RELEASE: ArtsNL Professional Project Grants: Spring 2026
Jun 23, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ArtsNL Professional Project Grants: Spring 2026
June 23, 2026 (St. John’s, NL) – ArtsNL has invested $898,877 in 87 artistic projects through the Professional Project Grants Program (PPGP). The Spring 2026 intake of the PPGP received 255 applications requesting approximately $3 million in funding.
“The creativity and dedication of artists in Newfoundland and Labrador continue to inspire us,” said Melanie Martin, Executive Director of ArtsNL. “The strong response to this funding cycle reflects both the depth of artistic talent in the province and the determination of applicants to pursue meaningful projects. When we invest in artists, we are investing in the stories and experiences that enrich communities throughout the province.”
The successful applicants for Spring 2026 are:
ADAPTATION – EMERGING
| Adrian Newhook (Mount Pearl) | $ 6,000 |
DANCE – ESTABLISHED
| Andrya Duff (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Hilary Knee (Corner Brook) | $ 9,806 |
| Candice Pike Barry (Corner Brook) | $ 8,800 |
FILM – NEW
| Ife Alaba (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
| Jonathan Eagan (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
| Bryan Power (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
| Michela Riendeau (Paradise) | $ 5,590 |
| Aditya Raj Sikka (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
FILM – ESTABLISHED
| Stephen Bonnell (Clarenville) | $ 9,130 |
| Emily Bridger (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Jana Gillis (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Mike Hickey (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Joel Thomas Hynes (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Andrew Jones (St. John’s) | $13,550 |
| Lynn Kristmanson (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Duncan Major (St. John’s) | $12,810 |
| Heidi Retzlaff (Happy Valley-Goose Bay) | $ 5,351 |
| Devin Shears (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Matthew Wright (Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s) | $15,000 |
MULTIDISCIPLINE – NEW
| Mackenzie Dean (Lethbridge) | $ 6,000 |
MULTIDISCIPLINE – ESTABLISHED
| Anahareo Döelle (St. John’s) | $12,500 |
| Reuben Efford (Bareneed) | $12,050 |
| Chukky Ibe (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Jillian M. Keiley (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Daniel Payne (Pasadena) | $ 6,574 |
| Rhonda Pelley (St. John’s) | $13,200 |
| Steve Perry (Newtown) | $11,250 |
MUSIC – NEW
| Shana Brown (Whiteway) | $ 6,000 |
| Chris Cole (St. John’s) | $ 4,700 |
| Sarah Harris (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
| Stephen Nurse (Mount Pearl) | $ 3,650 |
| Olaniyi Oluwole (St. John’s) | $ 4,500 |
| Mallory Watje (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
MUSIC – ESTABLISHED
| Duane Andrews (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Axel Belgarde (St. John’s) | $10,500 |
| Ben Diamond (St. John’s) | $ 5,700 |
| Karen Ennis (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Jeffrey Giles (St. John’s) | $ 8,663 |
| Shauna Gilpin (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Adam Harding (St. John’s) | $13,525 |
| Adrian House (St. John’s) | $11,295 |
| Alan Klaus (Conception Bay South) | $14,211 |
| Kelly McMichael (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Zulpakar Murphy (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
THEATRE – NEW
| Olivia Curtis Brown (St. John’s) | $ 4,675 |
| Thiviya Kana (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
| Donna Mills (St. John’s) | $ 5,000 |
| Mary Sampson (Mount Pearl) | $ 5,000 |
THEATRE – ESTABLISHED
| Geoff Adams (Milton) | $13,000 |
| Samantha Chaulk (St. John’s) | $12,250 |
| Azal Dosanjh (St. John’s) | $14,882 |
| Jeannette Lambermont-Morey (St. John’s) | $12,250 |
| Yuliia Maslak (St. John’s) | $12,250 |
| Jillian Rees-Brown (Bell Island) | $12,250 |
VISUAL ARTS – NEW
| Flora Chubbs (St. John’s) | $ 4,500 |
| Alina Honcharovska (St. John’s) | $ 4,500 |
| Wladia Raianny Melo Queiroz (St. John’s) | $ 4,500 |
VISUAL ARTS – ESTABLISHED
| Luca Apel (St. John’s) | $ 8,906 |
| Vessela Brakalova (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Caroline Clarke (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Maaike Charron (Twillingate) | $ 4,500 |
| Joanne Cole (Western Bay) | $ 9,539 |
| Tia Connolly (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Michelle MacKinnon (Corner Brook) | $11,250 |
| SK Maston (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Ethan Murphy (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Nicholas Ryan (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Anita Singh (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Jessica Thomas (Labrador City) | $ 9,806 |
WRITING – NEW
| Mercy Williams (St. John’s) | $ 6,000 |
WRITING – ESTABLISHED
| Terry Doyle (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Matthew Hollett (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Kayla MacLean (Happy Valley-Goose Bay) | $ 9,000 |
| George Murray (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Sabrina Pinksen (Wild Cove) | $ 8,382 |
| Wallace Ryan (St. John’s) | $11,250 |
| Susie Taylor (Harbour Grace) | $11,250 |
| Laura Temple (Grey River) | $11,220 |
| Tracey Waddleton (Trepassey) | $11,250 |
| Ava Woolf (Harbour Grace) | $11,250 |
ORGANIZATIONS
| Centra Cultural Collective Inc. (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Girl Power Inc. (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Occupy All Spaces (St. John’s) | $14,450 |
| Poverty Cove Theatre Company (St. John’s) | $15,000 |
| Rotary Arts Centre (Corner Brook) | $15,000 |
| Winterset in Summer Inc. (Eastport) | $12,162 |
The PPGP provides funding for artistic projects involving creation, production, or professional development. Eligible individual artists and groups working in dance, film, multidiscipline arts, music, theatre, visual arts, and writing can apply for funding. Grants are determined through a highly competitive application and peer assessment process, which is comprised of individuals with expertise in the relevant artistic disciplines.
The PPGP has two annual intake periods, in spring and fall. The next deadline for the program will be September 15, 2026, and applications can be submitted via ArtsNL’s Online Application System. More information about the PPGP is available on the ArtsNL website.
Media enquiries:
Charlene Jackson
Communications Officer, ArtsNL
(709) 726-2212 ext. 3
charlene@artsnl.ca
The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council (ArtsNL) is a non-profit Crown agency created in 1980 by The Arts Council Act. Its mission is to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The Council is governed by a volunteer board of no fewer than 9 and no more than 11 members appointed by Government. At least 7 members must be artists or arts administrators, and one member is appointed to represent the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation (non-voting). ArtsNL receives an annual allocation of $5.3 million from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to support a variety of granting programs, program delivery, office administration, and communications. It also seeks support from the public and private sectors. It supports the following artistic disciplines: dance, film and video, Indigenous arts and practices, literary arts, multidisciplinary arts, music and sound, theatre and performing arts, visual arts, and other similar creative and interpretative works or activities.
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