2023 Gwinnett Creativity Fund Project Grant Re-cap

Project Grant Cycle Recap

Gwinnett County is a cultural, inclusive destination where the arts educate, elevate, and inspire.

The Gwinnett Creativity Fund‘s mission is to assist non-profit arts and cultural organizations to grow, evolve, provide programming and arts education opportunities and engage culturally underserved communities, while enhancing Gwinnett’s economic and cultural landscape.

The Gwinnett Creativity Fund is funded by Gwinnett County and managed and administered by Explore Gwinnett.

This grant program is one component of Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson and the Board of Commissioners’ overall commitment toward supporting Gwinnett’s hospitality, arts, culture, and entertainment industries.

Awarding $109,000 in project grants...

...to 17 Gwinnett County non-profit organizations...

...for Gwinnett County arts and cultural initiatives!

May 2023 - December 2023

$186,000 awarded in 2023 Project and Operations grants to 24 organizations

Explore Gwinnett and Gwinnett County reaffirm their commitment to the arts through the creation and growth of the Gwinnett Creativity Fund

“ We are so pleased to award $109,000 in project grants

to organizations from Gwinnett’s arts community, with projects ranging from cultural & arts festivals to summer camps to public art installations.”

Lisa Anders

Explore Gwinnett Tourism + Film Executive Director

Project Grants

2023 Project Grants: Gwinnett

Creativity Fund (GCF) Project Grants provide support for arts and cultural projects, initiatives or programming. Projects may range from Public Art, visual and performing arts programming, arts preservation, music, film, and arts education. There is a cash match of 25% required of all applicants.

For the 2023 Project Grant Cycle, we are pleased to have funded projects for seventeen (17) organizations, totaling $109,000!

• Application Period: April 10-May 10, 2023

• Orientation: GCF hosted numerous orientation sessions (as well as individual orientation sessions for new applicants) in order to ensure the applicants understood the grant process, deadlines and eligible expenses.

• Project Period: May 1 – December 31 (8 months) Responding to organizational feedback, a longer project period was determined to be the most beneficial, allowing more opportunities for the applicants.

• Committee Review: An impartial panel of five (5) reviewed each application.

• Site Visits: The committee conducted in-person as well as virtual site visits for organizations which sufficiently passed the first panel review.

• Awards: 50% of the grant award was given upon announcement and a ceremonial “Big Check” photograph staged and posted on the website and social media. The final 50% of the award was given after the Final Report was completed and all eligible expense receipts, samples/ images of the completed project were uploaded.

We awarded $19,500 in our first Arts Micro Grant Cycle

specifically offered to GCPS Middle School Arts, Theatre, and Music Departments.

Schools were eligible for $1,500 per school, with 60% of our recipients being Title I Middle Schools.

Baggett Elementary

LAWRENCEVILLE

Dance mirrors, barres, scarves, books, folding cart, racks, steamer, lights, banners.

Duluth Middle School Band

DULUTH

New sheet music and supplies (mouthpieces, valve oil, slide grease, mallets, sticks, ligatures, reeds)

Coleman Middle School

DULUTH

Band, orchestra visual arts- 9 trombone mouthpieces, bows, stroke & coat glazes, sharpies, alcohol markers…

Five Forks Middle School Band

LAWRENCEVILLE

Acoustic sound panels to help dampen and absorb sound. Wood boards, insulation, staples, hooks, fabric.

Grace Snell Middle School

SNELLVILLE

You need a hug! With mugs of love and positive paintings art initiative—art made by students and donated to local senior living home.

North Metro Academy of Performing Arts

PEACHTREE CORNERS

Art supplies, materials, tools and equipment, folding display stands, easels, canvases, mural banners.

Snellville Middle School

SNELLVILLE

Needle felting supplies for 180 students

Jordan Middle School

LAWRENCEVILLE

Mural in the gym—new school is a blank canvas- paint, scaffolding, etc.

Lilburn Elementary School

LILBURN

Student participation mural outside cafeteria in garden

Osborne Middle School Choral Program

HOSCHTON

Sheet music, music equipment for 240 middle school students, banners.

Summerour Middle School

NORCROSS

Dance department studio enhancements- flooring and black box transformation, drapes, wings

Shiloh Middle School

SNELLVILLE

Supplement the art program

Twin Rivers Middle School

BUFORD

Art supplies- rulers, paint, paper, clay, sculpture tools, digital media.

African American Culture & Arts Festival, Inc.

$3,000 Grant Recipient

First-time applicants the African American Culture and Arts Festival was held in downtown Suwanee on September 26, 2023. Free and family-friendly, the event educated, celebrated and showcased African/Black American culture and arts with over 1100 registered attendees, 100 vendors, 15 performers and 13 food vendors. Grant funding enabled hiring a headline performance and increased advertising and promotions.

Sugarloaf Ballet, Inc.

