Local nonprofits receive $20,000 in grants from National Endowment for the Arts

From a press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that 22 organizations in North Carolina will receive $527,000 in the categories of Art Works, Challenge America, and Creative Writing Fellowships in Poetry. In total, the NEA plans to award 1,116 grants totaling $29.1 million to organizations and individuals across the country.

“Since coming to the NEA, I have met with many NEA grantees and have seen first-hand the positive impact they have on their communities,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “These new projects will continue to demonstrate the power the arts have to deepen value, build connections, and foster an atmosphere of creativity and innovation both at the community level and with individuals throughout the nation.”

Below is a list of grants to North Carolina organizations [in the Asheville area] and a brief description of the project provided at the time of application.

Center for Craft Creativity and Design, $10,000, Asheville
To support Spaces of Production, a series of short-term residencies. Diverse and established artists will be invited to use the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design’s downtown gallery to create and execute a new art project.

LEAF Community Arts, $10,000, Black Mountain
To support the Tribal Tribute performance project. International artists such as the Soweto Gospel Choir (South Africa), Brule (Lakota Sioux), Ganga Giri (Aboriginal, Australia), Proyecto Jirondai (Bribri, Costa Rica, and Ngabe, First Nations), and Lagbaja (Yoruba, Nigeria) will showcase their authentic indigenous tribal cultures and music at the LEAF Festival. Ancillary activities will include workshops, a concert for youth at The Orange Peel venue, and a cultural traditions and music workshop at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

 

About the North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina The Creative State where a robust arts industry produces a creative economy, vibrant communities, children prepared for the 21st century and lives filled with discovery and learning. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger and North Carolinians-young and old-who enjoy and participate in the arts. For more information visit www.ncarts.org.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission is improve our state’s quality of life by creating opportunities that promote economic development, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and spark creativity to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for people who are blind and have physical disabilities.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.