MIAMI, FL [August 1, 2025] – Locust Projects, Miami’s longest running incubator of new art and ideas, announces the recipients of its 2025 WaveMaker Grants made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation’s Regional Regranting Program. Twelve Miami-based artists will each receive up to $6,000 in three categories: New Work / Projects, Long-Haul Projects, and Research & Development + Implementation.
The 2025 WaveMakers are: Long-Haul Projects: Christopher Mitchell | Lucía Morales | Angela Rio | Gabriela Serra | Ermol Sheppard | Barron Sherer | Sofia Vailente; New Work / Projects: Roxana Barba | Sydney RoseMaubert; Research & Development + Implementation: Akia Dorsainvil | Gabriel Soomar | Teri Watson.
In the spirit of Locust Projects’ artist-centered mission, WaveMaker grantees take risks to experiment beyond traditional models for presenting art, creating innovative work that is accessible to the public and presented in non-traditional venues across Miami.
The announcement of Cycle 12 marks $690,000 in WaveMaker incubator grants awarded to 139 of Miami’s most visionary artists, curators, and collectives since WaveMaker launched in 2015. Administered by Locust Projects since 2017, WaveMaker grants provide vital funds at critical moments in the development and implementation of publicly accessible, innovative projects across Miami-Dade County. Over the past 10 years, Wavemaker has helped launch artist careers and supported the launch and long term sustainability of local artist-run initiatives such as: Commissioner, Dimensions Variable, EXILE Books, Fringe Projects, Women’s Artist Archive Miami, and Third Horizon Film Festival, among others.
“As part of Locust Projects’ mission to ADVOCATE FOR ARTISTS, we support artists with opportunities and resources to propel next steps in 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 visual arts-based projects that add value to our community.”
The twelve grant recipients were selected from 101 applicants with the criteria that none of the New Work, Long Haul or R+D applicants had received a Wavemaker grant in the past five years. 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.
The 2025 WaveMaker selection panel included: Donnie Cervantes, Program Director at Warhol Regional Regranting Partner, Hoʻākea Source at the Pu’uhonua Society, Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi; Yanira Collado, Artist, 2024 WaveMaker Grantee; Rebecca Pauline Jampol, Co-Director at Warhol Foundation Regional Regranting Partner, Co-director at Project for Empty Space that powers the Newark Artist Accelerator in Newark, New Jersey; Claudia Mattos, Associate Curator of New Media Art at The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach.
Focused on supporting 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.
Image: Left to right: Locust Projects’ Executive Director Lorie Mertes, Rebecca Pauline Jampol, Donnie Cervantes, Yanira Collado, Claudia Mattos, and Locust Projects’ Art + Digital Innovation Manager Andrew McLees.