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MFA Student Quianna Simpson Wins GCAC Artists Elevated Award

November 16, 2021

MFA Student Quianna Simpson Wins GCAC Artists Elevated Award

Quianna Simpson

Greater Columbus Arts Council Announces Inaugural Recipients of Artists Elevated Awards

A national jury has selected the first two recipients of the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s (Arts Council) $20,000 Artists Elevated awards: Erika Tay Lane and Quianna Simpson.

Erika Tay Lane is a theater director, writer, actor and mentor, having worked extensively with MadLab and OG Productions. She specializes in writing and directing short plays. With her award, she hopes to create a festival featuring plays with local theater artists and musicians, in addition to a production of her full-length play based on Plato’s Dialogues.

Quianna Simpson is a dancer and choreographer with more than 30 years’ experience studying traditional West African dance, music and culture. She currently serves as a dancer, instructor and assistant artistic director of the Thiossane Institute. She hopes to use her award to further her study of West African dance and performances related to it, both domestically and abroad.

Both artists will receive unrestricted awards of $20,000 each. The awards are focused on providing substantial funds to Columbus-based artists who have been working professionally for at least three years, and are intended to provide a more meaningful investment in moving an artist forward in their career. This week the Arts Council announced a gift of $1 million from the American Electric Power Foundation to the Arts Council’s community endowment fund, which supports the awards. Simpson’s award was underwritten by Bath & Body Works.

“The jurors spoke very highly of the incredible talent represented by the nominees,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of the Arts Council. “We’re so proud of the artists that live and work in Columbus, and we are grateful to the American Electric Power Foundation for making sure we can invest in them for many years to come.”

Both artists will be featured in conversation during the Arts Council’s annual Public Forum, live-streamed from the Ross Community Studio at WOSU’s new headquarters on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. More details will be announced soon.

Join WOSU and the GCAC for a livestream conversation about creativity and art-making and get a sneak peek of the new Ross Community Studio at WOSU Public Media's brand new headquarters.

The 2021 Greater Columbus Arts Council Public Forum will feature a conversation with Erika Tay Lane and Quianna Simpson, the 2021 Artists Elevated Award winners, Arts Council president and CEO Tom Katzenmeyer and Arts Council board chair Michael Bongiorno. The program will be moderated by Charlene Brown, long-time Columbus broadcast personality and co-host of WOSU’s Columbus Neighborhoods Series. 

 

Thursday, Dec. 9
3:30-4:30 p.m.