4 South County Organizations Receive State Arts Council Grants

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts announced Thursday, the thousands of artists who will be employed in the coming year on projects supported by the Council's first round of grant awards for the 2013-2014 season. 

The grants are funded through an appropriation from Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and the Rhode Island General Assembly, as well as with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. They are given to individual artists, arts organizations and non-profits, schools and educational organizations in communities throughout the state.

The State Arts Council awarded a total of $785,739 to 143 non-profit organizations, schools and individuals for art and arts programming across Rhode Island in this latest round of grants. It received 294 applications from artists, organizations and schools throughout the state. Grants ranged in size from $92,500 to Trinity Repertory Company for operating support, to $500 for each of several small community-based projects throughout the state.

The following South County organizations received funding from the Arts Council:

• Wakefield artist Beth Hettrick Berry was awarded a $3,500 grant to use a Tchaikovsky score to create an original adaptation of The Nutcracker with acting, singing, and dancing roles for children and adults.

• The Hera Educational Foundation, located at 23 North Road in Wakefield, received a grant in the amount of $3,221 to provide operational support for arts organizations which, in turn, contribute to the economic, educational and cultural life of Rhode Island communities.

• Wakefield Elementary School was awarded a $2,750 grant to fund "All School Play", a multi-arts theater production consisting of more than 250 elementary students and 75 adults. It will be a journey through the library using music, drama and dance to instill a love of books in youngsters. Actors will explore many different genres throughout the project, including biography, life science, historical fiction, myth and mystery.

• West Kingston-based Kingston Chamber Music Festival received a grant in the amount of $2,024, which will help fund the festival's 25th anniversary season of concerts.

"I strongly believe in supporting Rhode Island's vibrant arts community -- one of the premier assets in our state," Governor Chafee said. "Artists, musicians, theaters, galleries, historic and heritage organizations, curators, designers, film and any developer of creative, new ideas  are integral to maintaining Rhode Island's reputation as the 'arts state' and enhancing its economy."

"The arts are a powerful economic engine for our state," said President of the Senate M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown). "The arts enhance quality of life for Rhode Island residents, benefit tourism and contribute significantly to the economy. Grants such as these complement other steps the state has taken to enhance the arts, including creation of a statewide tax-exempt arts district and a State of the Arts Task Force."

In announcing the awards, State Arts Council director Randall Rosenbaum underscored the impact of these grants on the Rhode Island economy. 

"In previous years our grantees report that over 20,000 artists are employed with support from these grants, and that over 1.58 million Rhode Islanders and visitors to our state benefit from these projects," he said. "This demonstrates a great return on a very tiny investment from state and federal resources." 

Rosenbaum went on to express his appreciation to Governor Chafee and the Rhode Island General Assembly for their support of these programs, and for their investment in "the quality of life, the education of our young, and the vitality of our economy" that these arts programs provide.

Click here to view a complete list of grant recipients at the Arts Council's website.