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ARTS COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARD
COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS FOR 2000
52 Grants Total $116,500
ROCHESTER, NY - The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester and Rochester Area Community Foundation today announced the 2000 Community Arts Grants. Grants totaling an unprecedented $116,500 will be made to 52 nonprofit organizations and artists from Monroe County. Community Arts Grants are funded by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Council on the Arts and by the Rochester Area Community Foundation. [Complete list of grants below]
"We are grateful again this year to the State Legislature for increasing its appropriation to the State Council on the Arts," said the Arts Council's Executive Director, Sally Gaskill. "The increase means that Monroe County residents will benefit from more arts programs of exceptional merit in the year 2000."
The Arts Council's Decentralization Grants total $95,000 in 2000, an eight percent increase over last year's allocation. The Community Arts Fund, based at Rochester Area Community Foundation, is distributing $21,500.
The grants are extremely competitive. Three groups of peer review panelists evaluated 95 applications. The awards announced today represent the absolute best. Each arts project is evaluated on criteria that include artistic merit, outreach to under-served urban and rural communities, and responsiveness to community cultural needs.
The 1999 Community Arts Grants are awarded in two general categories:
1. Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Three tiers of funding are awarded this year: Project Support for Nonprofit Organizations (38 grants totaling $75,000); Stabilization Support for Arts Organizations (4 grants totaling $12,500); Artist Projects (3 grants totaling $7,500.) Total for Decentralization Program: $95,000
2. Community Arts Fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
Funding for arts organizations in Monroe and contiguous counties (includes 7 grants totaling $21,500.) Includes funding from Esther Usdane Memorial Fund.
Fifteen volunteer panelists evaluated the 2000 Community Arts Grants and made funding recommendations to the Arts Council's board of directors, which approved the allocations.
The panelists were:
Dr. David Anderson, Founder, Rochester Blackstorytelling League and Member,
Rochester Kwanzaa Coalition
Joseph Baranowski, Director, Nazareth College Arts Center
Joanna Bassett, Member, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and President, Rochester Flute Association
Bridgette Burch, Communications Director, City of Rochester; Arts Council board member; theater artist
Rachel Edwards, Trustee, Genesee Land Trust
Lisa Francesca-Rogerson, Music Teacher, School #7; Member, Rochester Bach Festival
John Haldoupis, Artistic Director, Blackfriars Theatre
Kitty Hubbard, photographer; administrator, Visual Studies Workshop
Lawrence Merrill, photographer and Director of Creative Workshop,
Memorial Art Gallery
Karen Sardisco, painter and educator
Luvon Sheppard, painter and illustrator; Professor of Art,
Rochester Institute of Technology
Juanita Suarez, Department of Dance, SUNY Brockport
Beth Teall, President, Susan B. Anthony House
Grace E. Williamson, retired Supervisor for Magnet Programs,
Rochester City School District
Rachelle Zambito, Co-Director, Brazz Dance Theater; Instructor, Garth Fagan Dance
The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester in collaboration with the Rochester Area Community Foundation administers all aspects of the Community Arts Grants. This includes developing guidelines and evaluation criteria, promoting the availability of funding, counseling prospective applicants, and managing the peer review evaluation process.
2000 Community Arts Grants
New York State Council on the Arts - Decentralization Program
Project Support
(38 grants totalling $75,000)
Action for a Better Community - Dance -$2,500
For 20 Frederick Douglass Middle School students who participate in ABC CONECTS, a teen pregnancy prevention program, to study Capoeira, an artistic form from Brazil with African origins, with Stephan Collins of Afena Akoma.
Air de Cour sponsored by St. Anne Church - Music -$1,000
For Air de Cour's concert series featuring performances of Baroque and contemporary pieces to be performed at St. Anne Church.
ARC of Monroe County - Dance - $3,000
For creative composition classes, rehearsals, workshops, and a final performance for ARC's A Moving Experience Dance Troupe, an integrated dance group that fosters acceptance of differences among individuals, led by dancer and choreographer Susan Ware.
