Locust Projects, Miami’s longest running alternative art space, announces the 2022 recipients of WaveMaker Grants made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation’s Regional Regranting Program, a network of 32 regranting partners across the country. Twelve Miami-based artists and collectives will each receive up to $6,000 in three categories: New Work / Projects, Long-Haul Projects, and Research & Development + Implementation. In the spirit of Locust Projects’ artist-centric mission, WaveMakers take risks to experiment beyond traditional models for presenting art, creating innovative work that is accessible to the public via process, presentation, production, or publication.
The 2022 WaveMakers are: New Work / Projects: Trae DeLellis & Juan Barquin, Pamela Largaespada, Phil Lique, Julian Montalvo & Fredo Rivera, Terence Price II, and Roscoè B. Thické III; Long-Haul Projects: Loni Johnson and Monica Uszerowicz; Research & Development + Implementation: Liz Ferrer & Bow Ty, A.G., Monica Sorelle, and Ema Ri.
The announcement of Cycle 9 marks $510,000 in WaveMaker incubator grants awarded to 102 of Miami’s most visionary artists, curators, and collectives since WaveMaker launched in Miami in 2015. Administered by Locust Projects. WaveMaker grants provide vital funds at critical moments in the development and implementation of publicly accessible, innovative projects across Miami-Dade County, including supporting the launch and long term sustainability of artist-run initiatives such as: BLCK family, Commissioner, Dimensions Variable, EXILE Books, Fresh Art International, Fringe Projects, Miami Women’s Artist Archive, Page Slayers, Public Hives, and Third Horizon, among others.
Focused to support projects intended for non-institutional/non-traditional spaces accessible to the public, WaveMaker introduces audiences to innovative artistic practices, responds to issues and ideas relevant to our community, and serves as a catalyst for dialogue and exchange. Visit wavemakergrants.org to view all current and past WaveMaker grantees.
“As part of Locust Projects mission to ADVOCATE FOR ARTISTS, we support artists with opportunities and resources to advance their creative careers. Among those resources is WaveMaker grants, a vital incubator grant providing Miami-based artists with funds to support their vision–from idea and implementation to sustaining their work over the long-haul,” says Lorie Mertes, Executive Director at Locust Projects. “WaveMaker grants are unique in that they encourage anyone with a compelling idea to experiment and take risks in developing and realizing innovative projects that add value to our community.”
The 2022 WaveMaker selection panel included: Chire Regans (VantaBlack), Miami-based artist and community activist and recipient of the Oolite Arts’ Ellies Social Justice Award in 2021; Summer Jade Leavitt, director of The Queer Theory Library, Curatorial and Cultural Programs Associate at Deering Estate and 2021 WaveMaker awardee for The Queer Theory Library; and Michael Linares Vazquez, Puerto Rico-based artist and Co-director of Beta Local, a San Juan nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting aesthetic thought and practice through programs and projects.
The twelve grant recipients were selected from more than 100+ applicants. Projects were selected for conceptual rigor and relevance to the local cultural, geographic, and socio-economic context, impact on the local community, and the accessibility of the resulting project to the public.