LIZ FOSTER, MICHELLE KING, ANDRES TAPIA-URZUA, NAOMI CHAMBERS, JESSICA GAYNELLE-MOSS, ALISHA WORMSLEY (IMAGE – JOSH FRANZOS), MILL 19 (IMAGE – BRIAN COHEN), BLAINE SIEGEL (IMAGE – JULIE KAHLBAUGH), AND SHEILA CUELLAR-SHAFFER, ANNE KRAYBILL, JOAN MCGARRY, YVONNE HALL. ALL IMAGES COURTESY THE ARTIST, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

With the belief that art can affect change, The Heinz Endowments announced the first group of grant recipients for its new Just Arts Program on Thursday, awarding $434,750 to artists across the Pittsburgh area whose projects respond to social justice issues.

The winners were selected from a group of 83 applicants. The six projects include artistic billboards in Westmoreland County, professional employment opportunities for women of color and a variety of photography projects showing real-world examples of inequality. 

“Just Arts builds on a rich tradition of truth-telling in the creative community,” Endowments President Grant Oliphant said in a press release. “The projects chosen for this inaugural Just Arts cohort will represent underheard voices, spark discussion and propose solutions to social justice challenges in our region and beyond.”

The artists and partnering organization representatives will be honored during a community meal at the Union Project, a Just Arts grantee, on Monday, Jan. 20. The artists will lead a discussion about their projects at the event.

The full list of projects, as well as the funding they received, can be found on the Heinz Endowment website.