I’m pleased to announce that I will receive a 2017 Individual Artists Program grant from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). This grant will go directly toward funding Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago, especially my collaboration with Jason Adasiewicz on the documentary’s original score.

Arts funding, particularly state and federal funding, is really important to projects like mine. I don’t have a huge slate of past projects under my belt I can brag about, so getting the “thumbs up” from an office like DCASE makes it easier for other potential funders to say yes. As you might have heard, the State of Illinois is a hot mess right now. We’ve been operating without a budget for more than two years now; arts funding certainly isn’t a priority. It’s really nice to know that despite its own financial difficulties, Chicago is still doing its bit.