Grant Amount: $14,915 over one year
Award Category: Individual Artist Support
Nat Sampson, known as higu rose, is a graphic novelist and comic book artist whose work focuses on the experience of queer, transgender people of color in the Pittsburgh region. While the artist’s work is largely autobiographical, higu rose aims to expand to community focused storytelling. The $14,915 grant will be used to produce the second volume of the comic series YINZ CITY. The grant will cover the cost of artist supplies as well as printing and promotional costs.
"YINZ CITY is a graphic novel series I’ve been drawing since 2019," says rose. "It tells the story of queer and trans people of color (QTPOC) in predominately white queer diy punk-ish communities on Osage and Shawnee land (aka Pittsburgh, PA). My goal is to give voice to a demographic that is largely ignored and at times fetishized in those local communities."
rose's long term goal is to complete 5 volumes of YINZ CITY, a total of 20 chapters. The first four chapters, which make up Volume 1, have been finished. This grant will be used to complete the second volume with "focus, clarity, and support."
WEB: http://www.swamp-monster.net/
INSTAGRAM: @higoons
TWITTER: @higoons