Nō Studios founder (and new Black Panther writer!) John Ridley just announced that the Milwaukee arts incubator is about to roll out its first grants program. Through the self-funded program, Nō Studios will award up to $100,000 annually to Wisconsin artists, with a special emphasis on those representing historically underserved populations.
Who are the first of the award recipients? Six Wisconsin musicians: Kobe Brown, Browns Crew, Sypher Lady X, BriJon, WebsterX and Cam Will. Together, they’ll receive a total of $25,000.
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In the future, Nō Studios will also award creatives in other fields, including the visual arts, film, dance, fashion, creative writing and performance. Visual artists are encouraged to apply for the second round of funding. Applications are due on August 1. And individual grantees can receive up to $10,000 each.
“It’s very exciting for us at Nō Studios to celebrate and support six Wisconsin based musicians who are not only talented but using their voices to uplift their communities,” Ridley says. “Our hope is that these grants empower these individuals to take their artistic expression to the next level. I look forward to seeing what they create and how they continue their work as change-agents.”
Nō Studios has partnered with the Wisconsin-based incubator gener8tor to create and run the program.