The Black Seeds - Theater - $3,000
For the Millennium Explosion, a new work choroegraphed by the Black Seeds, which will be performed for area schools and community groups. The Black Seeds will act as discoverers and imaginers to examine the history of the Black Seeds, and create a new work based on Black Seeds' excellence.
Blackfriars Theatre - Theater - $3,000
For orchestral musicians for Side Show, a new musical, based on the meteoric rise to fame of the Hiltons, Siamese twins who bcame vaudeville singers in the 1930's, opening May 6 and running weekends through May 27, 2000.
Blackstorytelling League of Rochester - Multi-arts - $3,500
For community storytelling performances during the 18th Annual National Black Storytelling Conference, a gathering of over 100 nationally and internationally known tellers who will share an eclectic blend of legend, tall tale and other orature.
Brighton Symphony Orchestra
sponsored by the Town of Brighton - Music - $1,300
For a series of eight orchestral concerts at sites around the Rochester area. Two concerts will showcase a winning student soloist from the Eastman School of Music's annual Competition.
Charles Settlement House - Theater - $1,200
For theater artist Maryann Connolly to teach storytelling techniques to senior citizens and preschoolers, which will culminate in two public presentations.
Colleen Hendrick Dance Theatre - Dance - $2,000
For "Summer 2000 Celebration" with Youth Project students, Afro-Caribbean dancers, and Hendrick Dance Project's professional modern company performing an evening of percussion, dance, song, poetry, and student-created video and music composition at School of the Arts.
Cornell Cooperative Extension - Visual Arts - $1,500
For ten young people and neighborhood residents to work with artist Judith Blitz to create "Planting and Reaping: The Seeds of Community," a mural in northeast Rochester focusing on nurturing body, soul and community through fruits and vegetables cultivated in our region. NorthEast Neighborhood Alliance will assist in obtaining an appropriate site.
Creative Cultural Productions - Theater - $1,000
For the new production "She Cried Out Loud," a drama that addresses the problem of domestic violence, written by playwright and director Jerry Capers.
Dance Rochester - Dance - $2,000
For new choreographic performances by 12 local choreographers and 60 dancers using original musical compositions from 4 local composers.
Earth & Arts Center - Visual Arts/Crafts - $2,000
For after-school pottery and drawing/painting classes for 18 young people identified as"at risk" by counselors and teachers in the Honeoye Falls/Lima school district.
Eastman Bach Children's Chorus - Music - $1,500
For a multilingual choral suite of carols, of folk origin with accompanying parts for hammer dulcimer, harp, flute and other instruments, composed by Cary Ratcliff and performed at the Hochstein Performance Hall in December 2000.
Eastside Community Center - Visual Art - $2,800
For a drawing program led by artist David Merkel, which will expand the Center's Arts Academy.
Elizabeth Clark Dance Ensemble - Dance - $2,000
For a new work, "Dances of the Urban Landscape," in collaboration with composer Ward Hartenstein, which will explore community issues in how we move in our technological world.
Frederick Douglass Resource Center sponsored by the Frederick Douglass
Community Development Corporation - Multi-arts - $4,000
For 50 middle school and high school youths and 7 elders to research the 1827-1984 period of Afro-Rochester illustrating the links between the Undergound Railroad, civil rights and civil living through visual art, dance and stories, which will be presented during the 18th Annual National Festival of Black Storytelling. Participants will work with storyteller Dr. David Anderson, ceramicist Calvin Hubbard, visual artist Eddie Davis III, dancer Francis Hare, Patricia Marino, and other Heritage Project members.
Gates, Town of - Theater - $1,000
For a four-week summer drama camp for children, exposing them to drama, dance, and music, which will culminate in a performance of "The Wizard of Oz".
Genesee Center for the Arts and Education - Visual Arts - $2,000
For the Ceramics & Photo Express, a multi-disciplinary/project of photography and ceramics involving youth ages 10-15 in exploring their community for six weeks during the Right On School's summer camp.
