On May 12, 2021, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced more than $88 million in recommended grants to organizations in all 50 states and jurisdictions. 19 grants, totaling $568,500, were awarded to Arizona arts organizations and projects. Earlier this year, the NEA announced their first round of grantmaking for the current Fiscal Year 2021. This second round brings the federal agency’s total investment in Arizona arts organizations and programs to $763,500.
The NEA sent an additional $942,732 to the state through a State Partnership Grant to the Arizona Commission on the Arts,
“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “While the arts, whether through books, movies, or online performances and programs, have been a sustaining force for many throughout the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”
This funding announcement includes grants awarded through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects and Our Town Grant programs.
Grants for Arts Projects
Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) is the principal grant category of the National Endowment for the Arts, supporting public engagement with, and access to, various forms of art across the nation, the creation of excellent art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
American Literary Translators Association
$25,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the annual ALTA Conference and a mentorship program for emerging translators. The conference brings together literary translators, educators, students, and literary arts professionals from across the country to discuss the practice, theory, funding, and publication of works of literary translation into English. The conference will include caucuses for groups such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) translators, LGBTQI+ translators, and heritage speakers.
Arizona Opera
$23,500
Phoenix, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support performances of “El Milagro del Recuerdo” by composer Javier Martinez and librettist Leonard Foglia and accompanying community engagement events. The opera is a prequel to the first mariachi opera, “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna,” which was presented in a previous season. Set in Michoacán, Mexico, during Christmas, the opera explores themes of traditions and familial bonds while its characters deal with life-changing decisions and dream of something more. Performances will take place in Phoenix and Tucson as part of the new McDougall RED Series, a two-opera chamber series.
Arizona State University
$40,000
Tempe, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support a series of multidisciplinary performances and artist residencies hosted by ASU Gammage. The series may include choreographer Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company’s What Problem?, Kronos Quartet and poet Nikky Finney’s new work At War with Ourselves, Belgian theater ensemble Ontroerend Goed’s Are we not drawn onward to new erA, choreographer Liz Lerman’s new work Wicked Bodies, the world premiere of theater and film artist Lemon Andersen’s When Aliens Fall from the Sky, and Drum Folk performed by Step Afrika!. Multiple campus departments and community groups will be engaged with residency activities.
Arizona Theatre Company
$10,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support salaries and wages for the world premiere production of “How To Make An American Son,” a new play by Christopher Oscar Peña. The story will explore the complexities of identity and generational change within a newly wealthy immigrant family to the United States. Related community engagement activities will include student matinees, guest artist residencies, panel discussions, and the creation of virtual content around the themes of the play.
Ballet Arizona
$25,000
Phoenix, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support Ballet Under the Stars, a free outdoor performance series in local parks throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. In addition to performances by the company, children from local schools will choreograph their own work under the tutelage of Ballet Arizona dancers through the Class Act program, and will perform an original dance piece at their local park performance. To be held in the fall 2021, Ballet Under the Stars makes ballet accessible to individuals from communities who may not be able to otherwise attend ballet performances.
City of Mesa, Arizona
$25,000
Mesa, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support visual arts exhibitions at Mesa Art Center and related outreach activities. Multiple exhibitions representing the American Visionary Art Movement will feature the works of artists such as Alex and Allyson Grey, Amanda Sage, and Wiley Wallace. Related events will include public programming such as artist talks, a film series, and workshops in visual arts, creativity, and the healing arts.
Cultural Coalition, Inc.
$15,000
Phoenix, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the production the Dia de Los Muertos PHX Festival. The Day of the Dead celebration will highlight Mexican-American traditions with performances of mariachi music and folkloric dance, as well as special activities for children, a community altar, and a candlelight procession.
Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts
$20,000
Wickenburg, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the creation of a new work by Koresh Dance Company and the re-staging of a full-length dance by the Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Company and related engagement activities. The project is part of the Made in Wickenburg artist residency program. Related engagement activities will include open rehearsals, conversations with the artists, and free public performances.
Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival
$10,000
Flagstaff, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support a production of William Shakespeare’s “La Comedia of Errors” in a Spanish and English adaptation by Lydia G. Garcia and Bill Rauch. Based on the translation of “Comedy of Errors” into contemporary English by Christina Anderson, the production will be set in Mexico and in the Southwestern United States. Related project activities will include workshops on script adaptation and acting in multiple languages.
Lead Guitar
$25,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support salaries and teaching artist fees related to a free classical guitar program in Chicago Public Schools. Guitar instructors will provide weekly instruction to students, as well as professional development to teachers. Instructors will be paired with music teachers to teach the Lead Guitar curriculum through group classes and private lessons. Students will have the opportunity to participate in performances, as well as attend concerts and master classes presented by professional artists.
Museum of Contemporary Art (aka MOCA)
$30,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support an exhibition, commission, and publication featuring the work of Cecilia Vicuña. The project was conceived after the artist witnessed the Deer Dance, a ceremony that allows members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to enter a sacred realm. Vicuña (b. 1948), inspired by the ceremonial dance, created a dialogue between her own Indigenous Andean perception and that of the Yaqui through the shared symbol of the deer. The project seeks to connect Indigenous cosmologies between the Americas, and links ecology, visual arts, poetry, and the knowledge and influences of First Nations.
Scottsdale Cultural Council
$35,000
Scottsdale, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support an artist residency program at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, presented by Scottsdale Arts. Selected artist Derrick Suwaima Davis and the Living Traditions Dance Troupe will develop a full-length performance with related audience outreach activities. The new work will be premiered during the residency and promoted as a tour-ready piece available for future bookings.
Sedona Chamber Music Society
$10,000
Sedona, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support a music presenting project of chamber music. Concert programming will feature works by composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, and Osvaldo Golijov at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.