$2,500 Grant Recipient

First-time applicants, the Sugarloaf Youth Ballet performed the ballet “Hansel and Gretel” featuring over 60 production dancers from 5 to 18 years of age. Grant funding allowed the organization to offer an additional performance date. Additionally, they engaged with local Memory Care Centers to bring residents from these communities to experience and enjoy the production.

Lilburn Elementary School

$7,500 Grant Recipient

First-time applicant Lilburn Elementary School has a playground, open to the public, which has been a labor of love as the only local playground serving the community. Located in an historically culturally under-resourced community, Project Grant funding allowed for the creation of an Inclusive Playground Mural. This 13x30 foot original piece is by Atlanta muralist Elaine Stephenson. The school serves over 1,300 students and the new inclusive playground will be open to the public after hours and on weekends.

Aurora Theatre

$17,000 Grant Recipient

Project Grant funding supported “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” which opened the Aurora’s 28th season. The show chronicles the inspiring true story of Carole King’s journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Carole King, born Carole Klein, is one of our most pre-eminent 20th century Jewish composers. With over 9,000 tickets sold, the Aurora partnered with multiple Jewish organizations and facilities, including the Breman Museum, Congregation Beth Shalom and numerous assisted living facilities. There were also free dance workshops led by Beautiful Director/Choreographer David Rossetti, giving performers the opportunity to learn dance from a professional artist with a Broadway pedigree.

Contemporary Classics Theatre

$2,000 Grant Recipient

Contemporary Classics exists to challenge and transform classic Western theater traditions by creating an inclusive community of diverse people, ideas, and cultures. Project Grant funding supported “A Karaoke Riot” inspired by Clifford Odets’ 1935 “Waiting for Lefty” but looking at the struggles of the working-class and challenges of the gig economy through a modern lens. The performance was held at Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Duluth for 2 nights. Many patrons filled out surveys and shared their own stories, such as a retired educator in the public school system (a union teacher) who despite advanced degrees had difficulty getting promoted because she was a woman.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS THEATRE

Fezziwig Foundation, Inc.

$3,500 Grant Recipient

Founded in 2022, the Fezziwig Foundation, in partnership with the Dogwood Theatre Company, is an amateur troupe of college and high school students. Project Grant funding supported “Into the Woods” in July 2023 for over 600 patrons. The group has a purposely modest price point ($14/ticket) to enable patrons to enjoy a high-quality musical. They also have a “Celebrity Guest” program to outreach to local Gwinnett County public high school students who have either expressed or demonstrated interest in theatrical programming but who may not otherwise have means of attending due to financial challenges. These guests had free admission for themselves and their families.

Fresh Films

$17,000 Grant Recipient

Fresh Films provides programs for historically underrepresented teens and young adults to build their work and life skills and is committed to democratizing access and opportunity for BIPOC youth across the country, through filmmaking programs, serving as a pipeline to future jobs in the industry. This Project Grant provided support for the Career Pathways Program, expanding the program to add Central Gwinnett High School as a training school (joining Berkmar and Meadowcreek High Schools). Twenty students learned the fundamentals of story development, filming and editing while collaborating on 5 projects in this 31-week program with selected mini-documentaries to appear on the Roku Channel. Curriculum included topics ranging from financial literacy to resume/reel/filmography preparation, interviewing and communication skills. Funding also supported paid apprenticeship opportunities for the Accelerated program students to work on location filming/covering the Grantmakers for Education Conference in the fall the program serving as a pipeline for a growing industry.

Gwinnett Ballet Theatre

$8,000

Grant Recipient

For over 40 years, Gwinnett Ballet Theatre has been producing one of the three largest Nutcracker productions in Georgia and only one of two with a live orchestra. Project Grant funding helped to offset increases in facility rental costs and allow for a live orchestra to continue performing with the production. Over 6,000 patrons attended between December 8-17. This included several sensoryfriendly performances at no cost for guests with special needs who may otherwise face challenges attending live performances in traditional settings.

The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning

$10,000 Grant Recipient

The Project Grant was for the creation of a safe storage space for the Hudgens Center Permanent Collection. The collection was initially thought to be around 200 works, but through the process it was discovered to be 350 pieces. The Hudgens is now able to professionally preserve, assessment and safekeep their collection, which includes works by masters including Picasso, Miro, Rothko, Kandinsky and many others. The work has been loaned to the Lawrenceville Arts Center, Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, Explore Gwinnett and the new Gwinnett Coalition for free. The art is now securely maintained and preserved and will continue to provide education and enrichment opportunities to Gwinnett County residents and visitors for years to come.

JapanFest, Inc.

