September 10, 2019

Second Artists 360 Cohort Announced

By Margaret A. Keough

yellow workbook sits on a crowded black table

Artists 360 Announces Second Year of Artist Awards

Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) made possible through the support of the Walton Family Foundation, announces the twenty artists receiving project and student grant awards. With these twenty artists, the Artists 360 cohort grows to forty, and the program contributes further to the prosperity of the arts community in Northwest Arkansas.

Project grants range in discipline from literary, performing, and visual arts, ranging from mixed media to photography to sculpture, and more. Students are recognized during post-secondary education and encouraged in building sustainable practices. The Walton Family Foundation grant to M-AAA, recommended by Steuart Walton and Tom Walton, allows Artists 360 to provide $7,500 to project grantees and $1,500 to student artists, as well as professional development services for all awardees.

Traci Rae Manos is a folk singer-songwriter from the Ozark foothills who has performed for audiences in the USA, UK, and Germany. She says, “Art is an interaction. What I love about the Artists 360 program is that it is establishing a community of artists in Northwest Arkansas who can learn together, inspire one another, and even collaborate on future projects. There is so much talent tucked away in this northwest corner of the state. Artists 360 is infusing the local art scene with much-needed resources, as well as giving artists a platform from which to share our work. My Artists 360 grant will allow me to record my first album since 2006.”

The following practicing artists, organized by discipline, were awarded project grants of $7,500
Literary Arts: Keely Brice, Megan Downey, Rodney Wilhite
Performing Arts: Amos Cochran, Simone Cottrell, Crescent Dragonwagon, Rachel Lynett, Traci Rae Manos, Lia Uribe
Visual Arts: Craig Colorusso, Robert P. Gordon, Danielle Hatch, Zora Murff, Loring Taoka

The following artists, organized by discipline, were awarded student artist grants of $1,500. Click each artist’s name for a bio and images.
Literary Arts: Samuel Binns, Peter Mason
Performing Arts: Mahshid Iraniparast
Visual Arts: Ashley Gardner, Ziba Rajabi, Samuel Rivera Lopez

Margaret A. Keough Staff Writer

Margaret A. Keough is M-AAA's first Director of Advocacy, working to strengthen our region's arts and creativity sector through advocacy. For more than 30 years, she served in marketing and communications roles at M-AAA, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Keough holds undergraduate degrees in art history and advertising from the University of Kansas and a master’s in business administration from Rockhurst University.