HMTC artistic director, Silvia Gonzalez Scherer (AKA Silvia Gonzalez S.), recently won an Artist Disrupter grant award from The Center for Cultural Power. The Center for Cultural Power’s mission is to promote diverse artists to transform the world through their art.
In partnership with the California Arts Council (CAC), the Center for Cultural Power provided two strands for this award opportunity. The first strand is for artists that are Cultural Bearers. The second strand is for Artist Disrupters. Silvia was one of the 30 winners in the Artist Disrupter strand.
According to The Center for Cultural Power, “Culture Bearers are practitioners, artists, and carriers of indigenous, ancestral, and/or traditional knowledge who weave past, present, and future stewardship of land, culture, community, and spirit. They are cultural stewards and help us understand traditional ways of knowing and creating as paths to community health and healing.”
“Artist Disruptors are artists who are rooted in community, who inspire action, and who are working at the intersection of art and social justice. Artist Disruptors are able to powerfully manifest narratives into stories and visuals that speak directly to their audiences and communities. They help us question our assumptions, envision alternative futures, and inspire us to work toward the future we need.”
The Center for Cultural Power (Cultural Power) creates a thriving ecosystem for diverse artists and culture makers to shift worldviews away from domination and extraction toward collaboration and interdependence.
Each award is for $15,000 to develop new or existing in at least one of the CAC’s focus areas below:
1. public health awareness messages to stop the spread of COVID-19.
2. public awareness related to water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief, and recovery.
3. civic engagement, including election participation.
4. and/or social justice and community engagement.
As an Artist Disruptor Silvia will work on a project that speaks directly to audiences and communities. Her aim will be to question assumptions, envision alternative futures, and inspire all to work towards the future we need.
Join us in congratulating Silvia for this award.
Raymond Gomez, Associate Artistic Director
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