3Arts Awards
2023 3Arts Awards Celebration: For the Love of Artists
Monday, November 13
5:30pm Welcome Reception
6:30pm Awards Celebration (After party to follow)
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street
Tickets: $130 General Admission • $300 VIP Reserved Seating
Join us as we honor ten new 3Arts awardees who have been selected by national jury panels to receive $30,000 awards, ten Make a Wave artists who have been selected by past 3Arts awardees to receive $2,000 surprise grants for their indispensable contributions to our city, and five Next Level $50,000 award recipients, who are receiving a second award from our organization.
This community-wide celebration features energy-filled performances by Grammy Award-winning opera singer Will Liverman*; a dance production by critically-acclaimed choreographer Stephanie Martinez (founder of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre); and a grand finale led by Chicago’s inaugural poet laureate, avery r. young, joined by an “all-star band” of past 3Arts awardees, including JoVia Armstrong, Caitlin Edwards, Meagan McNeal, Bethany Thomas, Sam Thousand, and more.
This event features ASL interpreters, audio description, real-time and video captioning, tactile mapping, large print programs, personal assistants, and accessible seating.
Video: Behind the scenes of the making of A Fly First Choice by Cecil McDonald, Jr.
About the 3Arts Awards
The 3Arts Awards express our gratitude to Chicago’s artists for their indisputable contributions to the health and vibrancy of our city. Every year, ten artists who live and work in the six-county metropolitan area receive unrestricted $30,000 awards in dance, music, teaching arts, theater, and visual arts. Artists may use the award in any way that makes a difference to their lives and careers, including paying off debt, purchasing equipment, hiring collaborators, producing new work, and saving for the future.
We invite you to read two reports that compile reflections from artists who have received a 3Arts Award:
We thank our Award Partners and Community Award donors for their generosity in helping 3Arts support and advocate for local artists.
Selection Process
3Arts awardees are selected through a nomination and jury process. More than 100 artists are nominated annually by at least 35 anonymous local nominators--artists, curators, presenters, and advocates--who are acutely knowledgeable about the breadth of artists working in neighborhoods across the metropolitan area.
After the nominees have completed our online application process, five national, discipline-specific panels of judges convene to select ten awardees from the pool. 3Arts requires judges to disclose conflicts of interest as part of the selection process. If a strong personal or professional relationship exists between a judge and a nominated artist that might be an impediment to the integrity of the process, a full recusal from the discussion and vote is implemented.
In honor of the time and energy it takes to apply, all artists who submit an application will receive a $100 honorarium.
The recipients of 2023 3Arts Awards will be announced this fall. We express our gratitude to this year's distinguished jury panelists.
2020
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Keyierra Collins
Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher Walder Foundation AwardeeKeyierra Collins is an Afro-interdisciplinary dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist based in Chicago but recognized internationally. In 2020 she was awarded the 3Arts/ Walder Foundation Awardee grant. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2016 with a BA in Dance …
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Emjoy Gavino
Actor & Casting Director Stan Lipkin & Evelyn Appell Lipkin AwardeeEmjoy Gavino is an actor, casting director, teaching artist, and producer proud to call Chicago her home. The eldest child of Filipino immigrants, Emjoy grew up in the Pacific Northwest, falling in love with the Seattle theater scene.
In 2006, …
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J'Sun Howard
Dancemaker RH, Restoration Hardware AwardeeJ’Sun Howard is a Chicago-based dancemaker. He holds an MFA in Dance and a certificate in World Performance Studies from the University of Michigan. He is a 2020 3Arts Awardee, a recipient of the inaugural Esteemed Artist Award from the …
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A.J. McClenon
Interdisciplinary Artist Gary & Denise Gardner Fund AwardeeOriginally, I was born and raised in “DC proper,” and I now call Chicago my second home. In 2014 I received a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Beforehand I received a Bachelor …
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Meagan McNeal
Vocalist, Cultivator, Mother Walder Foundation AwardeeMeagan McNeal is a powerhouse singer and recording artist from Chicago. Well-versed in the genres of soul, jazz, and R&B, she is known for her diverse range. Influenced by groundbreaking artists such as Anita Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Chaka Kahn, and …
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Luis Álvaro Sahagun Nuño
Artist & Educator Reva & David Logan Foundation AwardeeLuis Álvaro Sahagun Nuño was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He creates drawings, paintings, sculptures and performances that confront the palpable inescapability of race and transform art into an act of cultural and spiritual reclamation. Sahagun grew up undocumented and …
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Junius Paul
Bassist & Composer SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation AwardeeJunius Paul is an internationally recognized composer, bandleader, and acoustic and electric bassist born and raised in the Chicago area. He has shown himself to be a highly versatile bassist, with performance and/or recording credits that include The Art Ensemble …
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Dorian Sylvain
Muralist & Teaching Artist Southwest Airlines Community AwardeeDorian Sylvain is a painter whose color and texture explore ornamentation, pattern, and design as identifiers of cultural and historical foundations. She is a studio painter and muralist, as well as an art educator, curator, and community planner. Much of …
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Sydney Lynne
Scenic Designer HMS Fund AwardeeSydney Lynne Thomas is a Chicago-based designer from Dallas, Texas who has been a practicing visual artist for 10 years. Her breadth of work includes scenic design, workshops, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, community organizing, and building. Beginning with a background …
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Reveca Torres
Visual Artist Chandler Family AwardeeReveca Torres was paralyzed in a car accident as a teenager. After completing degrees in Fashion Design and Theatre Arts, Reveca worked as a costume designer and simultaneously with organizations doing disability work in health, advocacy, recreation, and peer support. …
2020 Judges
Stephanie Martinez
Douglas Scott
Amara Tabor-Smith
Neil Lerner
Sam Lewis
Gargi Shindé
Karen Benita Reyes
Richard Hinojosa
Em Kettner
Lisa Portes
Hana S. Sharif
Samuel Yates
Carolyn Lazard
Kamilah Rashied
Reuben Roqueñi