The Jamestown Arts Center (JAC) today announced that it is one of three nonprofits in Rhode Island to receive a one-time $50,000 grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts. This award was funded through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent agency of the U.S. government, funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation. The program will awards grant funds to nonprofit arts organizations across the country to help these entities and their employees endure the economic hardships caused by the forced closure of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19.
“It’s such an honor to receive such a prestigious national grant,” said JAC Board Chair Dianne Grippi in a press release, “These are challenging financial times for the non-profit arts sector, and a grant this size has a major impact on our ability to continue to serve our community with extraordinary arts experiences.”
The award provides partial funding for the arts center’s staff and mortgage during a time of reduced program revenue and donations. “The entire staff and board are celebrating this exciting news,” said the Jamestown Arts Center’s Executive Director Maureen Coleman, “We’ve worked hard to shift our programming to outdoor, open air, and virtual, to be sure our community can continue to have access to the arts. This grant will go a long way in sustaining those efforts.”
Jamestown Arts Center Recipient of NEA Grant – At A Glance
WHAT: JAC Awarded $50,000 by the National Endowment of the Arts
WHERE: Jamestown Arts Center, 18 Valley Street, Jamestown RI 02835
The Jamestown Arts Center is a multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts space that hosts art exhibits, theatre and dance performances, film screenings, JAC talks and concerts, and provides art and design educational programs for people of all ages. Housed in a former boat repair shop, the JAC was awarded Best Gallery in Newport County by the Best of Rhode Island 2017 & 2018 readers’ polls. Programming partners include: Heifetz International Music Institute, FirstWorks, RISCA, FabNewport, 10 Thousand Small Businesses, RISD, Manhattan Short Film Festival, SENE Film Festival, Providence Art and Design Film Festival, Island Moving Company, The Jamestown Schools, Social Enterprise Greenhouse, The Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. in Acting & Directing Program and many individual artists and local organizations. The Jamestown Arts Center has quickly become a leading arts and cultural hub, for Rhode Island and beyond, where creativity, ideas and innovation flourish.
The mission of the Jamestown Arts Center is to engage, enrich and inspire our community through extraordinary arts and educational experiences.