to create an exhibition entitled “Portals,” exploring openings, transformations, and passages in feminist weaving. Preparing for the exhibition will develop her skills, and exhibiting her work will enable her to educate people about weaving and connect with new audiences.

for the “Women Writing with Women Writers” project, that will bring together wise women writers and encourage them to learn from each other through a series of web-based workshops. The artists will develop their skills and enrich their lives as literary feminist artists.

to create a photography and prose documentary, inspired by feminist ethics, celebrating the beauty, wisdom and experiences of women crossing into their middle years. She will enhance her skills as a documentary photographer and writer and provide women with encouragement and inspiration.

to write a musical honoring Kentucky singer Mary Ann Fisher, who performed with Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and BB King. The collaboration will strengthen their artistry, and the production will highlight the struggles that African American female musicians faced during segregation, advance African American women’s role in blues music, and educate audiences about womanist values.

to attend Hindman Settlement School’s Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, and complete a novel about how a predominantly female farm family survived the death of the male head of household. The novel will show strong, feminist women in a rural KY community 50 years ago.

to conduct research on Constance Talbot and create calotype negatives at the William Henry Fox Talbot museum in Lacock, England. The work will develop Hartford’s abilities as a photographer and help shed light on the role of women in the earliest years of photography’s history.

to support a month residency at an artist colony, where she will explore Minoan and Etruscan ceramics as inspirations for her ecofeminist work. She will also learn more about how to incorporate the power of the “Snake Goddess” into her community lessons and work.

to support a feminist production of “The Tempest,” focusing on the women characters and led by women artists. The production will be an opportunity for women artists to collaborate, and will expose artists and audience members to a cross-disciplinary, non-traditional arts project, encouraging a heightened awareness about feminist concerns.

to support a production of Kentucky feminist playwright Arlene Hutton’s trilogy of plays about a young couple from Corbin, KY in theWorld War II era, and to commission a new Hutton play. The production will highlight plays by women with female actors and build audience awareness of feminist issues and the value and potential of women in our culture.

to create a series of paintings, inspired by feminist photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston who first successfully captured and exhibited photographs of the interior of Mammoth Cave. The paintings will help Leidner develop her artistic exploration of cave imagery and begin to refashion the history of this internationally known landmark to include strong female perspectives.

to attend two national conferences to help them develop “Choices,” their interactive play about cyber-bullying and suicide. The experience will also help them continue to create work that is relevant and meaningful to today’s feminists.

to support a young woman to develop her musical abilities, confidence and discipline by participating in the choir. Through excellence in signing together, LYC encourages all participants to become strong, vibrant adults and contribute in a positive way to their communities.

to complete a CD of original songs in the folk tradition called, “Every Time You Speak the Truth You’re Making Justice in the World).” She will develop her performing and writing skills, and the songs will explore a woman’s transformation as she negotiates various roles.

to support “The Tax Lady Sings,” her television show combining tax tips and financial information with original feminist music. Producing the show will increase her videomaking skills, help women ameliorate their financial situations and promote economic social change for their families.

to research, attend the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival and draft a novel about a female coal miner in eastern Kentucky. She will learn how to shape a novel and accurately represent place and people. The novel will highlight a woman’s determination to survive within a male-dominated profession and overcome difficulties such as working class oppression, substance abuse and sexism.

to create and exhibit a series of paintings depicting strong female figures juxtaposed with detailed lace and patterning. She will develop her skills as a painter and find her voice as a feminist artist, and the exhibition will promote dialogue and encourage people to think about how female roles are changing in art and society.

to conduct research in India and create a series of Thangka art using collage to show the interconnectedness of the food system. Learning and practicing visual storytelling will help her better create art that honors women’s sacred selves and increases awareness of the effects of our food choices.

to create a body of new feminist work about Kentucky identity to be exhibited in her first solo museum exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The activities will confront stereotypes about Kentucky and advance understanding of the vitality of feminist discourse in the state.

to attend a conference and revise a full-length play about five women and two men at a writer’s workshop. She will hone her skills to prepare the script for production outlets. The play will encourage audiences to look at their own lives and find ways to connect with those around them.

to research the roots of Flamenco in Cadiz, Spain, and to create and exhibit 24 original oil paintings, as well as video art and dance choreography. The research will help her express the emotional aspect of Flamenco and create art that can transform and inspire women in Kentucky.

for a home studio where she can create her fiber work and found glass sculptures. The studio will give her the ability to create more work, and her work helps foster respect for the environment.

to produce her first children’s picture books, “The Land that Lost Its Green,” a poem about pollution and mountaintop removal, and people coming together to protect the environment. Completing the book will help her improve her skills as a social change writer, and the book will help children develop a connection to nature and concern for environmental issues.

to attend a national conference, participate in discussions and network with writers and literary organizations. Her presence at the conference as an Africilachian writer and gypsy slam poet will encourage organizers to diversify literary programming.

to complete and exhibit a photographic body of work exploring the female inmate farming program at Western Kentucky’s Correctional Facility. The photography will increase her skills, and the completed work will raise awareness of women in prison and programs that aid their rehabilitation.

to create batik wall hangings depicting myths and stories that show the roles women play in the physical and spiritual worlds. Creating the pieces will hone techniques and methods, and the work will encourage viewers to become engaged in their own stories and personal mythology.

to complete and seek a publisher for her new collection of poetry, “Loose Horses,” about women’s perspectives on war, historically and today. Completing and publishing the collection will help her develop as a writer, and the poems will show how women’s roles during war have changed over time.

for research at Mammoth Cave National Park to gather material for a new series of novels for girls ages 8-12, featuring an adventurous heroine in the 1920’s. The series will stretch her creative and technical skills, foster an appreciation for Kentucky history and show girls that they can challenge societal roles and become strong, resourceful women.

to expand their organizational capacity and opportunities for women writers by increasing participation in their annual poetry contest and distribution of their annual anthology, “Calliope.” The contest and anthology enable women to develop their craft, publish their and reach new audiences.

to collaborate with Pat Sturtzel and South Park High School’s Teenage Parent Program to provide a 12-week fiber arts education program for teenage mothers. Fiber artmaking will be integrated into the curriculum, and students will learn how to express ideas of personal significance and develop positive life skills through teamwork by creating a collaborative quilt.

to support her collaboration with La Casita Center to complete 24 photo-ethnographies of Latina immigrant women and start a series of media artmaking workshops for women to discuss and make art about their dreams, barriers and experiences. The project will raise awareness  and open a community space for dialogue and reflection about how immigrant women are treated, welcomed, and perceived.

to continue producing episodes of a lesbian dramatic web series called “Girl/Girl Scene.” The series provides non-judgmental reflections of young lesbian culture in Kentucky. and will show young women who are struggling with their own identity that they are not alone.