Ricky Reyes is a researcher, arts administrator, creative, and oral historian. An avid musician, writer, and sound artist Ricky finds community in creating with and performing alongside fellow musicians, writers, and creatives.

Trained in critical race theory and public policy at Seattle University, Ricky’s previous research, writing, art, and oral histories explore our assumptions on race, class, and gender and the real-life impacts these assumptions have on on people of color, queer folks, and those at the center of structural oppression and ways to use storytelling and creative expression to tell these stories.

Ricky’s work experience includes community outreach, program design, teaching arts, and oral histories at and in partnership with arts organizations such as the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle University, the Office of Arts & Culture, Napster Streaming (Rhapsody), Wa Na Wari, Coyote Central, Friends of the Waterfront Seattle, Humanities Washington, the Seattle Public Library, and Seattle Theatre Group.

I am a film photographer and zinester. I’ve been making zines for three years and avidly collecting them for eight. I’ve published four zines that were based on personal stories of introspection and healing. I’m drawn to film photography because it pushes me to be intentional abouraphs about people, not of people. My education in sociology grounds my goals to create work rooted in telling the multitudes of our lived experiences, raw and honestly. Zinemaking allows me the freedom to create and share these visual stories in an honest and accessible way.

I’m connected to the Central District through my paternal family. My late father was a gospel musician that grew up in the CD and graduated from Garfield. Although I briefly lived in the CD as a child, I’ve remained connected through my siblings and my in-laws. The Central District was a place of pain for my mother, so I’ve been on a journey to piece together the memory of my father and learn more about the place and community he called home.

Sierra Parsons is a community organizer and oral historian based in South Seattle. She co-leads WA-BLOC, a community-based organization rooted in the Rainier Beach neighborhood.

Sierra’s work involves advocating for and designing experiential learning communities within Seattle Public Schools to create restorative school environments empowering school communities to build strong relationships and address harm holistically.

Sierra is dedicated to fostering intergenerational leadership and elevating youth voices. She aligns with Ella Baker’s belief that knowledge of Black history is the foundation of grassroots collective action.

In her free time, Sierra enjoys cooking, painting, and taking walks at Seward Park.

Heidi Grace Acuña (they/she) is an artist who “creates to live” for their mental health, for their communities, and to honor their ancestral calling. Born in Federal Way, Washington to immigrant Ilokano-Filipino parents, and raised on O‘ahu since one year old, Heidi felt disconnected to a true sense of home and belonging. Now, Heidi makes art that finds the beauty in the multiplicities, imperfections, and expansiveness of identity, culture, gender, and home. Heidi’s dimensional work in ceramic sculpture, textiles, painting, illustration, printmaking, and photography reveal anxiously curious, and deep investigations of universal human experiences, which are inspired by the diverse tropical colors of her island homes, living in diaspora, and the need for connection.

Heidi has exhibited their multidisciplinary works in Seattle, Philadelphia, Bellingham, Tacoma, and O‘ahu. Heidi is a 2024 Emerging Artist Scholarship Competition Finalist for Gallery 110. They are a 2024 finalist for Seattle’s queer fashion competition Fruit Bowl. She is a published artist whose work is part of the North Seattle College Permanent Art Collection. In 2022 they received the Edwin T. Pratt Scholarship and had their first solo show (LUSH) at Western Washington University. Heidi is a Co-Artistic Director and lead costumer for the QT arts collective House of Kilig. Heidi has given artist talks and participated in art panels for Seattle Public Schools, North Seattle College, and On The Boards. As a teaching artist they have worked with Bellevue Arts Museum, Gage Academy, The Feels Foundation, and Tacoma Sunday Market.

