noble Maritime Collection & P.S. 30
(Award Amount: $2,000)
4th and 5th grade students will learn printmaking skills based on Maritime history of New York Harbor, ranging from the traditional boats of the Lenape Indians to Henry Hudson and the age of the big sailing ship. Link to Noble Maritime Collection> | Link to P.S. 30>

Sundog Theatre & P.S. 41
(Award Amount: $1,975)
"Hallway of History Mural"
A “Hallway of History” mural will be created by a fourth grade class at P.S. 41, right outside of their classroom. The mural will depict P.S. 41’s history as it relates to the history of New York as a whole. Link to Sundog Theatre> | Link to P.S. 41>

The Noble Maritime Collection & P.S. 69
(Award Amount: $2,000)
"Ellis Island Mural"
An “Ellis Island Mural,” depicting the country’s famous entry point in New York Harbor, will be planned and painted by fourth graders at P.S. 69; and they will study the history of immigration in the process. Link to Noble Maritime Collection> | Link to P.S. 69>

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2009 Excellence in the Arts Awardees
8 Awards, $1,000 each

Amanda Curtis
"The Boy with a Long Nose"
Curtis will create a lucid and dreamlike live installation that tells the tale of "The Boy with a Long Nose," who suffers from isolation and lives in a world of dreams inside his head. Entities known as "House Spirits" tinker with him untli he eventually interacts with and is controlled by them. His first meeting is with a woman composed of sunlight and dust, "The Spirit of Intangibles."

Paul Moakley
Memory Loop
Paul Moakley will film the entire circumfrence of Staten Island on land and by boat. Memory Loop will move the viewers to consider the shoreline of Staten Island and their relationship to it. The project will culminate in a video projection from a gazebo on the South Beach boardwalk. The setting in the black void will reinforce ideas of the sublime landscape and infinite space.

Matthew Johnson, Aka Matt-U
Matt-U's performance will include his single, "I Really Don't Know," which was produced by world renowned producer "Computer Paul" Henton. This song expresses multi-cultural vibes and international music, consisting of reggae, dancehall, and pop. Matt-U will be joined by a former band member of the BT Express, Mr. Leroy, on Guitar.

Century Dance Complex
The Centrury Dance Complex (CDC) performance will feature the CDC African Drumming Club, conposed of youth ages 10 to 16. African drums are traditional tale-telling instruments in African culture. The performance will include a variety of rhythms from Africa, to the Caribbean, and South America.

Tina Thompson Dance Theatre
ROBE is a reflective work of choreography consisting of three sections: SHE TELLS shows the courage and faith that is needed to endure in today's world. CHURCH is women's external and internal longing for spiritual acceptance. LIBERATION is the connection to the universe and its power.

Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble
A blending of classical meets contemporary typifies Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble's (MCCE) programming style of combining lesser known classical works with compositions by living composers. The Summerfest program includes French composer Pierre Sancan's highly-sophisticated Sonatine and Muczynski's Sonata - a piece that was championed by flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal.

Vincent Vok
Vincent Vok has been writing songs since 1968. His influences range from folk and blues artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Robert Johnson and Leonard Cohen. His style of performing is simple and intimate, and his music ranges from straight blues to thoughtful, lyrically proficient songs that compel the audience to emotionally invest in a specific story or scenario.

Frank Zuppardi and The Lakewood Blues Band
Frank Zuppardi has been performing with The Lakewood Blues Band for over 20 years. Together they have performed with famous entertainers such as Tony Bennett, Florence Henderson, Ben Verreen, Lou Rawls, and Little Anthony and The Imperials. Their performance will consist of original and popular blues varying in tempo from slow to faster shuffle tempos.

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2009 JPMorgan Chase Capacity Building Grants
15 Awardees, Awards Ranging from $1,000-$3,000

Alice Austen House
Alice Austen House will receive $3,000 to create new marketing brochures for their organization.

Century Dance Complex
Century Dance Complex will receive $3,000 for a Development Coordinator position

Conference House
Conference House will receive $3,000 for an oral history/photo collection system.

Creative Photographer's Guild
Creative Photographers’ Guild will receive $3,000 for gallery track lighting.

Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art will receive $1,700 for collection management software/computer.

Music at St. Albans
Music at St. Albans will receive $2,500 for marketing brochures and flyers

Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble
Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble will receive $2,795 for Artistic Director salary.

NYC Arts Cypher
NYC Arts Cypher will receive $3,000 for a data entry employee/e-commerce consultant.

Pro Musica
Pro Musica will receive $3,000 for creation of a website.

Riverside Opera Company
Riverside Opera Company will receive $3,000 to purchase a subtitles projector.

Seaview Playwrights Theatre
Seaview Playwrights Theatre will receive $2,715 for repairs to theatre and set furniture.

SERENADE at Historic Christ Church
SERENDE at Historic Christ Church will receive $1,960 for website design and development.

Sundog Theatre
Sundog Theatre will receive $3,000 for eco-friendly theatrical lighting.

Universal Temple of the Arts
Universal Temple of the Arts will receive $3,000 for Assistant Operations Coordinator salary.

Viva Voce Chamber Ensemble
Viva Voce Chamber Ensemble will receive $2,330 to purchase sheet music,a PA system, and keyboard.

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2009 JPMorgan Chase Arts in Our Communities Grant
11 Grantees, Awards Ranging from $1,000-$3,000

Irma Bohorquez-Geisler
Bohorquez-Geisler will document the Mexican community in Staten Island through photography. These images will be part of a long-term, photo-documentary essay about the fastest-growing immigrant group in New York City. Bohorquez-Geisler will show how Mexican families retain their cultures’ traditions, while adapting the traditions and culture of their new community. Award Amount: $1,500

Channel Africa
Channel Africa is creating a documentary, “Looka Us”, that captures the life of Liberian immigrants living in Staten Island. The film will explore the conditions of the immigrants’ disparate lifestyle, and their uncertainties and hope for a better future. Award Amount: $2,500

Egyptian American Arts and Cultural Organization
The Egyptian American Arts and Cultural Organization aims to introduce American people to ancient Egyptian dance, music and artwork. The dancers will emulate the “Wings of Iris” from old Egypt. They will emerge from a cocoon and perform moves that simulate the many drawings found on Egyptian artifacts and pyramids. Award Amount: $2,850

June Marie Manco
Manco will instill a sense of personal heritage for immigrants, while creating memories through portraiture. Manco will select students representing a variety of cultures, and display the oil paintings at Port Richmond Library. Award Amount: $1,875

Ray Scro
Scro will present music that represents a connection between the culture of the country of origin of an immigrant and the culture of that immigrants’ new home. Italian mazurkas and waltzes were composed by Scro’s grandfather when he was a student in Minturno, Italy. Award Amount: $2,000

Diana Sorkin
Sorkin will design a three-dimensional collage in a shape of the Star of David, incorporating family pictures and messages woven into a sculptural piece. Sorkin draws on her background of living in the Soviet Union and her fascination with forbidden religious symbols. Award Amount: $3,000

Fior Daliza Valdez Landetta
Fior Daliza will produce a CD of her own music and give a live performance. A recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Fior sings in the local band Internacional Sabor y Son. Amount Award: $2,000

Vincent Verdi
Verdi’s project, “From the Nile to the Arthur Kill” will document the Coptic Egyptian American community living in Staten Island. Egypt’s Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and Verdi will show their rituals and celebrations through photography. Award Amount: $2,500

Patrizia Vignola
Vignola will create a series of multi-generational portraits incorporating Armenian lettering and language to depict the effects of acculturation of her family. The use of Armenian lettering will be more visually obvious in the portraits of those who speak the language fluently, than of those like her three-year old daughter who is a second-generation Armenian. Award Amount: $3,000

Jay Weichun
Weichun is creating a documentary about how immigrant communities use their gardens to keep their culture alive. He will chronicle the upcoming growing season on Staten Island to highlight these cultures, as well as the “grow local” movement. Award Amount: $2,500

Meg Whitlock
Whitlock’s project, “Lhasa on the Hudson” will record and share the lives of representative sections of the Tibetan community living in exile in New York City, utilizing the visual medium of photography. Award Amount: $2,275

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