The Alexa Rose Foundation awards $250,000 to artists bringing ambitious new work into the world.
The Alexa Rose Foundation is proud to announce the 2026-2028 LIGHT OF DAY Awardees who successfully proposed artistic projects to reach national, regional and local audiences over the course of 2026-2028 and beyond. Selected with the support of a national panel of artists and arts leaders, awardees are pursuing projects that push their practices in a new direction, build deeper relationships across communities, and contribute distinct perspectives to the arts.
THE AWARDEES
Stephan Aifegha
Sam Berman
Dakotah Brown
Grace Crookham-Guy
Kelly Cox & Eric Mullis
Natalie Disney
Cody G
Zach Herbert
Geoffrey Hill
Lobo Lara
William Lewis
Leta Harris Neustaedter
Jessica Nebeker
Bradley Elliot Norton
Brittany Ogata
Jesse Blake Rundle
Jon Sadler
Stephanie “Laishy” Sanchez
Alex Sjobeck
Chelsea Smith
Alex Sjobeck, 2026-2028 Light of Day Awardee, Credit: Ryan Beery
Representing the largest investment in individual artists through a single program year in the Boise Valley, this $250,000 commitment supports artists working in visual art, film, literature, music, theater, performance, and interdisciplinary practices.
The Alexa Rose Foundation’s LIGHT OF DAY grant launched in 2024 with a simple idea: significant artistic work needs significant support.
Across the Boise Valley, artists are developing projects with the potential to move their practices forward and reach wider audiences, but too often a lack of resources holds back brilliant artistic work. LIGHT OF DAY invests directly in that critical stage, providing the time, resources, and financial support to move ambitious ideas forward.
The Awardees continue to evolve their professional networks and will benefit greatly from an informed and engaged community. Follow along as these exciting artists bring their bold new work into the light of day!
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Stephan Aifegha
Visual Artist
Sam Berman
Writer
Dakotah Brown
Playwright
Grace Crookham-Guy
Musician
Kelly Cox & Eric Mullis
Visual Artists
Natalie Disney
Writer
Cody G
Director, Cinematographer
Zach Herbert
Musician
Geoffrey Hill
Musician
Lobo Lara & Chilli Willy
Musicians
William Lewis
Visual Artist
Leta Harris Neustaedter
Educator, Musician, Actor
Jessica Nebeker
Director, Puppet Designer
Bradley Elliot Norton
Director, Writer
Brittany Ogata
Visual Artist
Jesse Blake Rundle
Musician
Jon Sadler
Visual Artist
Stephanie “Laishy” Sanchez
Dancer, Educator
Alex Sjobeck
Musician
Chelsea Smith
Musician
“The past two years since receiving the Alexa Rose LIGHT OF DAY Award have been expansive in different ways for my creative practice. I've had the chance to turn vision into action in ways that I could only have imagined. I finished recording my album, planned and executed a Pacific Northwest tour, recorded music videos, put them out, and started a poetry series. All of these got to see the light of day. Every show, collaboration, and connection has pushed me even closer to my goals and my purpose. I would even say that over the past two years, I have come to understand my purpose better.”
-Mungo Ligoya, 2024-2025 Light of Day Awardee
*Mungo Ligoya photo by Robert Allen