SAIC Alums and Students Honored with Chicago Artists Coalition Grants

Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC) unveiled 28 recipients of their SPARK Grant program, MAKER Grant, and Coney Family Fund Award, eight of whom are School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) students and alums. Recipients include alums Yesenia Bello (BFA 2016), Malika Jackson (MFA 2016, BFA 1977), A.J. McClenon (MFA 2014), Jose Santiago Perez (MFA 2015), Roderick Sawyer (BFA 2018), and Vicente Ugartechea (MFA 2018), and current students Juan Arango Palacios and Aida Ramirez. Each individual will receive an unrestricted award to support their work as emerging artists. “At this time more than ever, we are committed to awarding unrestricted funds directly to artists,” said CAC Executive Director Caroline Older. “Artists are foundational to the arts ecosystem of our city, and direct financial support is only one of the myriad ways in which CAC offers support and opportunities to Chicago’s community of emerging artists.”