Fourteen Philadelphia-Area Women Artists Receive Leeway “Window Of Opportunity” Grants

PHILADELPHIA, PA—The Leeway Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of 14 women artists to receive November Window of Opportunity (WOO) grants. WOO grants provide short-term, immediate assistance to individual women artists living in the Philadelphia area who wish to take advantage of specific opportunities that significantly benefit their work or increase its recognition. Grants totaling more than $25,000 were awarded to:

Ava Blitz (Montgomery County) $2,000
Sculpture: Long-term installation of a large concrete piece at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. Support towards materials and labor costs.

Cathleen Cohen (Montgomery County) $1,360
Poetry: Reading exploring tolerance and understanding at the National Liberty Museum. With students from Al Aqsa Islamic and William Penn Charter Schools. Accompanied by a journal of student work. Support towards materials, translations and printing expenses.

Elizabeth Fiend (Philadelphia County) $1,575
Media Arts: Presentation of work from Big Tea Party's ecological TV episodes at the PA Educational Technology Expo & Conference in Harrisburg. Support towards post-production and travel expenses.

Julia Granacki (Philadelphia County) $2,000
Theatre: Mentorship with a professional wigmaker to increase expertise in wigmaking for work with area theatre companies. Support towards mentor fees and travel expenses.

Rain Harris (Philadelphia County) $1,816
Crafts/Sculpture: Installation/exhibition of ceramic pieces with large ornate backdrops at the Indianapolis Art Center. In conjunction with the National Conference for Education in Ceramic Arts. Support towards travel and lodging.

Michelle Keita (Philadelphia County) $2,000
Poetry: Presentation of work-in-progress on Anna Murray Douglass, the first wife of Frederick Douglass, at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities. Support towards travel and lodging.

Martha McDonald (Philadelphia County) $2,000
Performance Art: Premiere of new work exploring mythological heroines at the Prince Music Theatre. Support towards materials, honoraria and travel expenses.

Jamie Merwin (Philadelphia County) $1,820
Dance/Hip Hop: Attendance at the British Dance Exchange conference in Cambridge. Support towards travel and accommodations.

Libby Saylor (Philadelphia County) $1,681
Photography: Exhibition of images of nature and interiors at the Painted Bride Art Center. First solo exhibition. Support towards framing and materials.

Toni Shapiro-Phim (Montgomery County) $1,950
Photography: Travel to Cambodia to document the development of a new piece by dancers from Cambodia's Royal University of Fine Arts. For a touring photography exhibition to accompany U.S. performances. Support towards travel and accommodations and photography expenses.

Josie Smith (Philadelphia County) $2,000
Dance: Group performance at the Community Education Center as the culmination of a New Edge Residency. First evening-length presentation of choreography. Support towards materials, production expenses and dancer fees.

Daniele Strawmyre (Philadelphia County) $2,000
Dance: Residency with the improvisation group Compagnie Felix Ruckert in Berlin. Support towards travel and accommodations.

J.C. Todd (Philadelphia County) $1,860
Poetry: Readings at the Gender Studies Centre at Vilnius University and at Lithuania's literary and cultural weekly. First solo readings/lectures. Work with Lithuanian translators on completed poems in a series. Support towards travel and accommodations and materials.

Patricia Traub (Philadelphia County) $2,000
Painting: Solo exhibition of work that explores co-existence in the natural world at the Allentown Museum of Art. First solo museum show. Support towards framing.

The Jury Panel

This WOO cycle was juried by members of Leeway's Program Committee–Linda Lee Alter, Sara Becker and Charlene Longnecker–along with guest jurors, Deborah Block and Genevieve Coutroubis (see bios).

Since 1987, Deborah Block has directed or been a dramaturg for approximately 50 professional productions. She has worked primarily in Philadelphia with work also presented in New York, Los Angeles and Anchorage. She is an Independence Fellowship in the Arts recipient and been named in Who's Who Among American Teachers. She has been a finalist for the Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a play and named twice as a finalist for the F. Otto Haas Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist. In university settings she has taught Theatre History, Movement for the Actor, Directing and teaches Movement at the Walnut Street Theatre. She received her MFA at Temple University in Theatre. She has also formally studied music, dance and visual arts. She is one of the original organizers of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and maintains her position as Program Director.

Genevieve Coutroubis is a documentary photographer who received her BS in Photojournalism from Boston University and her MS in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. Through her work as a photographer and during her graduate studies, Genevieve has focused on and pursued social change through art. She has worked with various non-profit organizations to help bring art to underserved communities in the City of Philadelphia. In addition to exhibiting her own photographs, Genevieve currently helps promote the career of emerging artists through her work as the Director of Programs for Creative Artists Network.

About The Window of Opportunity

The Leeway Foundation's Window of Opportunity grants support specific, concrete and timely opportunities that have a significant impact on an artist's work–such as an exceptional chance for advanced study with a significant mentor; travel associated with a residency, reading, performance or exhibition; or rental of equipment or purchase of materials needed to complete a scheduled project. Women artists working in all disciplines are encouraged to apply and may request up to

Deadlines for the 2004 WOO program are as follows:

Monday, January 26
Monday, April 5
Monday, June 21
Monday, November 1

Applications are available at leeway.org or by calling 215.545.4078.