Announcing the 2021 Recipients of the IPMF Media Artist + Activist Residency

Leeway Foundation recognizes the longstanding power of media artists and social-justice activists throughout the Greater Philadelphia region with $125,000 in funding to five inaugural Leeway x IPMF Media Artist + Activist Residency recipients. This residency will support women, trans*, and gender nonconforming media artists in documenting, reframing, and/or amplifying the issues and campaigns of their local, collaborating social-justice focused organizations.

"In this first year, we were thrilled to see the artists and organizations that were proposing to work collaboratively, as well as the range of projects and media,” said Leeway Foundation Executive Director Denise Brown. “We are grateful for the support for this residency from our partners at the Independence Public Media Foundation who share our belief that art and culture, in this case media, are an integral part of building movements for justice. And I believe that we all have much to learn from this inaugural cohort about the potential for artists and organizations to work together in this way."

IPMF Coordinator, Rachael Moton, who worked one-on-one to steward artists and organizations through the application process shared, "It was really exciting to see the collaborations proposed between so many talented artists and social justice and cultural organizations. The awarded proposals are all impactful projects I feel will definitely promote social change."

The selected media artists will work, embedded within their collaborative organization, for one year. The residency has been awarded to five artists this year, with each residency providing $15,000 to the media artist and $10,000 to the organization.

The IPMF Activists + Artists in Residence  are (in alphabetical order):  

Alyssa L. Dookhi and YallaPunk
Ami Joelle Glazer and Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project (YASP)
Kristal Sotomayor, Daniel DeJesus, + Gabe Loredo and Juntos
Malkia Okech and Paul Robeson House & Museum / West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Sheila Quintana Aguilar and Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA)

Media Artist + Activist Residency applications are evaluated by an independent peer review panel. The 2021 review panel consisted of gender justice advocate and podcast creator, Farrah Parkes; media arts programmer, curator, and public media supporter, Gretjen Clausing; and filmmaker and media artist, M. Asli Dukan.

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