Art And About
12 local organizations win $409,000 for creative initiatives
Dec 3, 2014 | 3:06 pm
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced its first grant recipients for fiscal year 2015. The organization has awarded $29.1 million in the form of 1,116 grants, 43 of which are granted to Texas groups.
Fifteen of those grants will go to Austin organizations and individuals, including Austin ISD, Mexic-Arte Museum and the Austin Film Society. Local grant recipients will receive $409,000 for creative initiatives ranging from art exhibits to festivals to stage productions.
The Austin grants are as follows:
- Austin Film Society: $34,000 to support year-round film series; more than 200 films are expected to be shown at the Marchesa Hall and Theatre.
- Austin Independent School District: $80,000 to support Creative Learning Initiative, a district-wide 10-year plan to transform the community through arts education.
- Austin Opera: $20,000 to support performances of composer Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men, the company's first American work since 2007.
- Center for Women & Their Work: $20,000 to support a series of solo exhibitions for emerging women artists of Texas.
- Cine Las Americas: $10,000 to support the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival.
- Contemporary Austin Museum Inc.: $35,000 to support an exhibition of experiential art that will provide a survey of both new and existing works ofartwork that is immersive and participatory in nature.
- Fuse Box Austin: $25,000 to support the presentation of selected works at Fusebox Festival.
- Great Promise for American Indians: $10,000 to support Texas American Indian Heritage Festival and Austin Powwow.
- Mexic-Arte Museum: $25,000 to support the Emerging Artists Exhibition Program.
- Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance, Inc.: $25,000 to support Jibaro Mountain Traditions for All, featuring master artists Christian and Monika Nieves and Ricky Villanueva.
- Visions In Rhythm: $10,000 to support the 15th annual Soul to Sole Tap Festival.
- Zachary Scott Theater Center: $40,000 to support the world premiere production of On Grace, written and performed by Anna Deavere Smith.
In addition, three individuals were awarded grants for creative writing fellowships in poetry.
Grants were given in three categories: Art Works, Challenge America and NEA Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing. With its grants, the NEA supports the arts and creativity to improve lives and communities in the United States.