Joyce Awards Recipients: Nabil Ince and the Harrison Center
The news was broken by the Chicago sun times and picked up by over 350 news outlets nationally.
The $75,000 grant will support the creation and presentation of Deep Currents, a collection of five songs and accompanying music videos that Nabil will create as part of a songwriting residency at the Harrison Center. The project aims to amplify stories from three historically Black neighborhoods in Indianapolis, harnessing multimedia art to combat cultural erasure and gentrification.
Nabil Ince and the Harrison Center were announced as recipients of the Joyce Foundation's 2022 Joyce Awards. Since 2004, the Joyce Awards have supported the creation of innovative new work by pioneering artists of color working in collaboration with arts and community organizations to foster more culturally vibrant, equitable, and sustainable communities in six Great Lake cities: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis-St Paul.
Over 16 weeks, Ince will engage with community members to explore underrepresented areas of Black urban cultural and commercial life, ultimately creating songs and accompanying music videos. The project will focus on five facets of the Black community—restaurants/food, retail/fashion, churches, urban farming, and fitness—across the Indianapolis neighborhoods of Martindale Brightwood, Riverside, and Mapleton Fall Creek. By gathering these individual narratives and relating them to the broader history of the neighborhood and city through music and visual storytelling, the project aims to build understanding and awareness of the cross-cultural currents of the three neighborhoods, facilitate collective exploration of the social and political power of art, and foster Black community pride through preserving and amplifying local culture and history. Check out the press for this award below.
American Theatre: editor-in-chief Rob Weinert-Kendt published a news article on the announcement, highlighting the expansion of the total funding granted.
Broadway World: the performing arts news site published a pickup of the press release.
Chicago Sun-Times: staff reporter Michael Loria announced the news. The announcement was also included in the Sun-Times Afternoon Edition Newsletter.
Chicago Tribune: editor Kayla Samoy published a news article on the announcement including details on all five projects.
Hyperallergic: news editor Valentina Di Liscia included the announcement in Hyperallergic’s Friday, June 10 morning e-newsletter.
Newcity: following our advance outreach, “Today in the Culture” columnist Ray Pride included a blurb on the announcement in his daily news and events roundup.
PR Newswire: More than 350 national, local, and regional broadcast and digital outlets nationwide have picked up the announcement so far.
Philanthropy News Digest: editor Matt Sinclair published a news article on the announcement highlighting the winning projects’ wide-ranging community impact.
Playbill: staff writer Leah Putnam published a news article on the announcement.