The Ignite Fund Announces Round 5 Cohort
$60,000 of project support for Chicago-area artists
CHICAGO, IL (November 2, 2026)— The Ignite Fund, supporting experimental and groundbreaking visual arts-based work by Chicago-area artists and artist-led collectives, has announced its Round 5 cohort of grantees. Four artists and two artist-led collectives are receiving a combined total of $60,000 to support the creation and implementation of new, public-facing works from November 1, 2026 – November 1, 2027.
Open to artists in Chicago’s six-county metropolitan area, The Ignite Fund received 142 applications that were reviewed by a national selection panel. The selections align with The Ignite Fund’s goal of prioritizing projects that center the visual arts, promote collaboration, raise awareness around social justice issues, engage local communities, and incorporate accessibility services in public presentations. Complete descriptions of this year’s grantee cohort and panel are available on the Ignite Fund website: www.ignitefund.org.
The Ignite Fund is administered by Chicago-based nonprofit organization 3Arts as part of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program.
Round 5 Ignite Fund grantees and projects are:
Jasjyot Singh Hans (he/him) CLACK: Archiving Chicago Drag ($10,000) CLACK will build an illustrated archive of LGBTQIA+ drag artists in Chicago in the form of a self-published zine and digital publication. Filled with short-form interviews accompanied by illustrations of fifteen dynamic drag performers, CLACK will archive the legacy of those who have helped shape the queer drag scene in Chicago and continue to make it one of the most vibrant and diverse scenes in the country.
Linda Abdullah (she/her) and Faten Nastas Mitwasi (she/her) Community Survivance (dinner and publication) ($10,000) Community Survivance is a communal dinner and publication that celebrates the survivance of Gazan artists despite the trauma of genocide and ongoing displacement. Building off the existing exhibition New Forms of Survivance, the communal dinner will be a multi-sensory experience that brings attendees closer to Palestinian culture and works to break barriers through a live conversation via Zoom between the artists, curators, and attendees. The publication will act as a lasting record of the dinner, providing evidence of artists creating under attack, and a space where their voices continue to resonate.
Lola Ayisha Ogbara (she/her) Ogbara & Friends Studio ($10,000) Ogbara & Friends Studio is a pilot ceramics studio and short-term residency for Queer, Womxn Black/African-descended artists, located on the South Side of Chicago. By creating a space of respite where artists can access ceramics equipment, particularly kiln firing, artists will be able to pursue career development through opportunities they may not otherwise have at larger community studios. This residency will prioritize care, collaboration, and material experimentation.
Frank Vega (he/him) Al sonido del flujo del agua (Agua, Cuerpo, Fiesta) ($10,000) Al sonido del flujo del agua (Agua, Cuerpo, Fiesta) is a series of pop-up activations that transform laundromats in local neighborhoods into spaces of gathering. Through live music, dance lessons, and visual interventions, residents are invited into moments of connection, and cultural exchange. Rooted in Ecuadorian communal washing practices, this project reimagines the laundromat as a contemporary site of encounter, creating space for connection, care, and belonging.
Sejahari (he/him) PRIMARY ($10,000) PRIMARY is a multidisciplinary visual art exhibition that interrogates memory as a living archive. Participants will move through “memory environments” designed to spark reflection, self-awareness, and emotional honesty. In an era defined by global conflict, systemic injustice, and social fragmentation, this project confronts the conditions shaping our world. By engaging the senses to explore personal and shared histories, PRIMARY creates a space to know ourselves, so we can more deeply know and love one another.
Amari Amai (he/they) Bulletproof: Stories Beyond the Glass ($10,000) Bulletproof: Stories Beyond the Glass is a communal performance art project that operates as a pop-up candy stand where everything is free, in exchange for a story. Anyone who is interested in a treat will begin their story by answering the question, “Besides money, what is something you really need right now?” These stories will be recorded in a zine listing various offerings from community members and what they'd accept for payment in return, establishing a bartering system across neighborhoods.
For press or media inquiries, please contact Cat Tager at cat@3arts.org or 312-443-9621.