 Announcing Winners of the 2025 Creative Impact Fund
Flexible funding and business development support will elevate artists’ creative practice and regional impact, with support from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture |In Press Release, Press |By Deidre McPherson Read the article on AssemblyCLE.org CLEVELAND, December 12, 2025 — Assembly for the Arts is excited to announce 29 artists have been awarded 2025 Creative Impact Fund grants. In its third year, the Creative Impact Fund (CIF) is one of the largest unrestricted grant funds available to Cuyahoga County artists. CIF supports the growth of an artist’s creative practice and advances their impact on the region. The award provides flexible, unrestricted funding; professional and business development opportunities; mentorship and networking; and membership in Assembly for the Arts. This year’s Creative Impact Fund honors 15 Early Career artists at $5,000 each (professionally practicing 5 years or less) and 14 Mid-Late Career artists at $10,000 each (professionally practicing for 6 years or more). Twenty-nine awards are being made in 2025, up from 17 in 2024. The selected artists represent dance, theatre, design, film, craft, music, visual arts, writing/literature, and interdisciplinary fields and are based across Cuyahoga County. Early Career ($5,000) awardees:
Awardees were selected through a semi-anonymous review process by a panel of 12 accomplished artistic practitioners from across the country, representing 12 states, 10 cities and 11 creative disciplines. Read about the selection panel. Learn about the 2025 Creative Impact Fund grantees. ### Assembly for the Arts Assembly for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that unifies Greater Cleveland’s creative sector by coordinating information, partnerships, and opportunities and advocating for strong public and private investment in arts and culture. It supports nonprofits, artists, and creative businesses through research, policy, and sector-wide services, working closely with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Assembly for Action (a 501(c)(4) advocacy affiliate). Learn more at www.assemblycle.org. MEDIA CONTACT: Malissa Bodmann [email protected]
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As a visual artist, mother, and woman, I explore the theme of womanhood through my artwork, specifically focusing on topics that are often associated with femininity. My work has been recognized for its boldly feminist perspective and open inquiry into female identity while also commenting critically upon current events in society such as religion or politics by employing personal experiences from my childhood, having been raised in the Catholic church with a Latina mother.
The reoccurring theme of the vessel is predominant in my work. Especially, the image of the Virgin Mary, the ultimate vessel. Her religious upbringing made her very familiar with the Virgin Mary imagery. Worship in her home, centralized on the Holy Mother. Her images were exhibited in small laminated cards, placed around our home, and on tall glass prayer candles. She was the Mother and we prayed to her. We asked for her guidance and forgiveness. My artwork allows me to explore her humanity, her pain, and her role as a mother. Tanya Kaiser is a visual artist specializing in ceramic sculpture. Her works examine decidedly female themes while exploring and at times challenging preconceived notions of beauty. She is especially interested in the cultural silencing of women’s suffering, due to the societal stigma associated with the female form. By directly confronting these issues through her artwork, she hopes that her pieces may serve as a vehicle for further discussion on women's roles, health, and bodily autonomy. Tanya received her MFA in Studio Art from Stony Brook University. In 2016 she was named the Goldberger Fellow for excellence in art. Her artwork in both 2D and 3D forms has exhibited internationally.  September 2022 by Malissa Bodmann
Read the press release on AssemblyCle.org 26 participants represent individual artists, nonprofits and creative businesses CLEVELAND, OHIO — Assembly for the Arts has named the first cohort of the Arts Leadership Residency in partnership with the Cleveland Leadership Center (CLC). The 26 participants reflect Assembly’s commitment to increase equity in the arts and culture sector. Of the 25 who responded, more than 70% identify as Black or African American, 68% are women, 12% are nonbinary, 16% live with a disability. The program provides management support, coaching, and tools to artists, cultural nonprofits, and small- to mid-sized creative businesses. Expanding on the model of traditional artist residencies, the Arts Leadership Residency offers a $1,000 stipend and dedicated learning sessions to address a self-defined business goal or objective. Participants will have access to entrepreneurial expertise, mentorship from the CLC alumni network, and expertise of the other artists and small creative businesses participating in the program. The Arts Leadership Residency begins September 2022 and runs through February 2023. The artists selected for the program are:
Assembly received support from the Entrepreneur In Residence Powered by Huntington and The George Gund Foundation for the development of this program. The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation and the ArtsNEXT program of the Ohio Arts Council provided additional support to the Arts Leadership Residency ABOUT Assembly for the Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a focus on advocacy, cultural policy, racial equity initiatives, research, marketing that elevates the region, and services for nonprofits, artists, and creative businesses. It is governed by a volunteer board with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Assembly by design operates in close partnership with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, a government agency and Assembly for Action, a 501(c)4 political action nonprofit to serve the entire creative sector. Assembly is supported through major funding from: The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ohio Arts Council, Huntington, KeyBank, The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation, Fred & Laura Beth Bidwell, and Barbara S. Robinson. www.assemblycle.org Cleveland Leadership Center (CLC) provides collaborative leadership training, civic education and connections to leaders of all ages, empowering them to identify and take action on issues that resonate with them and positioning them to become change agents in the community. www.cleveleads.org Entrepreneur in Residence powered by Huntington https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huntington-bank-and-city-of-cleveland-announce-entrepreneurship-program-to-help-regions-small-businesses-grow-301468659.html |
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