Genesee Settlement House - Photography - $3,400
For the Rochester Millennium Book Project, a photography project documenting our neighborhoods, places and institutions in Rochester slated for development as part of Rochester's Renaissance 2010 plan. Youth ages 6 - 18 will learn about the history of photography, take photographs, mat and frame photographs, and create a book working with artist Travis Lewis and the Elizabeth Collection, a local gallery.
Operation Friendship
sponsored by the Health Association - Multi-arts - $2,000
For poet Henry Padron and visual artist Antonio Cruz to offer a 12-week program for 20 adults at the Prince Street Club House to explore storytelling, linoleum block printing, and bookmaking, which will be presented at an open house for the community.
Lewis Street Center - Dance - $2,400
For contemporary dance workshops for young people ages 8 - 14 led by artistic director and choreographer A. Roger Smith of Chashima Dance Celebration, which will culminate in a performance.
Lights On! A Deaf Theater - Theater - $2,500
For a series of workshops that will bring together the Members of DEAR (Deaf Elders At Rochester) and Rochester School for the Deaf Alumni with a younger generation of deaf people to discuss their experiences, and explore creative and technical skills of adapting oral histories into theatrical and literary formats.
MCA for the Hearing Impaired /
ASL Café sponsored by the Health Association - Theater - $2,000
For ASL Café to present artistic performances showcasing deaf, hard of hearing, and signing-skilled hearing performers at two performances of American Sign Language poetry, storytelling, dance, and theater performances during February 2000.
Millennial Muse sponsored by Amnesty International - Literature - $1,000
For a quarterly series of three-person programs profiling Rochester area poets ages 17-27, selected on the basis of achievement.
Movida Dance Company sponsored by Ibero-American Action League - Dance - $2,400
For the 6th Annual African-Caribbean-Brazilian Music and Dance Conference, which provides two days of workshops and performances at Nazareth College Arts Center during Hispanic Heritage month.
Musica Spei sponsored by St. Anne Church - Music - $500
For three performances of sacred, unaccompanied Renaissance vocal music at Saint Anne Church in January, Spring and Fall 2000, which are free and open to the public.
New Life Presbyterian Church - Visual Art/Dance - $2,000
For visual art, dance, drama and music workshops during the "Summer at the Corner Place," a seven-week fine arts and reading program for youth from the Upper Monroe neighborhood.
Ogden Farmers' Library - Theater - $1,000
For public performances of "The PG13's" and "Merry-Go-Round Playhouse" as part of the library's summer reading program.
Park Avenue Repertory Dance Company - Dance - $1,500
For six parent/child dance workshops on creativity and learning through the medium of dance with the participants performing in annual Company performances on April 14 & 15, 2000.
Partners in Community Development - Theater - $1,000
For a production about the history of the Erie Canal to be performed, researched and written by children from the Pines of Perinton, a low income housing complex .
Present Tense - Dance - $2,000
For "A Festival of Dance, a 21st Century Celebration," featuring six dance companies performing in a dance concert series. (Facets Dance Company, Hendrick Dance Project, Brazz Dance, Present Tense Dance Company, Park Avenue Repertory Dance Company, and Rochester City Ballet)
Pre-Trial Services Corporation - Music/Visual Art - $2,500
For a series of visual art, dance and music workshops led by professional artists for participants at the day reporting center.
Rochester Bach Festival - Music - $1,300
For 14 concerts featuring the organ music of J.S. Bach in honor of the 250th anniversary of his death.
Rochester Community Players - Theater - $2,000
For 8 performances of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Highland Park Bowl, produced by the Rochester Community Players during Summer 2000.
Rochester Community TV - Media - $2,000
For the "Club House," a series of twelve, 30 minute programs presented by children ages 6 - 11 that explores kids' successes and their community.
