The Eighth Annual Grilled Cheese Grant Funds Senior Exhibition Projects in Milwaukee

The Grilled Cheese Grant was created in 2016 as a secondary platform for graduating seniors to receive financial support and has raised over $9,200 for emerging artists in Milwaukee since then. The Grilled Cheese Grant (GCG) is an annual community fundraising event and emerging artist grant that provides financial support for undergraduate seniors at The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) who are working towards completing their senior exhibition projects in the areas of Fine Arts and/or Design.

At the Grilled Cheese Grant, attendees donate $5 or more to receive a grilled cheese sandwich made with cheese and bread provided by local community organizations. In addition to grilled cheese, all attendees also receive a ballot to cast their vote for one of five selected finalists exhibiting artwork during the one-day event at Vanguard Sculpture Services on April 1, 2023, 3-8pm. Finalists Andrea Cabrera Manuel, Jovanny Hernandez Caballero, Xarion Latimore, Brandom Terres-Sanchez, and Jo Willis explore diverse thematic concepts ranging from the documentation of indigenous communities to the combination of new technologies with ancient artistic processes.

Enjoy the one-day celebration with grilled cheese sandwiches, a gallery exhibition, live DJ, foundry tours, cheese-themed merchandise, and drinks provided by Cactus Club. Voting ends at 6:30pm.

The funds raised during the Grilled Cheese Grant are totaled and awarded to the selected finalists in the form of an artist/project grant to support their senior exhibitions. The winners of The Grilled Cheese Grant are announced at the event and on GCG social media after all votes are counted and all funds are totaled. The selected finalists are ranked first through fifth place based on collected votes and each finalist receives financial support for their senior exhibition project. Grant award amounts are based on the total funds raised and each finalist’s proposed project budget is considered when funds are awarded. The Grilled Cheese Grant aims to fully fund the first place winner’s senior exhibition project and partially fund all other projects. Selected finalists receive the largest portion of funds and a percentage is retained by GCG organizers, collaborators and partners for future programming support. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds are donated to Diverse & Resilient, a local organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community. Grilled Cheese Grant finalists may receive professional development opportunities facilitated by members of the GCG team.

The Eighth Annual Grilled Cheese Grant is generously sponsored by Portrait Society Contemporary Art Gallery, Var Gallery, McCaw/Budsberg Collaborations & Current Projects, Heinn Chapman, facilitating situations, Julia Taylor Watercolor, gener8tor Art, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Artdose Magazine, Reason at Work, LLC, aryn kresol, docmyart, and Scott Frazier. Milwaukee Artist Resource Network is the Top Community Sponsor for Grilled Cheese Grant 2023. Funding is provided in part by a grant from the Open Fund. Cheese and bread supplied by Clock Shadow Creamery and Troubadour Bakery. Drinks provided by Cactus Club. Thank you to community partner Walker’s Point Center for the Arts and event venue Vanguard Sculpture Services. The Grilled Cheese Grant is voluntarily organized by a small group of MIAD graduates: Rachel Hausmann-Schall, Alyssa Anderson, Joe Acri, and Sal Nicholson

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.