I'm thrilled to receive a 2016 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council! This is an award based on previous work; in this case it was for the albums The Star-Faced One (2013, Atavistic) and Rawhead & Bloodybones (2015, Dust-to-Digital).
The award money will support the costs of my current project, Shawnee, Ohio (2016, Dust-to-Digtal). Shawnee, Ohio will premiere this fall at the Wexner Center for the Arts on October 27 and 28, 2016. The money will also support a live performance at the Tecumseh Theater in Shawnee on October 29, 2016, a performance meant to help the theater and draw attention to the town and the Little Cities of Black Diamonds region. It is great to apply these funds to a project that reflects on the lives and stories of people who live in southeastern Ohio, and also addresses the long history of mining and gas extraction, booms and busts, and environmental degradation and recovery--issues that are still relevant today.