$6,000 Grant Recipient

Japan Fest will celebrate their 30th annual event in 2024, and their 2023 event emphasized providing guests with immersive experiences including workshops in ikebana (flower arranging), bonsai trees, traditional dance, taiko drumming, minyo (folk singing) shamisen, zen meditation, tea ceremony and more. There was a children’s area where the younger audience members could paint kokeshi dolls, practice origami and play with Japanese toys. JapanFest enjoys a robust social media presence, and their TikTok drew numerous deaf patrons who were able to interact via sign language. Their support extends to Gwinnett’s Title I schools, with over 2,000 free tickets distributed to K-12 students.

Live Arts Theatre

$2,000 Grant Recipient

Project Grant funding supported a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” focusing on gender and politics. “The Taming” used a female-driven cast, humor and easily relatable/recognizable characters to bridge opposing/conflicting viewpoints. Written by a female Georgia playwright, the show takes place with a beauty queen, a liberal blogger and a republican senator’s aide clashing ideals while coming to a consensus on building a better America with the ideals of the Founding Fathers. There were four performances, with 250 attendees. By utilizing themes of gender, politics and clashing viewpoints, the audience was engaged and challenged.

Norcross Gallery & Studios

$3,000 Grant Recipient

Project Grant Funding supported “La vida através del lente” (Life Through the Lens), a city-wide photography competition open to any member of the community. Dual language marketing and mailers were designed to engage Spanish speaking households in Norcross. Photographs were to be made during the Fourth of July holiday weekend with exhibitions of artwork at several locations in the community. A People’s Choice award was also given and there was meaningful discussion on social media about the public’s response to the content of the photos as well as jury selections. More than half of the photographers were from outside the membership of the Norcross Gallery and had never submitted work for selection prior to this exhibition.

Spectrum Autism Support Group, Inc.

$7,500 Grant Recipient

Project Grant funding allowed Spectrum Autism Support Group to include interactive art and music components to the new playground at their facility in downtown Duluth. Spectrum’s Autism Friendly Playground serves over 1000 children, adults and teens (both those with autism and their typical peers and siblings). The playground is visually engaging, while encouraging participation in the organization’s programs and outreach. Some of the components include outdoor blackboards, musical chimes, bongos, learning boards, and a sensory garden.

Suwanee Arts Center

$4,500 Grant Recipient

GCF Project Grant funding supported the 2023 Summer Camp Series. The grant allowed for the center to acquire film making equipment for the “Junior Film Camp” where campers learned how to write, direct, shoot and edit their own films as well as “Lights, Camera, Animation: Summer Fun with Stop Motion” where campers learned how to craft and direct mini-movies in clay. The camp instructor was experienced working with individuals with disabilities with one student on the autism spectrum who brought a “heightened creativity” to the class where they all became fast friends and learned special coping techniques for group interactions.

Suwanee Performing Arts

$2,500 Grant Recipient

Project Funding supported Suwanee Performing Arts “Broadway in the Park 2023,” a season which included Disney’s The Aristocats KIDS, and Anastasia: The Musical (Youth Edition) both chosen for their strong inspirational messages of being true to yourself as well as themes of bravery and perseverance. There were nearly 5,000 in attendance at the performances which transformed Suwanee’s Town Center Park Amphitheatre into a Broadway-style stage complete with professional sound, lighting, costumes and sets.

Suwanee Public Arts Commission

$10,000 Grant Recipient

With GCF Project Grant Funding, Suwanee Public Arts Commission created “Pierce’s Corner Mural,” enhancing the beauty of one of the oldest structures in Suwanee, an historic building constructed in 1910. The city purchased the building in 2005 in order to renovate and preserve the space which will house a restaurant. The mural “Echoflora” was painted by artist Shannon Lake and is another exceptional, impactful and accessible piece of public art in Gwinnett County. This stunning mural is 97 feet long and is approximately 30 feet high.

Weird Sisters Theatre Project

$3,000 Grant Recipient

Project Funding supported the Weird Sisters Theatre Project’s production of “The Pros and Cons of Killing Your Cult Leader,” a satirical comedy that follows five high-ranking women in The One True Way Intentional Living Community. Weird Sisters is a female-run theatre group focusing on female-centered stories. The weeklong production welcomed 300 patrons, and offered a Sunday talkback session with the playwright, designed for aspiring theatre performers. There were student interns engaged in the production as well. Tickets were moderately priced at $20 per person with discounts offered as well as free tickets to Georgia Gwinnett College students.

Project Grants Financial Snapshots

African American Culture & Arts Festival, Inc.

Fezziwig Foundation, Inc.

Hudgens Center for Art and Learning Live Arts Theatre

Sugarloaf Ballet

Suwanee Public Arts Aurora Theatre Fresh Films

JapanFest, Inc.

Norcross Gallery & Studios

Suwanee Arts Center Weird Sisters

Contemporary Classics Theatre

Gwinnett Ballet Theatre

Lilburn Elementary School

Spectrum Autism Support

Suwanee Performing Arts