Sedona International Film Festival & Workshop
$15,000
Sedona, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support free filmmaking and professional development workshops, with a focus on serving Native American artists and artists of color. Intended to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the film industry, this workshop series will feature conversations with industry experts on topics such as pitching projects, business practices, and fundraising, as well as opportunities for networking and mentorship by engaging local artists, students, and area reservations.
Tucson Symphony Society
$15,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the Young Composers Project, a music composition program. Students will receive instruction in music theory, ear training, and score reading, as well as music composition. Students will compose original works for full orchestra and small ensembles, working side-by-side with professional composers and performers. The program will culminate in public reading sessions of the students’ original works performed by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and the student compositions will be professionally recorded.
West Valley Arts Council
$20,000
Surprise, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support a series of visual arts exhibitions and related outreach activities. The exhibition and educational programming such as lectures and workshops will expand awareness, understanding, and appreciation of diverse communities in the 13 cities and towns that comprise the West Valley region.
Western Jazz Presenters Network
$25,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support touring by jazz vibraphonist Joel Ross. Ross and his Good Vibes band will perform at several rural and urban nonprofit arts venues in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington State. As many as five engagements will include an educational outreach activity.
Our Town
Our Town is the Arts Endowment’s creative placemaking grants program, supporting projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes.
Arizona State University
$100,000
Tempe, AZ
Our Town
To support community engagement and the development of design principles that reflect regional Indigenous cultural expression. The Indigenous Design Collaborative at Arizona State University, design students, and local artists will facilitate community engagement with Indigenous communities in and around Tempe, Arizona, to inform the development of Indigenous design principles for the built environment. Project partners will use these design principles to incorporate Indigenous representation in wayfinding, bus stops, signage, public space design, and art installations. Working with the City of Tempe Sustainability Office, the Indigenous Design Collaborative at ASU will prototype the concepts underway in Tempe and will document them in a book. The project will serve as a model for integrating Indigenous narratives into the built environment, influencing future city plans in Tempe and other cities in the region.
Fort Apache Heritage Foundation
$100,000
Fort Apache, AZ
Our Town
To support community engagement and a site design plan that centers White Mountain Apache cultural values, interests, and preferences in the visitor experiences of Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School National Historic Landmark in Arizona. The National Historic Landmark consists of 26 historical buildings and approximately 200 acres near the heart of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. In partnership with Swaback Architects and Planners, the White Mountain Apache Tribe Historic Preservation Office, and the White Mountain Apache Indigenous community, designers will lead continuous workshops and consultations with stakeholders to develop design concepts, themes, and programmatic guidance that will inform the plan. The project will build on past planning activities to re-present the National Historic Landmark, celebrate the Apache people, and educate visitors. Project activities will promote Apache traditions and culture, advancing community health, intercultural reconciliation, and tribal sovereignty.
First Round FY2021 Grants
In February, the NEA awarded its first round of grants for Fiscal Year 2021 to seven Arizona organizations and arts projects. First round grantmaking in Arizona totaled $195,000.
City of Phoenix, Arizona – Office of Arts & Culture
$30,000
Phoenix, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the Phoenix Neighborhood Arts grants program. The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture will provide grants for arts projects in neighborhoods throughout the city. In addition to monetary grants, a new grantee peer network will provide collaboration and professional development opportunities designed to increase engagement and reduce funding barriers for historically underserved organizations and communities.
Kore Press, Inc.
$15,000
TUCSON, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the publication and promotion of new books. Planned titles include a debut poetry collection by Alexis V. Jackson and a hybrid book of poetry and essays by Tracie Morris. The press also will offer educational multimedia content, such as a video series and a podcast, which will feature interviews and performances and serve to promote and provide additional context for the work.
Loft Cinema, Inc.
$20,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the annual Loft Film Fest, a touring series, and related public programming. The festival will host curated film screenings accompanied by panel discussions and events with visiting filmmakers and other special guests. Select films will also tour southern Arizona in free screenings at schools, cultural and community centers, and Native American reservations using the Loft Solar Cinema, a cargo van outfitted with solar panels to power an inflatable screen and mobile projection system.
Southwest Folklife Alliance, Inc.
$35,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival. The festival will present performances, exhibits, and demonstrations celebrating the ethnic, regional, and occupational folklife from communities in and around Tucson. Programming may take place virtually or in a hybrid format as necessary.
University of Arizona
$25,000
Tucson, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support a professional development program for emerging artists titled Honoring Traditions: Connecting Indigenous Master and Emerging Artists Across Cultures. Intern artists will study with acclaimed Indigenous weavers and teachers, Porfirio Gutiérrez (Zapotec) and Barbara Teller Ornelas (Navajo). The interns also will learn skills associated with the museum, such as object handling and exhibit design. The program will be documented and promoted on social media.
Willcox Theater and Arts
$20,000
Willcox, AZ
Grants for Arts Projects
To support the Willcox Theater’s architectural and landscape design for the Center of Arts and Heritage. The detailed schematic and construction design drawings will integrate the function and use of three existing historic structures, open space, and new in-fill construction for the center in downtown Willcox. The project is core to the City of Willcox’s downtown revitalization efforts, celebrating arts and heritage and promoting community cohesion.
University of Arizona
$50,000
Tucson, AZ
Research Grants in the Arts
To support a study examining the evolving role of technology, especially as a result of COVID-19, in visual arts studios serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Researchers will develop and field a survey to visual arts organizations serving individuals with IDD, addressing the types, purposes, and outcomes of technology used in creative art activities as well as technology changes the organizations have adopted during the pandemic. The study will use quantitative and qualitative research methods, including collection and analysis of audio-visual data.
Photo by Eli Burke, courtesy of MOCA Tucson.
