A collection of 13 Greater Cincinnati and Dayton-area artists has received $5,000 grants from the state of Ohio to support their artistic endeavors.
The awards are among the 75 grants issued by the Ohio Arts Council as part of the opening round of Individual Excellence Awards program funding for fiscal year 2025.
The IEA program recognizes outstanding artistic accomplishments across various disciplines, including crafts, design, interdisciplinary arts, media arts, photography, visual arts 2D and visual arts 3D. Through the awards, the state aims to provide artists with resources to explore and experiment within their fields, refine their skills and advance their careers.
This year, nearly 600 applications were submitted by artists from across Ohio. Funding recommendations were made through an anonymous, open panel review process, focusing on the exceptional merit of past artistic work.
In total, the state awarded $375,000 during this round of funding. Each recipient received $5,000.
A complete, alphabetized list of awardees follows. Locals are in bold.
“Every year, the Individual Excellence Award recipients showcase the exceptional artistic talent across Ohio,” said Donna S. Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council. “This year’s awardees demonstrate that artists can build thriving and sustained careers here in the Buckeye State.”
2025 IEA Grant Winners
Crafts
- Tom Bartel, Athens
- Jack Gramann, Columbus
- Michael W. High, Chardon
- Peter Christian Johnson, Kent
- Andrea LeBlond, Cleveland
- Aimee Lee, Lyndhurst
- Char Norman, Columbus
- Carmen Ostermann, Columbus
- Eva Polzer, Akron
- Weiting Wei, Powell
Design
- John Hankiewicz, Oxford
Interdisciplinary
- michael d casselli jr, Yellow Springs
- Melanie Emig, Lakewood
- Claudia Esslinger, Gambier
- Sharareh Khosravani, Cincinnati
- Rebecca Nava Soto, Cincinnati
Media Arts
- bob drake, Cleveland
- Jacob Koestler, Solon
- Thomas Megalis, Broadview Heights
- Kate Raney, Athens
- Hao Zhou, Gambier
- Dani ReStack, Columbus (collaborative award)
- Sheilah ReStack, Columbus (collaborative award)
Photography
- W.E. Arnold, Columbus
- Matthew Chasney, Cleveland
- Robert Colgan, Columbus
- James Dickerson, Toledo
- Madeleine Hordinski, Cincinnati
- Lori Kella, Cleveland
- Amanda King, Cleveland
- Greg Martin, Cleveland
Visual Arts 2D
- Wesley Berg, Berea
- Cassidy Boyuk, Hilliard
- Carmel Buckley, Cincinnati
- Amy Casey, Cleveland
- Donna Coleman, Oberlin
- Gianna Commito, Kent
- Katie Davis, Dublin
- Myles Dunigan, Oberlin
- Valerie Escobedo, Findlay
- Melissa Haviland, Athens
- Hiroshi Hayakawa, Columbus
- Dan Hernandez, Maumee
- Mark Warren Jacques, Columbus
- R Kauff, Lakewood
- David King, Cleveland Heights
- N. Maye Luga, Mentor
- Liz Maugans, Bay Village
- Kathy McGhee, Galloway
- Mike Meier, Cleveland Heights
- Rachel Mentzer, Oberlin
- Melih Meric, Akron
- Cody F. Miller, Columbus
- Hannah Parrett, Cincinnati
- Shawn Powell, Kent
- Sharone Putter, Columbus
- Paul Rienzo, Cincinnati
- Eliana Calle Saari, Gahanna
- Karen Snouffer, Gambier
- Justin Sorensen, Mount Vernon
- Chris Taylor, New Albany
- Aaron Troyer, Columbus
- Zach Van Horn, Reynoldsburg
- Micaela Vivero, Newark
- Gina Washington, Cleveland
- John Weber, Hilliard
Visual Arts 3D
- Dana Lynn Harper, Columbus
- Manami Ishimura, Gambier
- Richard W. James, Hamilton
- Lisa Merida-Paytes, Cincinnati
- Paul O’Keeffe, Cleveland Heights
- Sa’dia Rehman, Columbus
- Sara Torgison, Cincinnati
- Shon Walters, Dayton
- akeylah wellington, Columbus
- Supermrin (Mrinalini Aggarwal), Cincinnati
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