The Vermont Arts Council is pleased to announce the recipients of three competitive grant programs. Seventy-seven awards totaling $245,165 have been awarded for Arts Learning, Community Arts and Creation projects. This announcement comes on the heels of news earlier this month that 42 Vermont arts organizations were awarded funding totaling $606,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While the stimulus money was designated for job retention in the non-profit arts sector, these grants will fund individual artists, schools and community arts projects.
Arts Learning grants fund in-school and out-of-school educational programming that enhance student learning through the arts. The 15 grants awarded total $59,940. Community Arts grants support projects that encourage participation and engagement in the arts. The 45 Community Arts grants total $141,185. Creation grants support the development and presentation of new work. Seventeen artists were awarded a total of $44,040.
Competition for funding was greater than ever this year; in some categories requests were four times greater than the resources available. Applications were reviewed by peer panels of professional artists, educators, arts administrators, community leaders and others with specialized knowledge in each grant category. Panelists evaluated applications according to the degree to which the applicant met the criteria outlined in the grant guidelines. Because the application process is rigorous, receiving a grant not only provides financial support but also valuable recognition and credibility.
“These grants are funding high quality performances and artistic endeavors in communities throughout the state,” said Arts Council Executive Director Alex Aldrich. “My hope is that every one of these projects results not only in a standing-room-only performance or exhibition, but in an increased awareness of the vital role that the arts play in all of our lives, in every community, every day of the year.”
The following is a list of awards by county:
Addison County:
Champlain Valley Folk Festival, Ferrisburgh
5,000.00 to support the 27th Annual Champlain Valley Folk Festival
Middlebury Festival on the Green, Middlebury
1,375.00 to support Middlebury's Festival on the Green
Janice Perry, Ferrisburgh
$3,000 to support “Liminology,” an interdisciplinary, multi-media investigation of the physical and performative properties of fresh water
Tiffany Rhynard, Middlebury
$3,000 to support "Disposable Goods: What is/Who is?" a series of portable and versatile new dances to be performed in unconventional spaces
Bennington County:
Arlington Area Childcare, Arlington
$5,000 to support a multi-disciplinary arts enrichment program for children, parents, teachers and community members
Readsboro Arts Corporation, Readsboro
$1,000 to support the Readsboro Arts Festival
Sage City Symphony, Shaftsbury
$1,105 to support Sage City Symphony's annual Youth Concert
Caledonia County:
Catamount Film & Arts Center, St. Johnsbury
$2,500 to support the presentation of three performance series including Music at the Morse, School Time Performances and Catamount Cabaret, that feature Vermont performers
Grass Roots Art & Community Effort, Hardwick
$5,000 to support GRACE community partnerships through the arts
Kingdom County Productions, Barnet
$5,000 to produce a documentary film based on the lives of Vermont youth in foster care
Chittenden County:
Bella Voce Women’s Chorus, Essex Junction
$2,500 to support the performance of three new works as well as a project to compile the work of New England composers, writing for women's voices
Paul Besaw, Burlington
$3,000 to support the creation of a new dance work in collaboration with composer Michael Hopkins and the Burlington Chamber Orchestra
Burlington Book Festival, Williston
$5,000 to support the 5th annual Burlington Book Festival
Burlington Chamber Orchestra, South Burlington
$2,500 to support a concert featuring the pianist Michael Arnowitt at the Barre Opera House
Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, Burlington
$5,000 to support the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival's live performances and educational programs
ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington
$4,783 to support after-school activities and instruction around photographic techniques, cultural exploration, and photoethnography targeting Abenaki youths
First Night Burlington, Burlington
$5,000 to support First Night Burlington
Linda Jones, Burlington
$3,000 to support the creation of new body of work that explores a combination of different media, including the incorporation of encaustic & digital images, oil paint, and other mixed materials
Kathy Marmor, Winooski
$3,000 to support the production of two new computer-controlled interactive installations focusing on weather as a metaphor for change, created during a residency at the Fairbanks Museum
