This Regional Artist Project Grant is a program of and supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. It is awarded to qualifying individual artists with funds from Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson and Macon Counties and matching funds from the North Carolina Arts Council.

Awarded artists were selected in a competitive scoring process by a panel of artists and administrators representing counties in the consortium. This year, requests totaled more than $15,000, and the panel was able to award almost $5,000 in grant funds. Congratulations to the following artist winners, who received either full (five artists) or partial funding (three artists) for their work:

• Quashona Renee Antoine, Macon County — Discipline: Music

• Carter Giegerich/Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (band), Jackson County — Discipline: Music

• Kelly LaForte, Clay County —Discipline: Metalwork

• Karen W. Martin, Macon County — Discipline: Creative Writing

• Susan Pepper, Jackson County — Discipline: Music

• Matthew Shirey, Jackson County — Discipline: Blacksmithing

• Becky Smith, Haywood County — Discipline: Jewelry

• Jodie Zahner, Macon County — Discipline: Ceramics/Floral

The Regional Artist Project Grant program provides the opportunity for regional consortia of local arts councils to award project grants to artists in their regions. These grants support professional artists in any discipline and at any stage in their careers to pursue projects that further their professional development.

Applications for the 2018-19 grant season will be made available in late summer or early fall of 2018. Announcements will be made at www.haywoodarts.org/grants.