Finding Confidence and Community through the Inspire Artist Grant

When I received the Inspire Artist Grant, I knew it was an incredible opportunity. What I didn’t realize was that it would completely change the way I saw myself as an artist.

I poured everything I had into the application. When I got the acceptance email, I was on my way to the gym. I remember stopping in my tracks, crying some happy tears, and immediately calling my mom. I was so proud of myself. More than anything, it felt like someone believed in my work enough to invest in it before I had fully learned how to believe in it myself.

The Inspire Artist Grant changed everything.

For years, creating art was something I squeezed into the margins of my life. Nearly every piece I made was self-funded, and most of it eventually ended up in charity auctions. I loved creating, but I rarely gave myself permission to think bigger. The Inspire Artist Grant changed that. For the first time, I wasn’t asking, “Can I afford to make this?” I was asking, “What do I actually want to create?”

That question became the foundation for everything that followed.

It gave me the freedom to experiment with materials I’d never imagined using before, like 21-karat gold leaf. More importantly, it gave me the freedom to experiment without worrying about the cost of making mistakes. I’d never worked with gold leaf before, and there were plenty of moments where I questioned what I had gotten myself into. At one point, a gold paint pour went spectacularly wrong and turned my kitchen into what can only be described as a gold slip-and-slide. There are still traces of it around my apartment. Looking back, it’s funny. At the time, it definitely wasn’t.

Creating “Walls” and “Words” challenged me in ways I hadn’t experienced before. Coming from a background in scenic design, I’m used to creating work that’s meant to be viewed from a distance. Fine art demanded something completely different. Every inch mattered. Every detail had to hold up when someone stood just inches away.

On top of that, my work relies on body prints, and people often don’t realize how much precision goes into creating them. Sometimes, getting a single print exactly right takes ten attempts. The finished pieces may look effortless, but behind every mark are hours of trial, patience and starting over.

The cohort became an unexpected source of inspiration.

Being surrounded by artists with completely different practices reminded me that there isn’t one right way to be an artist. Everyone brought something unique to the table, and instead of comparing myself, I found myself encouraged to keep trusting my own voice.

Oddly enough, this experience didn’t feel real until the first cohort meeting, when I realized I was surrounded by artists whose brains worked similarly to mine. It happened again when I finally stood back and looked at both finished pieces together. I got emotional — not because they were perfect, but because they represented months of growth, frustration, persistence and belief in myself.

Love has always been the thread running through both my life and my work. Not just romantic love, but compassion, connection, self-love and the ways we care for one another. I truly believe love is one of the most powerful forces we have, and both “Walls” and “Words” explore that idea in different ways. “Walls” looks at the contrast between the barriers we build and the connection we all crave, while “Words” reflects on the power language has to heal, divide, comfort or leave us searching for meaning.

Sometimes, I think about what 18-year-old me would say if he walked into this exhibition. He probably wouldn’t recognize his own work. I hadn’t even discovered body print painting at that age. From working on major motion films to creating large-scale murals and now exhibiting work at the Contemporary Arts Center, I think he’d simply look around and say, “You’re doing something right.”

More than anything, this grant gave me confidence.

It gave me reassurance that this work matters, and permission to take myself seriously as an artist. It reminded me that my work isn’t “just” body prints — it’s storytelling, experimentation and connection. It’s something worth investing in, both for others and for myself.

My hope is that this showcase is only the beginning. Of course I hope more people discover my work, but more importantly, I hope this experience continues to remind me to dream bigger than I think I’m allowed to. Because that’s the greatest gift this grant gave me. It didn’t just fund two new works of art. It helped me believe that building a life as an artist isn’t something reserved for someone else — it’s something I’m already doing.

 

Noam Denenberg is a Cincinnati-based multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of love, vulnerability, identity and human connection through mixed-media body print works. His work will be on display, along with projects by 23 other local artists, at the Truth & Inspiration Artist Showcase on July 18 at the Contemporary Arts Center.