1. Before we leave for winterbreak, please join us in congratulating the 2015 Leeway
Transformation Award recipients!
The Transformation Awards are granted annually to womenand trans* artistswho have worked at the intersection of art
and social change for the past five yearsor more, and impacted a largergroup, audience, or community. The $15,000award is
u nrestricted—no projectis required. The 2015awards were presented to a diverse group of artists & cultural producers
w orking in a range of disciplinesincludingperformance, music and folk arts.
This nine 2015Transformation Award recipients are:
 Camae Ayewa of Strawberry Mansion,Multi-Disciplinary
 Cei Bell of West Oak Lane, Literary Arts
 Elaine T.Jonesof Northeast Philadelphia, Literary Arts
 Kerri Radley of SouthPhiladelphia, Literary Arts and Visual Arts
 Lanica Angpakof SouthPhiladelphia, Folk Art and Performance
 Lela AishaJones of East Oak Lane, Performance and Folk Art
 Maggie Eighteen of West Philadelphia, Literary Arts and Performance
 Nancy Lewis-Shell ofCrescentville, Crafts & Textiles and Visual Arts
 Zaye Tete of Southwest Philadelphia, Music and Folk Art
A national panel consisting ofartists and organizers convened to review applications and work samplesin twostages. The
2 015 panel consisted of:graphic novelist and previousTransformation recipient Annie Mok (LTA ’14, ACG ’13);media
artist and documentarian Portia Cobb; writer and performer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha; DJ and
educator Lynnée Denise;and dancerMaria Bauman. Cultural organizerOmisade Burney-Scott, facilitated the second
stage.
The next Leeway Transformation Award deadline is May 15, 2016.
*We use the term “trans” in its mostinclusive sense, as anumbrella term encompassing transsexual, transgender,
genderqueer, Two-Spirit people, and more generally, anyone whose gender identity or gender expressionis nonconforming
and/or different fromtheir gender assigned at birth.
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In observance of the winter holidays, our office will be closed Thursday, December 24 through Friday,

2. January 1. The office will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2016.