In April, the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona announced the Pivot Grant to fund artistic projects and programming which have been adapted to alternative methods of sharing (i.e. virtual, digital, socially distant) in response to the COVID-19 ongoing health crisis.
Granted awards ranged from $500 – $1,000 for individual artists or $1,000 – $2,500 for non-profit (501c3) arts organizations. Submissions could include new, currently in-progress or on-going projects and programming.
Mat Bevel Company (MBC) received a pivot grant for immediately offering a blended learning edition of The Universe Within for physical classrooms as well as for developing a free e-learning edition that includes remote tools for virtual face-to-face group brainstorming, discussions and collaboration, which are key components of the curriculum. MBC has been posting lessons at the-universe-within.org. The team is also working on deploying a secure online e-learning platform that manages program registration, instructions, technical requirements and support as well as distribution of all educational materials: learning objectives, state standards alignment, instructor protocols and student workbooks, as a service to students, educators and parents.
Panelists appreciated that Mat Bevel Company’s compelling Pivot Grant proposal included development of two programs which would foster imagination and creativity within our community, involving a number of different digital platforms for the virtual classroom.
Mat Bevel Company Vice President said, “The Arts Foundation grant is extremely helpful as we quickly develop an e-learning edition of The Universe Within to accommodate virtual classrooms, during COVID-19 and beyond. Many of the collaborative tools we are developing will be valuable for physical classrooms too, once social distancing measures are no longer in place.”
Mat Bevel Company is working with an experienced team of technologists and educators to keep remote classroom activities engaging and collaborative. As part of this project, a digital version of The Daily Doodle scientific notebook is being developed, helping students to record, develop and present solutions and ideas.
The Full List of all Pivot Grant Recipients.
Nonprofit Arts Organizations:
● Borderlands Theater | Lunada Virtual Literary Lounge ● Children’s Museum Tucson | Oro Valley | Play-based Learning …Online! ● The Drawing Studio | The Drawing Studio COVID Pivot ● Dunbar Pavilion / African American Cultural Center | Esteban’s Journeys ● Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation | Families at Home Projects ● Kore Press | Pivoting Kore Press Institute Online ● KXCI, Foundation for Creative Broadcasting | Remote Broadcasting Studio ● Lead Guitar | Lead Guitar Distance Learning Resources and Virtual Showcase ● Literacy Connects / Stories that Soar! | #StoriesThatStream! ● The Loft Cinema | Virtual Community Engagement at The LoftCinema ● Mat Bevel Company | Emergency E-Learning STEM Art Education Programming
● The Rogue Theatre | Rogue Radio ● The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre | Storytelling in the Virtual Realm: Stories for Scoundrels and Scamps ● Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance | Southern Arizona Arts & Culture Digital Content Calendar / Clearinghouse ● Southwest Folklife Alliance | TMY Culture Kitchen Live
Individual Artists:
● Adam Cooper-Terán | Barrio Stories: Nogales ● Andrea Edmundson | Socialized Mosaics Online! ● Andrew Tegarden | Art Meals Program with TUSD Grab-and-Go Meals ● Autumn Eckman | Drift-less ● Carolyn Robles | Carolyn Robles Art & Instruction ● Dina Kagan | The Last River ● Gabriel Barreda | The Mankind Podcast Season 2 ● Isaac Caruso | Sam & Sara ● Jessica Gonzales | From the Cocoon ● Kaitlyn Jo Smith | American Standard ● Kathleen Velo | Water Flow on the Hopi Reservation ● Katie Cooper | Art Wagon Retun ● Kristen Wheeler | Troubadour Theatre ● Lara Ruggles | Sharkk Heartt with Special Guests – Online Live Music Series ● Lisa Sturz | Project Puppet ● Martin Krafft | Cassandra 2020 ● Melquiades Dominguez | Art Chats with Galeria Mitotera ● Quiahuitl Villegas | Experimental Rhythms and Beats ● Rocky Martinez | Online Platform ● Sadie Shaw | Sugar Hill Oral History Project ● Samantha Bounkeua | Rogue Violin Studios: Website Update & Video Creation ● Serge Levy | Honing the Message: An Online Photography Masterclass ● Thomas Walbank | Saint Cecilia’s Soul ● Torran Anderson | Piñata Moon Writing Workshop