In Round 17 of the Alternative Exposure Grant Program, Southern Exposure is awarding $65,000 to 17 projects. Alternative Exposure grants fund the unincorporated, independent work of artists and collaboratives who invigorate and transform the San Francisco Bay Area arts community. The awarded public projects will take place in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties.

This year we are honored to present the second Alternative Exposure Award in memory of Jonathan Bernbaum. Multi-media and video artist Jonathan Bernbaum tragically died in the 2016 Oakland Ghost Ship Fire at the age of 34. The Jonathan Bernbaum Memorial Award honors his work and his commitment to the Bay Area artistic community by supporting a project that focuses on performance or multi-media work.This year’s Jonathan Bernbaum Memorial Award recipient, Cone Shape Top, was chosen from amongst the pool of Alternative Exposure applicants.

16 more Alternative Exposure recipients were selected from 127 applications: Meja Pannell-Tyehimba & Tasya Abbot: Leontyne & Me, Alchemy Film Foundation, Rootwork Lab: Oñí Ocan, Afatasi the Artist: Futurism Art Exhibition, BLOOM Collective: FEMME, Sisters With Invoices: D.R.E.A.M.S, Body Language: Poetry and Dance, Immortal Femme Collective, GIRLS, Seiche Press, Godz Rising, Del Holton: Where is Your Body?, Muni Raised Me, The Things I Was Never Told Production Committee, Planting Justice: Blooming Abolition, and Sibling Journal.

The 2023 grantees were selected by artist Ramekon O’Arwisters; Sarah Russin, Executive Director of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE); and Vivian Sming, artist, publisher, and former AltEx grantee. 

To date, Southern Exposure has awarded a total of $1,142,400 to 344 artists and projects thanks to major support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Thank you to all who applied. Our panel was impressed by the caliber and variety of work submitted.