Heidelberg musician Paige Warner and Wellesley artist Jackie Partridge are among the latest recipients of grants from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund.
Warner received $1,275 and Partridge got $1,600, part of the $268,341 distributed to 48 recipients in the fall 2020 awards.
Having switched to a new single-stage online application process, the region received a record 102 submissions during the latest intake period, with requests totalling $950,000.
Also on the this list was Drayton Theatres Inc., with $6,000 going for the High School Musical Project, to provide mentored arts and technical training for Waterloo Region high school students, culminating in the creation of a live musical theatre production. The Registry Theatre got $5,000 for artists’ fees for development of the script for The Museum of Lost Memories, an immersive live art and performance installation by artist Zehra Nawab, composer Grace Scheele, and poet Nicole Smith.
For Warner, the funding couldn’t have come at a better time as she works on a new single.
“It’s good timing. During COVID, there’s not much money going around in the arts community,” she said.
Like many in the arts scene, Warner’s performances had mostly shifted to digital, with the occasional patio show, weather permitting.
This is Warner’s third time applying for the program, and the third time has proven the charm, as it garnered $1,275 for her upcoming single, ‘Liquor.’ The grants will intend to help Warner make the new single through recording time, paying producers and photographers, and advertising.
”It really covers a pretty broad range of stuff.”
Although Warner has not said too much about the upcoming single, fans should expect a sensitive track in the coming year.
In Wellesley, Partridge received $1,600 to create five canvases that will be given to local businesses, and to provide tutorials to young painters.
“With my background in teaching and my experience in leading art workshops, COVID-19 impacted both my art practice and ability to instruct in-person workshops. With my grant… I plan on selecting five locations of different landscapes in Waterloo Region to photograph. I will create five 12” x 18” acrylic paintings on canvases to donate to local businesses in my hometown of Wellesley,” she said.
“I will film myself with the help of my husband, teaching beginner painters how to paint these landscapes from the Waterloo Region in a step-by-step process. After editing these videos, they will be uploaded on my new YouTube channel – Jackie Partridge Art – that was created during the lockdown this year… I plan on sharing the videos with local organizations like libraries to offer art educational support and free online art activities for people during these difficult times. I strongly believe and have seen the power of art to help improve the mental health of not only myself but my students.”
To learn more about the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund and how to apply, visit the website.
