For collage artist Muriel “Monik” Johnson, a move from California to Massachusetts meant starting over in an unfamiliar creative landscape. Now, she is one of 15 local creators finding their footing — and their community — through a new capacity-building grant designed to stabilize the often unsteady lives of western Massachusetts artists.
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, a Springfield nonprofit, has announced its newest cohort of Capacity-Building artist grantees.
In addition to Johnson of Springfield, those grantees are spoken word and recording artist Aaron St. Louis/AJOESAINT of Springfield; photographer Alize Ortiz of Northampton; illustrator Brianna Woodard of West Springfield; poet Claudia Wilson of Northampton; writer Darlene Elias of Holyoke; ceramicist Hadley Byrne of Easthampton; musician Hazel Basil of Amherst; clothing artist Jena Duncan/Blushing Mustard Studios of Ashfield; songwriter Joandiel of Springfield; artist Jules Jones of Turners Falls; tabletop game designer and miniature artist July Finn of Greenfield; hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Swazy of Springfield; multimedia artist and drag performer Nasira Watts/Entity of Amherst; and performance artist Victor Rafael Figueroa of Ashfield.
“Artists hold up a mirror to who we are as individuals and as a community,” said Megan Burke, CEO of the Community Foundation, in a press release. “They remind us to look closer, ask harder questions and imagine what’s possible. Our role is to make sure they have the resources and community they need to keep serving as a reflection for us all.”
The grants are awarded to artists, 18 and older, who live or have studio space in Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden counties. Each selected artist receives a $2,500 grant to be used as they wish; professional development workshops about goal-setting and personal finances; one-on-one coaching; cohort events; and more over a six-month period.
The funding comes from ValleyCreates, the Community Foundation’s arts program, and is administered by Assets for Artists (A4A), which operates from the MASS MoCA campus in North Adams and was part of the museum until October. In fact, the cohort’s “graduation” includes a group field trip to MASS MoCA in March. A4A partners with ValleyCreates to coordinate workshops, match grantees with coaches and onboard grantees into the cohort.
Nicole Bourdon, senior program officer for ValleyCreates, said that the concept of “capacity-building” is about strengthening skills, deepening knowledge and fostering connections between artists. Previous cohorts have led to collaborations like a woodworker creating a prop for a filmmaker and a rapper performing while a visual artist performs behind him.
Besides material help, the grants also provide recipients with credibility, which some have been able to use to apply for other funding and opportunities as well, Bourdon said.
This year’s cohort of 15 artists was selected from an applicant pool of more than 100 artists in the area.
Originally from California, Muriel “Monik” Johnson said the cohort helped her integrate into the local arts community — a vital connection for a relative newcomer to Massachusetts.
“Being part of this cohort has meant so much to me,” she said. “It’s truly been a blessing.”
July Finn said receiving the grant was “very meaningful.”
“It’s been a great acknowledgement, since it’s my first grant along these lines, of my value as an artist, and it’s been really good to connect with the other artists in the cohort and have more of a connection to the local arts community,” Finn said.
Jules Jones said, “It can be really hard to sustain an art practice. I think that grants like these are just wonderful because they’re supporting artists of all backgrounds to succeed.”
Bourdon said that artists use their grant money for a wide range of purposes, including professional needs like studio time and equipment as well as personal needs like rent. Finn said they plan to use their grant money to commission other artists for collaborations, and Jones said they’ve been using the money to purchase art supplies to create new work.
Johnson is using her grant money to prepare new artwork and to pay for lodging in New York City in February, where her art will be on display as part of the Harlem Fine Arts Show. Receiving financial support in a grant program is important, she said, because it helps to ease the burdens that limit an artist’s ability to create, but it also “validates you as an artist and affirms that others see your value.”
“Art is healing,” Johnson said. “To produce it is healing. To consume it is healing. That is the value.”
For more information about each of the artists in the cohort, visit assetsforartists.org/blog/welcome-2025-valleycreates-cohort. For more information about the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, visit communityfoundation.org.