Headshot image of Indira Cunningham by Liz Linett Photography. Ballet in action shot by AJ Smith.
Headshot image of Indira Cunningham by Liz Linett Photography. Ballet in action shot by AJ Smith.

2023 grant amount: $50,000 over two years

With this grant, Indira Cunningham says she is looking forward to supporting professional and artistic development and training opportunities in the performing arts.

"As an artist who is in the early stages of my professional career, it has been impossible to allocate funds to my continued professional development to work with masters in my field, have management, and other necessary wellness care when I am using the majority of my income to pay bills and support myself financially," she says. "One of the main fields I am looking to progress in is ballet - a field that has an entrenched history of racism, as well as elitism, body shaming and sexism."

Cunningham is looking forward to collaborating with other Black artists and she says that her success is an active protest against the cultural norms that say someone like her couldn’t be a successful ballerina and she'd like to change the face of ballet and who has access to the artform. 

WEB: indiraannalise.com
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/indiraannalise/

2023 AWARDEES LIST ADVANCING BLACK ARTS IN PITTSBURGH MAIN