Dozens of Chicago artists are receiving a total of nearly $1 million in cash grants from the Chicago-based nonprofit, 3 Arts.  The organization which supports local artists of color and disabled artists will award ten people with $30,000 and this year eight of those artists are Black. One of those recipients is violinist Caitlin Edwards, who shared her passion for music and the violin with us.

“I love the tone of the instrument, I love how when it's placed on my shoulder it’s close to my heart. So I feel like I can truly just sing through my instrument and express you know whatever I'm going through, however I feel,” said violinist Caitlin Edwards.

Edwards hopes to use some of the funds from 3Arts to create a mentorship program to support young musicians. She also just released her first solo album titled "Exhale".

3Arts will host a virtual awards ceremony Monday. Anyone can watch it live on YouTube. Visit 3Arts.org for more information.