3Arts Awards

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 jurors convene to select ten awardees from the applicant pool. 3Arts requires panelists to disclose conflicts of interest as part of the selection process. If a strong personal or professional relationship exists between a panelist 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.

We express our gratitude to the most recent jury panelists.

Profiles of all 3Arts Awards recipients are accessible further below on this page, or download an awardee list in PDF here.

2020

Keyierra Collins
Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher Walder Foundation Awardee

Keyierra Collins, is an Afro-interdisciplinary dancer and choreographer based in Chicago, but recognized internationally. In 2020, she received the 3Arts/Walder Foundation Awardee grant, and she has also been honored with grants from organizations like Chicago Dancemakers Forum and …
Emjoy Gavino
Actor & Casting Director Stan Lipkin & Evelyn Appell Lipkin Awardee

Emjoy 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, …
J'Sun Howard
Dancemaker RH, Restoration Hardware Awardee

J’Sun Howard is a Chicago-based dancemaker and poet. He creates intimate performances that express generous, loving, and compassionate play between Black and Brown men. He was awarded an inaugural 2020 Esteemed Artist Award from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs …
A.J. McClenon
Interdisciplinary Artist Gary & Denise Gardner Fund Awardee

Originally, 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 …
Meagan McNeal
Vocalist, Cultivator, Mother Walder Foundation Awardee

Meagan 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 …
Luis Álvaro Sahagun Nuño
Artist & Educator Reva & David Logan Foundation Awardee

Luis 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 …
Junius Paul
Bassist & Composer SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation Awardee

Junius 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 …
Dorian Sylvain
Visual Artist Southwest Airlines Community Awardee

Dorian 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 …
Sydney Lynne
Scenic Designer HMS Fund Awardee

Sydney 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 …
Reveca Torres
Visual Artist Chandler Family Awardee

Reveca 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. …