FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 6/28/2024
Kemal Pohan
Community Outreach Manager, Mayo Street Arts
kemal@mayostreetarts.org / (207) 879-4629
Mayo Street Arts announces recipients of micro-granting program in support of traditional arts in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine — Nine traditional artists and organizations who enrich Maine with artistic heritage from their cultures have received financial support this summer thanks to a micro-granting program.
The Traditional Arts Network (TAN) Fund has awarded small grants of up to $1,000 to Maine-based artists to overcome short-term financial hurdles and/or lay the foundation for long-term goals. The application process was designed to provide artists with a low-barrier, first time experience with grant applications.
The funding will support a range of activities. This year’s recipients of the TAN Fund are:
- Anges Mukakalisa – Teaching children Rwandan drumming to preserve cultural heritage
- Clarisse Karasira – Recording an album of Rwandan and African traditional songs
- Gloire Ilonde Eale Bolele – Creating a series of artworks to promote cultural dialogue around Congolese Urban Arts
- Firefly The Hybrid – Creating a music video for the song “River,” celebrating the Penobscot River and calling attention to issues facing it such as pollution
- Kifah Abdulla – Conducting a series of public workshops on Arabic calligraphy
- Oga Suya, LLC – Growing a Nigerian BBQ business
- Orson Horchler – Recording some of the 400 traditional Albanian songs gathered by folklorist and accordionist Ylli Brekofca
- Veeva Banga – Teaching a blend of traditional and contemporary dance to young students from Congo, Tanzania, and Zande
- Yuliia Derkach – Preparing a series of Ukrainian folk art paintings for an arts festival
The TAN Fund Awards were administered by Mayo Street Arts and Cultural Resources and reviewed by a TAN Fund Committee composed of community-based artists and cultural advocates from Greater Portland.
Now in its third year, the TAN Fund is made possible through support from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
A collaboration between Mayo Street Arts (MSA) and Cultural Resources, the TAN grew out of discussions with local traditional artists interested in networking with other immigrant communities and artists. Traditional arts are passed down generationally—usually within families and communities—and can take many forms including vocal and instrumental music, dance, crafts, culinary and textile arts, and occupational traditions. The network provides support and infrastructure for newcomer artists and cultural organizations from Maine’s diverse cultural communities. Membership in the TAN is open to any artists who would like to participate.
In addition to the TAN Fund, the network organizes artist gatherings and offers a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program to support the education of a new generation of traditional artists who will help preserve their communities’ cultural heritages.
To learn more about the Traditional Arts Network, visit https://www.mayostreetarts.org/TAN.