Michael Richards Fund
The Michael Richards Fund was created by friends, colleagues and family of artist Michael Richards to honor his life and achievements following his untimely death at the age of 37. Michael, an artist-in-residence in World Views, LMCC’s residency program in the World Trade Center, was working in his studio on the morning of September 11, 2001 and was killed in the attacks. Michael, who was born in Jamaica, was concerned about a lack of opportunity for artists from the Caribbean. With this in mind, the fund was created to support emerging visual artists of Caribbean descent. Three artists were selected to receive this one-time award of $9,000.
Grantees
Nicolás Dumit Estévez is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in performance art. Estévez is originally from the Dominican Republic and is now based in New York City.
Dave McKenzie, born in Kingston, Jamaica and based in Brooklyn, creates videos, sculptures and installations motivated by the desire to make mundane objects and gestures relevant.
David Medina is a Dominican/American artist who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His sculptures incorporate various media including cast, blown and hot-worked glass, bronze, steel and stone.
