State Arts Council Applauds Federal Funding to Rhode Island Arts Organizations
The National Endowment for the Arts announced today that it has awarded grants totaling $925,800 to five arts organizations and agencies in Rhode Island. These federal grants support projects by some of Rhode Island’s major arts institutions. In addition, the Endowment works in partnership with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) to ensure that the people of Rhode Island have access to the arts. A grant of $735,800 to RISCA helps to support projects throughout the Ocean State.
In announcing the grants, National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter said, “Reflecting the diverse artistic richness of our nation, these Arts Endowment-funded projects are varied in their size, scope, and artistic discipline. The projects also illustrate the unique geographic reach of Arts Endowment funding, serving Americans in places large and small in all corners of the country.”
Randall Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, said, «we are delighted that the National Endowment for the Arts has supported Rhode Island through these grants. Thousands of Rhode Islanders will benefit from this federal support, matched by our state’s investment in the arts. The return on this investment is significant. The arts represent close to two billion dollars in direct economic activity annually in our small state, and many Rhode Island businesses depend on an active and vibrant arts community. In addition, the National Endowment for the Arts works to ensure that people throughout the country have access to the arts, in their communities and as part of their educational and life experiences. Every grant that we make at the state level is a reflection of that national effort to make the arts available to all of our citizens, and as such is enormously important. The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is proud to work with our federal partner in that effort.»
Stephanie Fortunato, Director of the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and one of the Arts Endowment grant recipients, said, “We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for making an investment in Providence’s 2020 cultural planning process and the opportunity it presents to convene and strengthen our creative community’s ability to address emerging challenges and opportunities over the next decade. First published in 2009, Creative Providence is a living blueprint for strengthening the creative sector, serving as a community-wide guide to public policy, public initiatives and investments. Now at the ten year mark, the City is reassessing our original goals and strategies with plans to release the second Cultural Plan in summer 2020. I look forward to connecting with our City’s creatives and others in this endeavor.”