Soaring Eagle Fine Arts Grants (opening soon)
Cape Breton Country Recording Artist Drake Jensen has collaborated with the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia to create a fund for persons who identify with LGBTQI+ and work with the community. He is generously donating 100% of the profits from his new single, “Rise Again”.
The Soaring Eagle Fine Arts Grants’ purpose is to ignite a conversation on challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community in Rural Nova Scotia and identifying and implementing solutions. The fund will focus on these issues and unite the members of the LGBTQI+ community within Nova Scotia to resilience work led by others identifying with LGBTQI+ through conversation and projects within their communities. The initial emphasis of the fund will be on youth projects, but the focus will expand in future years to highlight projects led by other groups. In addition to grants to qualified donees (accordance to CRA) and often in partnership with community organizations, The Soaring Eagle Fine Arts Grants will encompass convening, capacity-building, outreach, and other activities which further its goals.
Drake Jensen’s powerful rendition of Cape Breton songwriter Leon Dubinsky’s iconic song “Rise Again”, featuring Rob Preuss is available exclusively at Bandcamp. Designated donations through www.rcfofns.com/donate-to-the-soaring-eagle-grant-program of $5.00 or more will receive a free Drake Jensen online concert with special guests. An announcement will be in the future. “Rise Again” purchases and donations to the Soaring Eagle Fund will be entered to win prizes. For information on “Rise Again,” follow Drake Jensen at facebook.com/drakejensenmusic.
Drake Jensen-”Rise Again”. (Official Music Video)
Winners of the Spring 2022 grant are:
S2LGBTQ+ Emerging Artist Mentorship Program (Antigonish Culture Alive (ACA):
Young Queer artists will be mentored by established artists in the community to support and co-create a project for the annual after-dark festival, Antigonight. This project will augment the existing artist in residence summer program, which has run annually for five years. The artist in residence program supports professional artists local to Antigonish Town and County.
2SLGBTQ+ Creative Exposure Pop Ups (The MacPhee Centre):
The MacPhee Centre uses creativity as a vehicle to address social issues in the lives of youth. The 2SLGBTQ+ project is moving from pilot phase to embedded core MacPhee programming in 2022 and provides culturally specific programming to youth using queer creative practices while fostering safer spaces. The programming features a blended model of that can engage youth across the province in networks of like-minded individuals, combatting social isolation and related negative health outcomes.
Mackie's Mobile Studio (Pictou County Roots for Youth):
To create a direct-to-door recording studio to reach musicians in rural areas that don’t have access to a studio. Used currently is a renovated a semi-professional in house studio, they will have designed and built a portable vocal booth in which to deliver direct-to-door recording services to artists.