South Wedge Planning Committee - Design Arts - $1,000
For the construction of a kiosk/clock tower at the corner of South Avenue and Gregory Street to serve as a cultural, social and commercial centerpiece for the neighborhood.
Wilson Commencement Park - Visual Arts/Pottery - $2,200
For a six-week pottery workshop for 22 low income children, 8-12, exploring basic uses of pottery wheel and sculpture in clay led by ceramic artist Calvin Hubbard.
New York State Council on the Arts - Decentralization Program
Stabilization Support for Arts Organizations
(4 grants totalling $12,500)
Colleen Hendrick Dance Theatre - Dance - $2,000
For creation of promotional materials targeting 13-18 year old urban youth, development of relationships with existing service organizations to attract this population to the Hendrick Youth Project, a program of percussion and dance, and for scholarships to support enrollment costs.
Dance Rochester! - Dance - $2,000
For development and implementation of a long-range plan for a dance awareness campaign. This will provide Dance Rochester! with information to improve its programs, plan a campaign that approaches the right audience segment and raises awareness of dance and dance opportunities for the community.
Downstairs Cabaret - Theater - $5,000
For marketing and audience building campaigns and organizational building efforts to assist in producing larger scale productions at Monroe Community College's 568 seat theater. Will seek to reach a broader audience and strengthen human/financial resources required to produce these larger productions.
Greece Performing Arts Society - Music - $3,500
To fund a new permanent production manager position and a one-year marketing/public relations consultant to help elevate the Board's function to that of long-term planning, fund-raising, program development and growth.
New York State Council on the Arts- Decentralization Program
Artists Projects
(3 grants totalling $7,500)
Glenn Graver - Visual Art - $2,500
To cover artist's fees and material costs for executing photomontages of the flora of the South Wedge Neighborhood with students from School #12, with the final product to be displayed in various community venues.
Jill Gussow - Visual Art - $2,500
For artists Jill Gussow and Marcia Smith and the men, women and children of diverse ethnic origins who come from the community to the Highland Hospital cancer treatment center to design and install a ceramic tile mural entitled "Hope Wall."
Sharon Locke - Multi-arts - $2,500
To celebrate the millennium by engaging the community in the creation of an 8-foot
inter-disciplinary book installation "Intimate Stories," a documentary of female survivors of sexual abuse to be exhibited in the Rundel Public Library, in fall of 2000.
2000 Community Arts Grants
Rochester Area Community Foundation - Community Arts Fund
(7 grants totalling $12,500)
The Commission Project - Music - $3,200
For an audience-building initiative for Swing'n'Jazz Workshops, which will help the Commission Project double the number of students (grades 5-12) participating in workshops with leading jazz players.
Jewish Community Center Arts Deparment - Theater - $2,500
To market and subsidize tickets for target audiences for the upcoming productions of "Kindertransport" and "Visiting Mr. Green." The center will reach two different communities (senior citizens and the gay community) through the subsidized tickets, which will broaden their audience. Funded by the Esther Usdane Memorial Fund for community theater.
Pyramid Arts Center - Multi-arts - $3,000
To hire an architect to design a gallery configuration which would enhance the gallery environment in the increased space that has been offered to the Center, and to add a video viewing room, performance space, increased storage, new office space and a meeting space.
RAPA - Multi-arts - $4,400
To hire a part time marketing director to design, print, and mail a season's brochure. The project includes telemarketing and the designing of a computer program to facilitate season subscribers in the newly renovated Playhouse.
Rochester City Ballet - Dance - $2,500
To enhance community awareness of RCB, develop and systematize an organized fund raising process, identify and develop community resources, and expand donor base using the RCB production of "Cinderella" as a theme.
Shipping Dock Theatre - Theater - $4,400
To partially fund new staff who will develop and implement new fundraising programs and marketing strategies to build the theater's audience.
Rochester Gay Men's Chorus - Music - $1,500
To fund a multiple-session program that would develop the operation of the board and build a team environment between board members and staff toward the final goal of the creation of a 5 year plan with a transition from a working board to a development board.
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