Meet Our 2024 Creator Grantees
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Causability Creator Grant! This year, we received an incredible number of applications, doubling from last year, and it was inspiring yet challenging to select our winners. We are excited to introduce you to these outstanding creatives who are making a significant impact in their communities.
Bailey Sell
Project Title: Transfigure Print Collective"
Bailey Sell (he/him) is the owner and one of the printers behind Transfigure Print Collective, a Queer and Trans-centered print shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bailey is a formally-trained artist with a BFA in Printmaking from Kendall College of Art and Design. He founded Transfigure in 2017 to celebrate diverse individuals, specifically Transgender folks, and their successes. The shop’s mission is centered around mutual aid practices, raising funds for LGBTQIA+ organizations and providing direct support to Transgender people in need.
Nonprofit Partner: Grand Rapids Trans Foundation
The Grand Rapids Trans Foundation (GRTF), founded in December 2015, aims to remove barriers and build equity for the local Trans community through academic scholarships, assistance with legal document updates, providing gender-affirming items, and supporting individuals experiencing financial barriers to resources.
Project: Supporting Queer + Trans Artists & Creating Community Through Art
Bailey’s project involves hosting a community print/craft day in July and an LGBTQIA+ art/maker’s market in August. These events aim to raise funds for local Queer and Trans folks and provide a space for the LGBTQ+ community to gather, create, and celebrate their talents. Proceeds will benefit the Grand Rapids Trans Foundation and support its vital Trans-focused programming.
Drew McCrary
Project Title: Unmoved Studios
Drew McCrary (they/them) is an artist and filmmaker deeply connected to the visual and cultural landscapes of the rural South and the Black queer experience. Their work focuses on reimagining notions of representation, belonging, and the complexities of marginalized narratives. With a background in film production and photography, Drew has produced social impact films that promote social change and community empowerment. Learn more about Drew’s work at drewmccrary.com.
Nonprofit Partner: Freedom Farm Azul
Freedom Farm Azul, located in Prattville, Alabama, is a 15-acre farm dedicated to nourishing, educating, and healing the community, with a focus on marginalized groups. The farm engages in restorative justice work and offers a range of programs to support community well-being and empowerment.
Project: Queer Storytelling & Polaroid Photo Walks Project
Drew’s project aims to bridge the generational gap within the queer community in Alabama. The project includes storytelling workshops and collaborative Polaroid photo walks, fostering intergenerational connections and preserving cultural heritage. The events will take place at Freedom Farm Azul, promoting a sense of community and belonging among queer individuals of all ages.
Alicia Garza
Project Title: "ReMade in the RGV
Alicia Garza is a multimedia artist, instructor, and graphic designer from the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) border region of South Texas. Alicia’s work centers on reclaimed, post-consumer materials, transforming secondhand garments into self-expressive art pieces. Her practice draws from the visual aesthetic of daily life, folk tradition, and socio-environmental-political concerns impacting the RGV. Alicia has a B.A. in Studio Art with a minor in Media Studies from Pomona College in Southern California. Learn more about Alicia’s work at aliciagarza.art.
Nonprofit Partner: Voces Unidas RGV
Voces Unidas RGV is a community-focused nonprofit in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas. The organization leads workshops and programs encouraging participants to reflect on self-identity and cultural identity, highlighting regional socio-environmental-political issues through storytelling and creative expression.
Project: ReMade in the RGV
Alicia’s project aims to bring the community together to engage in sustainable fashion practices. The project will promote sustainable fashion within the southernmost communities along the US-Mexico border, a region experiencing the consequences of border militarization and extractive industries By focusing on skill-sharing and environmental awareness, the project will promote sustainable fashion within the marginalized border community.
Meet Our Judges
Alice Bybee
As a design leader with a background in both sociology and graphic design, Alice has been able to move fluidly between non-profit, consumer and global tech sectors providing design solutions, creative direction and brand management that produces results. Clients and companies include The Marine Mammal Center, the de Young Museum, the North Face, Levi's, Salesforce, Microsoft, Slack and more.
Alice served on the board of AIGA San Francisco (AIGA SF) where with her in-depth knowledge of design for social good, she co-created the AIGA SF Social Impact chair and cause/affect, a biennial graphic design competition celebrating the work of designers and organizations that set out to positively impact our society. She also went on to serve as Vice President and President of the board.
Alice received a BA in sociology from Brandeis University and a BFA in graphic design from the Academy of Art University. She is currently Director of Brand Design at Lattice.
Nic Cocco
Nic Cocco graduated in 2010 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas. Over the years she has studied and worked with various mediums from drawing, painting, ceramics, mixed media, interactive media, digital art, and graphic design. She served for over 5 years as an advisory board member for Scrap Denton, a creative reuse center that provided sustainable art education and art supplies to teachers and after school programs. Nic has worked with a variety of artists that promote a more sustainable future with their craft, the materials they use, and their processes.
