Pressing Matters is an intergenerational community art initiative centered around Gelli printing, an accessible monoprinting technique that requires no press and produces vibrant, unique prints. This project will connect diverse community members—from young children to older adults—through a series of workshops held at community venues in Muncie, Indiana. The project will culminate in a collaborative exhibition that showcases the collective artwork at prominent locations during the community’s First Thursday Art Walk. Project Goals 1. Create accessible art-making opportunities for community members of all ages and skill levels 2. Foster intergenerational connections and community building through shared creative experiences 3. Increase participants' confidence in their artistic abilities and creative expression 4. Showcase the power of collaborative art through public exhibitions 5. Creative placemaking through positive shared experiences with art, community, and Muncie’s...

"Righteous Gemstones 2" will be the second in a series music releases by local recording artist MRKBH and produced by Vermont native Rico James. The money requested will cover the cost of a featured guest appearance by a formerly major label recording artist on one of the songs on the project. The timeline for recording and release of this p will be 3 months (from April-June) with a mid to late summer release. My audience will be both local and global (I access a global audience via my label's mailing list that I have accumulated over the years). This includes fans in places like Switzerland, France, and Germany. My goal is to release and profit from a successful release rollout and the securing the aforementioned featured guest artist on one of the songs will play a significant role in achieving that goal.

I will educate others on the importance of creativity and how to be confident while doing it. I will do this by hosting 4 workshops starting in the late summer/early fall 2025. I will also host a holiday workshop in 2025. In 2026 I will host two spring workshops focusing on Mothers Day and Graduation. The workshops will be me teaching how to make a keepsake box. This is a product I have worked on over the last three years and people absolutely love them and I’m quickly figuring out they also love to make their own. I sit back and watch people look at these when they open them and often times gasp. That’s what it’s all about! In the previous workshops I have hosted I give them creative freedom. I will suggest ways but I always make sure to explain it is your project as long as you like it that is what counts. I never knew I had a creative mind until early 2021 maybe if I had been encouraged I would have discovered this amazing gift prior to 2021. This gift has brought me so much...