State’s Arts Agency awards $828,328 to be distributed among 138 arts entities.
Arts and cultural activities to be supported throughout Rhode Island.
Providence, RI –The Governor and R.I. State Council on the Arts announced today 138 grants totaling $828,328 were awarded throughout Rhode Island to arts and culture organizations, individual artists and schools. Some of the grants also support collaborations with healthcare, education, economic development and Veteran’s affairs.
The grants received support from appropriations by the General Assembly and were federally funded through the National Endowment for the Arts.
“On behalf of the State of Rhode Island, congratulations to our State’s Arts Council for all of the thorough work to provide key investments in arts programming, an important sector in the lives of many Rhode Islanders,” said Governor McKee. “The grants being announced today, in addition to continuing to ensure R.I.’s reputation nationally as an arts and cultural destination, are a reminder that the arts bring audiences to our town and city centers, help fill our restaurants and shops, as well as educate our young people.”
“We are so fortunate to have a strong and vibrant arts and cultural economy, generating nearly 17,000 jobs accounting for 3.2 percent of the state’s economy, according to the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA). The grants support opportunities for us to come together to celebrate, learn and connect,” said Lynne McCormack, Executive Director of RISCA. “The state’s arts community is still working to recover from the pandemic. And, while this is challenging, it is inspiring to see how our artists and organizations are partnering to share their innovative thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills with other sectors.”
Some examples of projects supported in the current round of RISCA grants include:
Organizations
Capeverdean American Community Developmentto host four eight-week youth art classes in Pawtucket. Sessions will include classes in mural painting clothes as art classes. The featured artists are Savonnara Alexander “Alex” Sok and Taylor Love.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island,in partnership with PVD World Music, to host an outdoor four-concert series at the Armory Park Farmers Market, Providence. The concerts will represent a variety of musical styles, traditions and instrumentation.
Hattie Ide Chaffee Home, Riverside, will offer Intergenerational Arts Programs. Residents, staff and Brown University medical students will participate in weekly movement, drama and enrichment to increase positive social interactions, improved mood, strength and mobility. In addition, the staff and medical students will learn how engaging the arts can make a positive difference in the lives of seniors with dementia.
Levitt AMP WoonsocketMusic Series, hosted by NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, provides free, live music in underutilized Woonsocket-based public spaces. The 10-week music series will invest in musicians, celebrate diversity, and contribute to the local economy by drawing residents and tourists to the family-friendly events.
LitArts RI, formerly What Cheer Writers Club, will offer a program series on narrative arts in healthcare for patients and caregivers. The series will cultivate the power of story to build empathy and to support healing through writing workshops centered on illness narratives; a public reading of restorative stories, essays and poems; and a resource fair for artists.
Download the full listing of grantees