The North Carolina Arts Council has announced it has awarded arts programs across the state with grant funding for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, according to a press release from the organization. Approximately 240 grants will be awarded to artists and art organizations in all 100 counties of North Carolina.
Funding for the grants has been appropriated by the state General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. Recipients are selected by local panels of civic leaders and arts experts based on artistic merit, the benefit a project offers to North Carolinians and the organizational strength and stability of an applicant.
“Arts grants are investments in our communities and they serve as catalysts for corporations, foundations and individuals to support the arts,” says Wayne Martin, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arts Council, in the official press release. Martin adds that for every dollar invested into the arts by the state, almost 19 dollars are returned in matching funds.
Grant monies will be distributed through a variety of outlets, such as the Grassroots Arts Program, which distributes on a per capita basis throughout every county, and the smART Initiative, which uses arts programs as a framework to revitalize downtown areas in various municipalities. Grant money will also go towards funding Traditional Arts Programs for Students (TAPS) residencies in 18 communities across North Carolina.
Among a variety of grant recipients in Buncombe County, the Asheville Area Arts Council has been awarded $51, 446, while the Black Mountain Museum & Arts Center will receive $7,000. In addition, the Asheville Art Museum Association has been granted $41,043 and local alternative rocker Silas Durocher will receive $10,000 to support his musical work.
Other WNC arts programs to receive funding include the John C. Campbell Folk School in Cherokee County ($82,000), The Haywood County Arts Council ($15,587), Vagabond School of the Drama/Flat Rock Playhouse in Henderson County ($78,502) and Mitchell County’s Penland School of Crafts ($82,500), among others. A complete list of organizations awarded with grant funding by county and what funding will go towards in each case can be found here.
The North Carolina Arts Council is a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and is tasked with making North Carolina a place where “a robust arts industry produces a creative economy, vibrant communities, children prepared for the 21st century and lives filled with discovery and learning,” according to the agency.
For more information on the grant funding process and types of funding awarded, check out ncarts.org/Grants.aspx or see the press release below. to learn more about the N.C. Arts Council, visit ncarts.org. More information on the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources can be found at ncdcr.gov.
Press Release:
Arts Organizations Across North Carolina Receive Support to
Expand Arts ProgrammingRALEIGH, N.C. — Arts and cultural organizations across North Carolina will provide diverse arts experiences for citizens in all 100 counties of North Carolina through funding from the North Carolina Arts Council grants program.
In fiscal year 2015-16, the N.C. Arts Council is expected to support arts organizations, individuals, schools and other nonprofit groups that sponsor arts programs or arts-driven economic development projects through the distribution of $6.6 million in state and federal grant funds. The N.C. Arts Council is a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.
The grants are designed to support arts organizations and artists who contribute to the economic, educational and cultural vitality of local communities throughout the state.
“Arts grants are investments in our communities and they serve as catalysts for corporations, foundations and individuals to support the arts,” said Wayne Martin, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arts Council. “Almost $19 is returned in matching funds for every grant dollar invested by the state.”
Funds appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly, along with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, will provide almost 340 grants for organizations and artists across the state.
The grants program is one of the many ways that the North Carolina Arts Council sustains and grows one of the most diverse and widespread networks of arts organizations in the country.
Through the Grassroots Arts Program funds are distributed on a per capita basis to all 100 counties in North Carolina. Programs like the SmART Initiative utilize the arts to revitalize downtowns. The initial SmART Initiative grant resulted in the development of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson that has sparked millions of dollars of direct private investment in the town’s downtown.
“The SmART Initiative influences business development, inspires downtown revitalization and historic preservation, builds community pride of place and stimulate the growth of more creative businesses,” said Susan Kluttz, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. “Government and the private sector working together in communities, large and small, can invest in the state’s creative industry to ensure that North Carolina continues to be a place where businesses want to be, people want to live and visitors want to explore.”
Traditional Arts Programs for Students (TAPS) will be funded in 18 communities, providing youth with the opportunity to learn the arts of their heritage from musicians and other masters of traditional arts. In addition, schools across the state will host 10-day artist residencies that provide in-depth exposure to arts programs that support state education standards.
Grant awards are recommended by panels of civic leaders and arts experts based on artistic merit, benefit of the project to the state’s citizens, and the applicant’s organizational strength and capacity.Click here for a listing of investments by county.
For a list of artists who receive a 2015-16 N.C. Arts Council Artist Fellowship click here.
For more information about the N.C. Arts Council visit www.NCArts.org.
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 336,000 jobs and generates nearly $22 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.
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