Richmond Elementary School, Richmond
$1,000 to support a collaboration between the Heather Morris School of Celtic Dance, a Celtic New Year celebration and Richmond Elementary School
Vermont MIDI Project, Essex Junction
$5,000 to support the Vermont Midi project through mentoring student composers and concert performances by professional musicians
Vermont Mozart Festival, Burlington
$5,000 to support three Family Series Concerts of classical music designed to encourage youth participation in the artistic process
Vermont Performing Arts League, Burlington
$5,000 to support the 17th annual Vermont International Festival of diverse cultures
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Burlington
$5,000 to support the Made in Vermont Music Festival statewide tour
Vermont Youth Orchestra, Colchester
$4,000 to support the Vermont Youth Orchestra's spring 2010 performances at the Dibden Arts Center and the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
Franklin County:
Common Ground Youth Center, St. Albans
$1,000 to support Common Ground's youth initiated and produced monthly music shows and open mic nights
Friends of the Opera House, Enosburg Falls
$2,500 to support a community art project in and about Enosburg that includes a book with images and text, an exhibition and a public forum about local art
Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble, Fairfax
$2,500 to support marketing activities and artists' fees for new and commissioned chamber works presented throughout the 2009/10 season
Grand Isle County:
Folsom Educational Center, South Hero
$5,000 to continue the use of the "Words Come Alive" program in mainstream classrooms
Vermont Shakespeare Company, North Hero
$2,500 to support a professional production of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Lamoille County:
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson
$4,000 to support residencies for secondary art and English teachers who wish to develop creative curricula
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson
$1,000 to complete an access survey and implementation plan
Orange County:
Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph
$5,000 to support artists' fees for Chandler's 17th annual New World Festival, a celebration of Celtic and French Canadian music and dance and culture
SafeArt, Chelsea
$5,000 to support residencies, arts youth group, and community performance focused on abuse prevention in the greater Randolph area
Orleans County:
Circus Smirkus, Greensboro
$4,000 to support the creation and presentation of the 2010 Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour: "Smirkus Ever After"
Glover Community School, Glover
$3,800 to support an eight-day residency with "No Strings Attached" marionette company
Memphremagog Arts Collaborative, Newport
$1,875 to support the annual Art On Main event
Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival, Irasburg
$2,500 to support the seventeenth season of the Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival
Rutland County:
Brandon Artists Guild, Brandon
$2,150 to support a nine-month long afterschool art program in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Rutland County and using local artists as youth mentors
Capitol Chamber Artists, Benson
$2,500 to support Capitol Chamber Artist's season program, Romanticism: 150 years of music from Vermont, Early America and Europe
Carving Studio and Sculpture Center, West Rutland
$4,750 to support two weeks of intensive training in traditional stone working leading to the creation of a carved stone bench
Paramount Theatre, Rutland
$2,500 to support a program of master classes for advanced music students as part of the "Passages at the Paramount" Classical Series
Rutland Recreation Department, Rutland
$3,400 to support instruction and performance of Shakespeare for rural Rutland County youth
Washington County:
Alisa Dworsky, Montpelier
$3,000 to support the creation of a site-specific exterior installation made of hand-crocheted rope at the Bennington Museum
Eleva Chamber Players, Waterbury
$1,000 to support performances, provide seniors with access to performances, and provide musical coaching to youth
Green Mountain Cultural Center, Waitsfield
$2,500 to support a three-week residency program that includes master classes, open rehearsals, concerts, and two fully-staged performances of TOSCA
David Hinton, East Calais
$3,000 to support completion of the first English translation of poems selected from the corpus of Chinese poet Mei Yao-ch'en
Tim Jennings, Montpelier
$3,000 to support the creation and promotion of a new themed folktale program, "The King and the Thrush: folktales of goodness and greed," and a the creation of a live-performance CD of the same
Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier
