(Hartford, CT) — The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that it has awarded fifteen (15) grants totaling $415,000 to arts organizations in Connecticut for the fall of FY2016. These federal grants support projects by some of Connecticut’s major arts institutions.
In announcing the grants, NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “These projects, from all over the nation, will make a difference in their communities. We know from experience as well as through hard evidence that the arts matter and these projects will provide more opportunities for people to learn, create, and experience the value of the arts in so many different ways.”
Kristina Newman-Scott, Director of Culture said, “We are thrilled for the museums, theaters, galleries, festivals, symphonies, and education entities that have benefitted from the strong support of the National Endowment for the Arts through these grants. The exceptional work of these recipients as well as all recipients of COA funding, in turn, provides Connecticut citizens with ample opportunities to access and enjoy the arts through art making and participation. Sharing our 50th year as Connecticut’s arts agency with the NEA’s 50th year marks a particular point of pride for Connecticut. We are just delighted to celebrate our state’s rich and diverse cultural heritage alongside our federal partner. We encourage all Connecticut citizens to make it a point to experience the offerings of these grantees as well as those supported by COA.”
The recently announced NEA grants to Connecticut include the following: a $10,000 grant to the Charter Oak Cultural Center to support a multidisciplinary art festival focused on the art and culture of India; $45,000 to Hartford Performs to support expansion of professional development programs that give certified elementary school educators and teaching artists strategies, skills, and confidence to use arts integration techniques; $10,000 to Hartford Stage Company to support the premiere of “Anastasia”; $20,000 grant to Real Art Ways to support a multidisciplinary series that examines the idea of surveillance; $25,000 to Wadsworth Atheneum to support “Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion and Its Legacy”; $25,000 to Wesleyan University to support the publication and promotion of books of poetry; $25,000 to Artspace, Inc. to support the exhibition “Artspace: Three Decades of Change”; $10,000 to Connecticut Players Foundation (aka Long Wharf Theatre) to support the premiere of “Lewiston” by Samuel D. Hunter; $40,000 to New Haven International Festival of Arts & Ideas to support the presentation of multidisciplinary artists and engagement activities; $20,000 to New Haven Symphony Orchestra to support the commissioning and performance project of a new work by composer Hannah Lash; $25,000 to Yale University Art Gallery to support “Early American Elegance,” an exhibition featuring Rhode Island furniture from 1650-1830; $30,000 to Harriet U. Allyn Testamentary Trust (aka Lyman Allyn Art Museum) to support an exhibition featuring American Impressionist J. Alden Weir; $25,000 to Spring Lake Productions to support the creation and production of an interdisciplinary work of theater by Martha Clarke based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi; $50,000 to Pilobolus to support the creation of a new work as part of the International Collaborators Project; and $55,000 to Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theater Center to support a the National Playwrights Conference and National Music Theater Conference.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the federal agency that supports and funds the arts to give all Americans the opportunity to experience creativity and participate in the arts. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.
About the Connecticut Office of the Arts:
The Connecticut Office of the Arts develops and strengthens the arts in Connecticut and makes artistic experiences widely available to residents and visitors. Through its grant programs, the Office of the Arts invests in Connecticut artists and arts organizations and encourages the public’s participation as creators, learners, supporters, and audience members. Through its programs and services, the Office of the Arts connects people to the arts and helps to build vital communities across the state.