Award Statement: Thank you Northwest Film Forum and the Warhol Foundation for helping me bring my project “Living Waling-waling!” to life! This all-ages show will bring awareness of the symbolic Waling-waling orchid to the people of Seattle. I’m excited for “Living Waling-waling!” to highlight the talents of fellow Queer, Trans, and POC artists working in the fields of dance, music, fashion, and visual art.

heidigraceacuna.com
Instagram: @heidigraceacuna

Growing up in South Seattle as the youngest child of Filipino-American immigrants and surrounded by over 40 relatives on my mother’s side, I navigated a mosaic of educational experiences. These diverse perspectives profoundly influenced my purpose & filmmaking lens.

Award Statement: I am incredibly blessed to be awarded with this grant. I intend to put this towards my future projects, aiming to lift up overlooked stories & individuals from my environment.

genesis.direct

Jesse Higman began his creative career painting album cover and poster imagery for Seattle’s rock bands. Higman’s work has been presented by MTV, Lollapalooza, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Experience Music Project, Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts, and The Smithsonian Museum. In 2009, he received the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award. As larger works necessitated the help of others, a collaborative practice emerged. Higman has garnered numerous grants supporting his public paint pours throughout King County, including 4Culture‘s 2019 Arc Artist Fellowship, the CityArtist 2020 award, the 2022 Arts In Parks Grant, and the 2023 Artist At The Center Grant from Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture.

Award Statement: The Collective Power Fund supported me reaching as far as I could with an idea, taking a 16 foot painting table to a park in downtown Seattle, where the wayward and fractious congregate, to pour watercolors together and explore the idea that the more diverse the painters, the more innovative the compositions will be.

jessehigman.com
Instagram: @jessehigman
Facebook: @jessehigman

William Ahmoy Lau (he/him) is a traditional Chinese knot artist and educator living in dᶻidᶻəlaĺič / a little crossing over place / Seattle. His work has been displayed at the Fish Bowl and the Side Rail Collective, as well as being printed in the Enbyparty Zine and Tteoks to Watch Out For. He teaches art and knot-tying classes in multiple spaces including Reclaim Clay Collective. William’s work is informed by local Seattle history and inspired by his queer ancestors. He earned his degree in American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington and enjoys gardening, reading, and sitting in rivers.

Award Statement: I’m excited to begin work on the “Tacoma Method Memorial Knot.” I hope to facilitate a public act of grieving and healing, wherein my community can learn about and process the trauma of the 1885 and 1886 expulsions of Chinese American people from Tacoma and Seattle.

xiaoquilt.com
Instagram: @xiaoquilt

D.A. Navoti is a multidisciplinary storyteller, composer, and writer of the Gila River Indian Community. The author of essays, stories, and short films, his artistic work spans three landscapes — written, musical, and visual — a hybrid form exploring what it means to be Indigenous in the 21st century. Navoti is the 2023-24 Indigenous Community Liaison for 4Culture’s Poetry in Public program and was selected for Tin House’s 2024 Winter Online Workshop. Also in 2024, he was awarded the Native Creative Development Grant by The Evergreen State College and was accepted into Lambda Literary Writers Retreat. The recipient of the 2022 Artist Trust Fellowship award and a 2022 Artist Support Program residency at Jack Straw Cultural Center, Navoti served as the 2022-23 Native-Artist-in-Residence at Seattle Rep. Previously, he was a writer fellow with Jack Straw Cultural Center and Hugo House, and his literary work has appeared in Homology Lit, Spartan, Indian Country Today, Cloudthroat, and elsewhere.

Award Statement: Bigger and bolder artist visions grow from community support and advocacy, and the Collective Power Fund allows me to scale even higher as an artist and I’m excited to share my work to the public in the near future.

danavoti.com

Cameron Day O’Connell is a trans multimedia artist residing on unceded Duwamish land. They grew up in the Pacific Northwest, reflected in their deep relationship with social and natural ecosystems in Seattle. Their background in reproductive justice informs their work on the state of intimacy in the queer community amidst a pandemic, climate change, and rising transphobia. All of O’Connell’s work surrounds interdependent, care-based relationships with people and land.