$5,000 to support the 22nd season of performances, education programs, and outreach partnerships at Montpelier's City Hall Auditorium Arts Center
Monteverdi Music School, Montpelier
$5,000 to support a new weekly program of workshops and masterclasses, ensemble coaching and informal performances
MRC and Co., Waitsfield
$4,000 to support a choral program with high-level musical instruction and outstanding performance opportunities
Revitalizing Waterbury, Inc., Waterbury
$1,250 to support the ninth annual Stowe Street Arts Festival in Waterbury
Rumney Memorial School, Middlesex
$2,870 to bring Natalie Kinsey Warnock to teach about student narrative writing and Linda Lembke to teach bookbinding
Gordon Stone, Waterbury
$1,125 to support the rehearsal, promotion and performance of a collection of new songs by a Vermont composer that reflect Vermont's ethnic diversity
Windham County:
Asian Cultural Center of Vermont, Brattleboro
$2,475 to support the Asian Cultural Center of Vermont's programs and activities
Building a Better Brattleboro, Brattleboro
$2,500 to support the 8th annual Brattleboro Literary Festival
Center for Digital Art, Brattleboro
$1,080 to support theatrical performances of "Adramelech's Monologue" featuring professional and student performers, as well as "Meet the Artist" events, panel discussions, and student lectures and filming
Families First in Southern Vermont, Wilmington
$2,500 to support individuals with developmental disabilities to serve as mentors/assistant teachers in the Theatre Adventure Program
Friends of Music at Guilford, Guilford
$1,750 to support a collaboration with Windham Orchestra and Brattleboro High School drama department in the production of 3 one-act operas
Marcy Hermansader, Putney
$3,000 to support the creation of four abstract collages for the series BACK THROUGH BLACK
In-Sight Photography Project, Brattleboro
$5,000 to support black-and-white photography classes and expand digital class offerings for interested youth of Windham County
In-Sight Photography Project, Brattleboro
$440 to support participation in Marlboro College's Certificate in Nonprofit Management program
Marlboro Elementary School, Marlboro
$4,000 to support six winter workshops with artists in school offering in-depth arts instruction
Brian Mooney, Brattleboro
$3,000 to support the completion of a collection of short stories titled TONIC and the revision of a novel titled PLUG
New England Center for Circus Arts, Brattleboro
$1,625 to create a circus arts curriculum in collaboration with the Windham Regional Career Center
New England Youth Theatre, Brattleboro
$3,925 to hire professional artists to instruct students in the design, creation and painting of full-scale scenery
Verandah Porche, Guilford
$3,000 to support the creation of "The Broad Brook Anthology," a play for voices
Andy Reichsmand & Kate Purdie, Marlboro
$3,000 to support a film about Vermont agriculture through the lens of Lilac Ridge Farm, a long-standing family-run farm
Sandglass Center for Puppetry, Putney
$3,000 to support the creation of a puppetry work in collaboration with the Public Health Institute, exploring the potential of people with dementia as creative story tellers
Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro
$2,500 to support the Vermont Center for Photography's monthly program of photography exhibitions
Yellow Barn, Putney
$5,000 to support a program of 10 concerts and public workshops and discussions for at-risk children, teenagers, and seniors in Southern Vermont
Windsor County:
Arts Bus, Bethel
$2,500 to support Arts Bus programs in Bethel, Chelsea and Tunbridge
Bethel Schools, Bethel
$2,787 to support "Bethel Gets Up and Movin'" culminating in a ten-day dance intensive with Karen Amirault and an evening of performances
Duncan Johnson, Hartford
$3,000 to support the creation of five new sculptures to be exhibited in fall, 2009 and spring, 2010
Opera Theatre of Weston, Weston
$5,000 to support Opera Theatre of Weston's Community Youth Programs
Upper Valley Arts, Norwich
$5,000 to support the creation and presentation of a study guide, DVD, and Web site for Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie, for use in public school classrooms in all 14 Vermont counties
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Since 1964, the Vermont Arts Council has been the state’s primary provider of funding, advocacy and information for the arts in Vermont. It strives to increase public awareness of the positive role artists and arts organizations play in communities and to increase opportunities for Vermonters to experience the arts in everyday life. The Council is the only designated State Arts Agency in the U.S. that is also an independent, not-for-profit, membership organization. For more information on the programs and services of the Vermont Arts Council, visit www.vermontartscouncil.org.
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