The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation
Open Menu

2021 Grant Awards

“from”

  • Nikki Brake-Sillá
  • Penn Medicine
  • Independent Creative Production Grant
  • How to Apply
  • Browse Grant Awards
a headshot of the actress Kishia Nixon

Kishia Nixon, a Philadelphia-based actress, who will act in the role of Silence in Nikki Brake-Sillá's "from." Photo credit: ShinesFlash Photography

Nikki Brake-Sillá will produce “from”, a work of theatre and the first part of her Blood Binds trilogy that explores a Southern Black experience through a common language of troubled familial bonds. “from” commences with a pregnancy; “Dear Ann” shows the workings of an established matriarchy, while “A Weathering” focuses on the erosion of a Black woman’s psyche. A nod to Greek tragedies, “from” illustrates the complications of cultural differences that arise when one person has a strong sense of self and history, and the other has ethnic erosion due to the lasting impressions of that ‘peculiar institution’ of slavery. Each character gives us a mirror into the complexity of gender and power.   

Nikki Brake-Sillá’s art is rooted in the experiences of voiceless populations. She writes what’s not said between parents and their grown children and reveals the stories behind family silences. Her work evokes empathy through nuanced portrayals of common humanity. In her own words: “the characters I pen, and document look like me. I primarily write for Black folks, cementing our place as part of a larger, American chronicle. We all carry the weight of the trauma that is inflicted on Black bodies in this country. We are invested in each other’s stories and my art strives to broaden our narrative.”   

Nikki Brake-Sillá Website

  • 2021
  • Independent Creative Production
  • Making Art Grant
  • Penn Medicine

Back to Grant Awards

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation

John McInerney (he/him)
Executive Director
215-573-0874
mcinernj@upenn.edu

Chloe Reison (she/her)
Associate Director
215-573-2159
reison@upenn.edu

Elizabeth Shaw (she/her)
Administrative Assistant
215-898-5930
elizshaw@upenn.edu

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation offices are located at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania.

3680 Walnut Street
Philadelphia PA

Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Follow Us on Social Media

 Instagram

Browse the Website
  • Grants
  • Happenings
  • News
  • Resources
  • Spaces & Places
  • About
Report accessibility issues and get help
Copyright © 2025 The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation
  • Grants
  • Happenings
  • News
  • Resources
  • Spaces & Places
  • About
Close Menu.