They are a member of SOIL gallery and will be a 2024 resident at Vermont Studio Center. They curated for Bridge Productions iand Blue Lady series in Massachusetts. O’Connell organized with Lions Main Art Collective 2016-2019 and was an organizer at The Vera Project 2009-2013. They hold a BA from Hampshire College.

Award Statement: I am delighted to be a recipient of a NWFF Collective Power Fund New Projects Grant. It is deeply meaningful to have financial support as I dive into my new project focusing on death and dying in the queer/trans community. This grant will give me time and space to dig in with my loved ones and community, to create a language between us about the veil between the corporeal and the ancestral. Thank you NWFF for your support.

Instagram: @___c_a_m_e_r_o_n___
camerondayoconnell.com

Sean Sebastian has been creating films and working in the independent film industry for over a decade, as a Director-Writer-Producer with a background in theater and lighting design as well as audio engineering, music production and non-profit arts charities.

He also serves as COO and Co-Founder of Seattle Sounds Live, a local video archivist collective, and lead videographer for The Hydrant, a local arts event cooperative.

Award Statement: It is an honor to accept this award from Northwest Film Forum, as I’ve attended local screenings over the years, rented equipment, and worked closely with various organizations aided by their fiscal sponsorship. The positive impact they have made on this local community is a truly tangible, and lasting one. I’m so grateful for an opportunity to produce this documentary with proper funding thanks to the support from NWFF and the Warhol Foundation’s Regional Regranting Program.

strayphotonfilms.com
seemless.link/@seansebastian
Instagram: @sean.cameron.sebastian

Arabella is a video and installation artist. They are a lifelong learner and love to facilitate hands-on workshops with video gear. They are a founding member of the artist collective House of Kilig and spends time making visuals for events in the city as well as the podcast The Ugly Radio. They have too many CRT tvs and are constantly rearranging their eurorack case.

Instagram: @arablahblah
mmm.page/arablahblah

Award-winning multimedia artist Jo Cosme, originally from Borikén (Puerto Rico), relocated to Seattle after Hurricane María. Through her art, she confronts ignorance about her homeland, tackling themes of US Imperialism and disaster capitalism. With a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico’s School of Fine Arts, her work has graced prestigious venues, including Museo de las Américas (PR), Galerie Rivoli 59 (Paris), and Whatcom Museum (WA). In 2021, she earned the Puerto Rican Artist Fellowship at MASS MoCA’s A4A Residency, followed by grants and accolades in 2022 and 2023. In 2024 she inaugurated her solo exhibition, “Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!” at 4Culture Gallery. She plans to expand this project throughout the year, with a residency at Anderson Ranch in the fall.

jocosme.com
Instagram: @jo.cosme

Seattle-based artist VULGAR DREAMER is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist focused on ancient symbols and alternative ways of healing. Originally a metalsmith, she blended her craftsmanship with ancient materials to create spiritual healing systems in the form of wearable art. Her evolution to conceptual art allowed her to introduce other elements into this blend to extend her talents even further. Large scale design, multimedia, and a team of fabrication and installation partners allows VULGAR DREAMER to challenge the boundaries of healing art. She is philosophically obsessed with two ancient concepts: genius loci – the spirit of a place, and epic meaning – the sense that you are a part of something big and positive.

VULGAR DREAMER is Black and female.

Currently, she is focused on transmuting the healing arts into community service.

Award Statement: On behalf of The Black Altar project, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Northwest Film Forum and Collective Power Fund panel for the Research & Development grant award. Your generous support will allow me to develop healing art programs using creative and spiritual interventions to address trauma within Black communities.

vulgardreamer.com
Instagram: @vulgardreamerjewelry

Photograph by Anna Wolf

kelly langeslay is a queer dancer, performance artist, and writer. In their work, they tell stories to and/or about you. They invoke nostalgia through storytelling, props/set/costuming, and pop culture references, and reach for intimacy and connection within the performer/audience relationship. Their recent research investigates queer futurity through the writing of José Muñoz, CGI Barbie movies, early 2010s pop music, and conversations with friends and AIs. Much of this research is made possible through the space and resources provided by the public library, to whom they owe $313.49. They are motivated by a love of excess, nostalgia for a nonexistent past, and insatiable hunger for approval. They make their best work when you’re not texting them back.

