Articulations
Seven Austin arts organizations receive outreach grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, playwright C. Denby Swanson receives a McKnight Advancement Grant, and Peter Pan receives his own Amy's Ice Cream flavor.
By Robert Faires, Fri., May 3, 2002
Grants Come Through
Seven Austin arts organizations received some welcome news from the National Endowment for the Arts last week: federal funds to foster their initiatives in the areas of arts education, accessibility, preservation, and community-wide arts outreach. U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, D-Travis, announced the grants, which total $162,500, noting that "studies show that the arts are an important teaching tool that not only broadens students' perspectives, but enhances their abilities in other subjects as well." The fortunate grantees include:
Texas Folklife Resources, which received $45,000 to fund the second International Accordion Festival celebrating the accordion's central role in the traditional music of the U.S. and the world; and $25,000 to support the Apprenticeship Program in the Folk Arts program, in which master traditional artists pass on their skills to younger learners;
UT Austin, which received $30,000 to support the production and acquisition of arts and cultural programs to be broadcast nationally on the weekly English language radio program Latino USA;
Texas Fine Arts Association, which received $25,000 to support Art on Tour, a statewide program that circulates exhibitions of contemporary art by emerging and mid-career American artists to small museums and university and community galleries throughout Texas, including to many rural, culturally underserved communities;
Austin Lyric Opera, which received $19,500 to support Opera Odyssey, an arts learning project targeted for fifth-grade students that will expose them and their teachers to the various multidisciplinary activities required to produce opera;
Ballet East Dance Company, which received $10,000 to support the development of a folkloric dance program through the company's Dare to Dance theatre/dance program, in partnership with the Austin Independent School District; and
Austin Circle of Theaters, which received $8,000 to support Summer Talk Theater, a dropout retention program in which high school youth participate in theatrical experiences while learning life and academic skills.
