SIDNEY — A local agency has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The NEA has awarded 37 grants totaling $615,000 to Ohio. As part of its first round of funding for federal fiscal year 2023, the NEA said it has recommended 1,569 arts grants nationwide totaling more than $34 million.
According to Ellen Keyes, executive director of the Gateway Arts Council, the $10,000 grant will be used for the Presents Series.
“Together, these grants show the NEA’s support nationwide for strengthening our arts and cultural ecosystems, providing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contributing to the health of our communities and our economy,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., in the release. “I encourage everyone to explore these projects and the ways they help provide inspiration, understanding, and opportunities for us to live more artful lives.”
Most of the Ohio awards were distributed through the NEA’s Arts Projects program, which the NEA media release states is the federal agency’s largest program and covers a wide range of projects in 15 artistic disciplines and fields. Ohio’s Arts Project grantee awards range between $10,000 and $40,000 to support arts programs and initiatives across the state.
Seven Ohio nonprofit organizations received Challenge America grants, with each award totaling $10,000. These grants were “awarded in all artistic disciplines to reach historically underserved communities that have rich and dynamic cultural identities,” the media release stated.
Additionally, two Ohioans were awarded Literary Fellowships. Connor Yeck of Cincinnati is the recipient of a highly competitive $25,000 Creative Writing fellowship in poetry, which enables recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and career development. Teresa Villa-Ignacio of Cleveland Heights is the recipient of a $10,000 Translation Projects fellowship, which supports the translation of literary prose, poetry, and drama from around the world into English.
“On behalf of the Ohio Arts Council, we send our gratitude to the National Endowment for the Arts for their continued recognition of the strength and quality of Ohio arts organizations and artists,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “Congratulations to all award recipients. Your hard work and creativity uplift communities across the state, provide life-changing experiences for people of all ages, and help to power our state’s economy.
