R.I. State Council on the Arts awards $777K in grants

THE R.I. State Council on the Arts announced on Thursday that 139 nonprofit organizations, schools and individuals will share $777,212 through its first round of grant awards for the 2016-2017 season.
THE R.I. State Council on the Arts announced on Thursday that 139 nonprofit organizations, schools and individuals will share $777,212 through its first round of grant awards for the 2016-2017 season.

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. State Council on the Arts announced on Thursday that 139 nonprofit organizations, schools and individuals will share $777,212 through its first round of grant awards for the 2016-2017 season.
The grants, which support art projects and arts programming by individual artists, arts organizations, schools and educational organizations, were funded through an appropriation from Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and the General Assembly and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“These grants invest in our economy and the livelihood of our communities. They generate jobs, attract tourist dollars and help provide for a quality education for all Rhode Islanders,” Raimondo said in a statement.
The State Arts Council received 302 applications with requests totaling $1,774,825.
Grants awarded ranged in size from $90,140 to Trinity Repertory Company, $72,640 to Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School in East Providence and $68,728 to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art for operating support, to $500 for several small community-based projects throughout the state.

“We’re particularly pleased with this round of grant awards,” Randall Rosenbaum, executive director of R.I. State Council on the Arts, said in a statement. “Programs in arts education and projects that support the work of artists contribute to the economy and vitality of life in communities throughout our state.”

Examples of projects supported in the current round of grants include:

  • AS220, of Providence, $38,488, for operational support.
  • Festival Ballet, of Providence, $22,056 for operational support.
  • Providence Singers, of East Providence, received $10,933 for operational support.
  • 2nd Story Theatre in Warren received $8,000 for operational support.
  • A $5,000 grant to Peace Dale Elementary School, in collaboration with South Kingstown CARES and GEAR Productions, to produce “From the Ground Up,” an original, multi-disciplinary performance that allows the entire learning community to explore earth science subjects through the arts, keyed to Next Generation Science Standards.
  • A $2,900 grant will go to Smart Test, an after-school collaborative based at Pleasant View Elementary in Providence, to expand its “Hip Hop Science” program. Teaching artist Edgar Viloria will help students use their own body movements to explore basic scientific principles of motion and demonstrate concrete examples of scientific laws in a 20-week program.
  • A $6,200 grant will go to Connecting for Children & Families to augment after-school arts programming at Woonsocket High School, now in its seventh year. The program helps enable students to demonstrate proficiency in one or more arts forms as part of graduation requirements.
  • Coggeshall Farm Museum Inc. of Bristol will receive a $1,000 grant so that this summer, master basket weaver Elwood Donnelly can present three public weaving workshops, a public demonstration day, and work with Coggeshall staff to help incorporate traditional skills of basket weaving into the museum’s interpretation.
  • Newport Art House will receive a $1,500 grant to support The NewPorch Live Sessions, a live music and video series that will capture emerging musicians performing on porches and semi-public spaces throughout Newport.
  • Educational Center for the Arts & Sciences (also known as Teatro ECAS) of Providence will receive a $2,000 grant to support plans to launch a summer camp in theater arts for students ages 7-12. In the fall, they will present the U.S. premiere of the Dominican play “I am Minerva,” which inspired the U.N. International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women. The play will be presented in English and Spanish, students from the summer camp will participate, and promotional material and outreach will include study guides for local schools.

A complete list of grant recipients can be found at arts.ri.gov/grants/recent.

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