kelly graduated from the University of Washington in 2020 with a BA in Dance and a BS in Psychology. Their work has been presented in Seattle at Gatto Nero, Spring Shot, Drama Tops’ Off the Lead Showing, Show 6 by CO—, reSET, 12 Minutes Max, and the Flight Deck Residency Showing. They have also danced in Alice Gosti’s company MALACARNE. kelly is currently in the process of researching, building, and producing their first evening-length work, which will be performed in Spring 2025.

Instagram: @kelly.langeslay

Miya Sukune is a visual artist working in the Puget Sound area. Her career encompasses painting exhibitions, public art, art residencies, and publications. She is a 2021 recipient of a 4Culture Art Projects award and the 2022-2023 Artist Explorations Scholarship from Pratt Fine Arts Center. For 2022-2023, she received the Hope Corps Award from Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture.

Miya has exhibited in shows at ARTS at King Street Station, Mt. Hood Community College (OR) and Vashon Center for the Arts Gallery. She has been an artist-in-residence at Vermont Studio Center, Studio Kura (Japan), Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the Serlachius Residency at the Serlachius Museums (Finland).

Award Statement: Thank you to the Northwest Film Forum, the Warhol Foundation and the jurors for supporting my artistic growth through this project. This grant will help me to expand on the work of my graphic novel Searching for Saito by supporting my research of the Japantown/Nihonmachi club scene during Seattle’s Jackson Street jazz age. Though Japantown no longer exists as it once did, its collective memory should not be lost. It is part of the shared history of the Chinatown-International District neighborhood. Thank you again for encouraging my creativity and curiosity!

miyasukune.com
searchingforsaito.com
Instagram: @miya.sukune

I condemn violence against trans and gender non-conforming people. Jonh Blanco is a Filipinx-American undisciplined artist from Norfolk, Virginia, known for their authentic creative practices. As an activist-gardener-student, and survivor of childhood domestic and sexual violence, Jonh’s projects are described as whimsical and critically courageous. They received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005 and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 2019. A resident of Durham, North Carolina, Jonh is active in the community, providing arts leadership as a member of Basement Art Space, a provisional artist-run curatorial project that supports regional southern experimental and critical art practices.

Rana San is an intermedia artist, curator, and community builder pondering hyper visibility, bodily autonomy, and immigrant liminality. Her creative and curatorial practice centers experimental and analog approaches to storytelling through film, writing, and movement presented on screen and stage. Based between Seattle and Istanbul, she co-directs the annual Cadence Video Poetry Festival and is a co-curator of Good Symptom: A Serial Anthology of Time-Based Disturbances.

Sean Weiner (he/him) is a film producer and artist community builder from the Hudson Valley of New York. He is a founder and co-director of the filmmaker support nonprofit, UFO. Previously, Sean was the Director of Programs and the Founding Director of Creative Culture at the Jacob Burns Film Center. He is an assistant professor in Film & Media Studies at Purchase College. Sean has produced and edited award-winning films selected by Sundance, Berlinale, and SXSW, and acquired by Criterion, Searchlight, HBOMax, POV and New York Times’ Op-Docs.

Photograph by M Slater

Connie Yu is a writer and artist based in Philadelphia. Their practice takes place in poetry and printmaking, cooking and strength training, and takes shape from the administrative aspects of these data — asking the limits of work and its measure, measure and its work. Connie co-curates, edits, and publishes work by/for queer and trans Asian artists with their print collective FORTUNE, and tends to its small-scale risograph imprint Many Folds Press. They are currently the Program Manager of the Velocity Fund, a Philadelphia-based Regional Regranting Program that offers direct-to-artist grants. In this work, they are committed to sharing resources and asking questions that can make arts programs, grants, and projects more accessible, and attentive, to more people.