SAIC Faculty and Alums Honored by 3Arts Grant Making Organization

Ten Chicago-based artists will receive $25,000 cash grants to support their work and artistic practice thanks to 3Arts, the Chicago-based nonprofit grant making organization. Among those are three School of the Art Institute of Chicago faculty and alums including Dianna Frid (BFA 1991, MFA 2003), Elgin Bokari T. Smith (BFA 2009), Contemporary Practices Assistant Professor Hương Ngô (MFA 2004), and Contemporary Practices Lecturer Anna Martine Whitehead.

“Championing Chicago artists is a privilege like no other. We are thrilled to present our awardees with opportunities that they profoundly deserve,” Esther Grisham Grimm, executive director of 3Arts told the Chicago Crusader. Artists were chosen in the areas of dance, music, teaching arts, theater, and visual arts. Dianna Frid works with material, text, and textile. She also makes artist books, drawings and sculptures. Her work engages themes of time, process, and transformation. Hương Ngô is an interdisciplinary artist who creates work that reframes the hybrid and imperfect. Elgin Bokari T. Smith is an activist, illustrator, and performance artist who performs domestically and abroad. Anna Martine Whitehead writes about race, gender, and performance. Their solo performances have been presented in North America and Europe and they frequently contribute to texts on queer dance, performance, and social practice. The 11th Annual 3Arts Awards Celebration at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago on November 5 will honor the 10 annual 3Arts Awards recipients along with 10 recipients of Make a Wave—an unprecedented artist-to-artist giving initiative.