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- Designed by Sarah: March & April 2025 Studio Recap
Designed by Sarah: March & April 2025 Studio Recap
This email has 3 studio updates, 1 neat aminal fact, 2 cool websites I think you should see, 1 workshop that looks cool and 1 I loved, and 9 grant + residency opportunities
Well, gang, we survived the pollening this year – and as I write this email I am in the final countdown for my wedding this Saturday. Y’all I’m getting married on Saturday!! I got too overwhelmed last month to send an update, so here’s a 2 for 1!
It’s always tricky to take so much time off as a freelancer; as far back as late March I’ve had to start turning down or delaying work until I’m back in June, which is always equal parts scary and big FOMO. I had to turn down some incredibly cool projects that just couldn’t work around my timing (life happens), and I am excited to root for them when I get back.
A few things for the folks who are premium subscribers, aka folks who want to get treats in the mail – got a VERY exciting package coming to y’all shortly, and if you sign up today you will be in the recipient list as well.
Warmly,
Sarah
👉 New Website for DHIC
DHIC is a nonprofit in Raleigh that builds and manages affordable housing while also offering support services to help people stay housed and thrive. They actually build the housing themselves, which is unusual, and then work with local property management companies to make sure the housing is well-managed and in good shape. However, you’d never know any of this by looking at their old website. I worked with Purpose Possible to completely rebuild their site from the ground up and reimagine some of their program offerings to better reach people and also make management easier for the staff on the backend.
Check out DHIC’s new website ➔
👉 Atlanta Plant Festival
Every winter I get a little case of the winter zanies and start seeds en masse in my tiny grow shelf and greenhouse, and by early spring our place is exploding with seedlings that need to go to a good home. Usually I do a self-serve driveway sale, where you can swing by to grab some plants and Venmo me, but when Tyler from Rousseau Plant Care reached out about being a vendor at the inaugural Atlanta Plant Fest, I jumped at the chance. Why not try a self-serve plant sale on a bigger scale?
I was so excited to be part of this that I designed a limited edition risograph print for them to give away to the first 100 people at the fest. Well, over a thousand people showed up and wanted posters – but luckily I have some at home I’d love to send to you!
Ok yes I want a fun riso print ➔
👉 Dekalb Green New Deal Concert
I’m so glad that Commissioner Ted Terry keeps asking me to work with him on the Dekalb Green New Deal events because I love the style we designed for the series and getting to make new scenes with it is a real treat.
Learn more ➔
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What do a Freshwater Bream, an Eel, an Ide, a Perch, and a Pike have in common?
No, they’re not just fish you can catch in Stardew Valley, they’re also fish that “swim through the Oudegracht in Utrecht, searching for a place upstream to lay their eggs.” Unfortunately, the dam is often closed when they’re trying to get through, so the municipality of Utrecht and HDSR set up a webcam where people all over the world can ring the doorbell to let people know the fish need to get through. It is, quite simply, a delight to watch when the fish are active.
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 Spanish Flavors: Paella Party! “Join us for this even and learn to make Spain's most iconic dish--paella. Bomba rice, saffron, and chorizo come together (with a little technique) to make this show stopper recipe.” |  Butchering Workshops with Pine Street Market My partner has realized my love language is “learning,” and so for my birthday this year he took me to a whole hog butcher workshop hosted by Pine Street Market. It was wild and extremely cool to see this skilled butcher take down an entire pig and walk us through all of the individual cuts. I don’t see another one like this on their current lineup, but I’d recommend it if you see one! |
👉 Komposer
This somehow feels like the inevitable next step in the lofi anime hip hop beats narrative – Komposer turns every keystroke into a little bit of a synth song that you can enjoy as you type. I love this so much I typed this entire email into Komposer and then pasted it back into my newsletter platform, and honestly the only thing I want from it next is to be an actual computer program that does this for every keystroke, not just ones within the browser.
Honorable Mentions:
Apparently you can charter a CTA train car in Chicago “for your next party, event, meeting or group excursion.“ Chicago: 1 – Atlanta: 0
I give away a $1500 grant to artists once a year but want to help you find funding opportunities all the time. It can be hard to find opportunities that seem interesting and also reasonable (I don't personally think it's a great use of time to apply to some global program with 400,000 other applicants). Here are some with that in mind:
Upcoming Grants & Residencies:
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: May 7, 2025
Eligibility: Artists in FEMA disaster areas (FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA); impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Disciplines: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
Funding Goal: Assists artists in replacing supplies and equipment lost due to hurricanes.
Amount: $3,500 & $1,000 grants
Deadline: May 12, 2025
Eligibility: Open to international artists in all media
Funding Goal: Offers unrestricted grants to support artists' creative projects and provide visibility through an international platform.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: May 15, 2025
Eligibility: Poets with a second full-length book of original poetry, in English, forthcoming in the next calendar year
Funding Goal: Recognizes and supports poets' second books, including a cash prize and distribution to Academy members.
Amount: $500 microgrants
Deadline: May 31, 2025
Eligibility: U.S.-based artists and collectives working in socially engaged art
Funding Goal: Supports specific needs in community-based art projects (currently Collective Work, for socially engaged art). Selected by lottery to prioritize access over prestige
Amount: $5,000 stipend + housing + studio access
Deadline: July 1, 2025
Eligibility: Artists working in photography or image-based media, U.S. and international
Funding Goal: One-month residency to focus on new work with access to full photography facilities.
Amount: $10,000 stipend + 4–10 week residency
Deadline: June 2, 2025
Eligibility: Artists in social practice or community-engaged work
Funding Goal: “Chamberlain Award is a fully sponsored artist residency and $10,000 prize to support an artist working in the social practice discipline This award supports artists employing non-traditional media to creatively engage with social concerns of the day.”
Amount: Housing + studio + small stipend
Deadline: June 15, 2025
Eligibility: National and international artists across disciplines
Funding Goal: 1–3 month residency in Chattanooga fostering collaboration, experimentation, and studio practice.
Amount: $1,500 unrestricted grant
Deadline: June 23, 2025
Eligibility: Artists of all disciplines residing in Washington State
Funding Goal: Funds career-advancing activities like equipment, research, or project development.
Amount: Unfunded, but includes housing + studio access
Deadline: June 15, 2025
Eligibility: Women and nonbinary artists working in print, book, photo, or ceramic arts
Funding Goal: 4–6 week residency with 24/7 studio access to develop new work in a feminist art space.
As always, please tell me if you participate in any of these so we can cheer you on!
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What will it be? It depends. But I have some ideas and this tells me how many things to make or order.
When will it happen? When there is something cool to send. Here’s what I’ve sent to newsletter subscribers in the past:
 Ridiculous interactive board game postcards that use AR |  Silly bumper stickers (and other stickers from other artists) |  Issues of Unfolded, my quarterly-ish newspaper about creativity |