Overview
The Arts Commission's Merit Award program recognizes outstanding local literary, performing and, visual artists, rewarding the many hours and personal resources each artist dedicates to their artform. Four awards are given: one $2500 award, two $1000 awards, and one $500 award. Recipients are selected by a panel of renowned artists and cultural leaders from around the Midwest, with a range of expertise across artistic disciplines.
The 2021 review panel includes Tizziana Baldenebro, Executive Director at SPACES in Cleveland, OH; Ashley Stanton, Program Manager at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts; and Juana Williams, community-based arts curator, and writer residing in Detroit, Michigan.
The Merit Award program is generously supported by ProMedica, the Ohio Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.