National Endowment for the Arts NA TIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR A Great Nation Deserves Great Art. THE AR TS • 2004 ANNUAL REPOR T
2004 Annual Report
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506-0001 (202) 682-5400 www.arts.gov
The National Endowment for the Arts is the largest annual funder of the arts in the United States. An independent federal agency,the NEA is the official arts organization of the United States government, dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education.
Thomasville, Georgia by Grant Reynard, part of the Museum of Nebraska Art’s exhibition Afro Psalms, which is available for touring through the museum’s ARTreach program, supported by an NEA Challenge America grant. Photo courtesy of Museum of Nebraska Art Dear Mr. President:
It is my pleasure to submit the Annual Report of the National Endowment for the Arts for Fiscal Year 2004.
Since its establishment in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded approximately 125,000 grants to organizations and artists residing in all 50 states and the six U.S. jurisdictions, in communities large and small.
The activities highlighted in this report illustrate the National Endowment for the Arts’ continuing commitment to a nation in which artistic excellence is celebrated, supported, and available to all Americans.
Sincerely,
Dana Gioia Chairman
Eric Fennell and Leah Partridge star in Opera North’s production of Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet as part of A Festival of Shakespeare in Song in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Photo by Carl S. Brandon
Table of Contents Chairman’s Statement 1 National Initiatives 8 State & Regional Partnerships 15 Lifetime Honors 18 National Medal of Arts 19 NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships 20 NEA National Heritage Fellowships 22 Grant Highlights 24 State-by-State listing Literature Fellowships 128 National Council on the Arts 134 Financial Summary 137 Appropriations History 139 Credits 140
2004 ANNUAL REPORT iii NEA National Heritage Fellow Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos perform at the 2004 Smithsonian Folklife Festival as part of the series of evening concerts sponsored by the NEA. Photo by Jim Saah
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT acobs ce J an oto by V
Chairman’s Statement Ph
iscal Year 2004 represented a year of growth l Grants supported an estimated 30,000 concerts, Fand renewal for the National Endowment for the readings, and performances, and about 4,000 Arts. Through the appropriations process, the exhibitions, enabling approximately 160,000 artists budget increased by more than $5 million over the FY03 to share their work through NEA-supported projects. level, and the agency received an unprecedented $1 l NEA grants provided support for more than 10,000 million from the Department of Defense to bring theater artist residencies in schools and other locations. to military bases. l Approximately three million children and youth were expected to benefit from our Learning in Most important, the Arts Endowment made enormous the Arts efforts alone. progress in strengthening the core mission set at the beginning of my term—to support excellence In FY 2004, we made a substantial impact on the in the arts, bring the arts to all Americans, and cultural life of the country, as this annual report provide leadership in arts education. The results will demonstrate. We have expanded the agency’s have been impressive: reach, especially in underserved communities, through our National Initiatives and Challenge l Nearly 50 million Americans were reached by NEA America grants. We have expanded our commitment grants in FY 2004—not counting television and radio to arts education with new nationwide programs, broadcasts, which reach additional millions. such as the Summer Schools in the Arts project. l Nearly 4,000 communities throughout the country benefited from Arts Endowment support The NEA also has identified issues of concern to the through both direct grants and touring/outreach nation, such as the decline in literary reading as projects. documented in our research report, Reading at Risk.
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CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
We have addressed accessibility needs such as arts EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS programming for older Americans. All these activities The NEA has worked toward supporting access to art lead toward the NEA’s goal of fostering a nation in of the highest quality to Americans and showcasing which artistic excellence is celebrated, supported, the cultural diversity and distinction of the country. and made available to all Americans. One such grant was $22,000 to the Eastman Memorial BUDGET Foundation in Laurel, Mississippi. The grant was to support the exhibition, Sam Gilliam: Folded and Hinged, Our appropriation in FY 2004 was $120,971,000. Of this at the Baton Rouge Arts and Science Center and the total appropriation, approximately $40 million went to Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel. Sam Gilliam is our important partners, state arts agencies and regional one of the most inventive colorists of the past 30 years arts organizations. and arguably the most prominent African American In 2004, the NEA once again funded the Challenge abstract painter working today. Received America initiative, with more than $20 million going enthusiastically by both the press and public, the Laurel toward bringing the arts to underserved communities exhibit was Gilliam’s first show in his native Mississippi. throughout the country and better serving the Grants such as this are highlighted throughout this Challenge America goal of providing artistic excellence report, showing some of the stellar art the NEA is and extensive outreach. supporting in every state in the country.
The Endowment provided grants to arts organizations NATIONAL INITIATIVES of all sizes, in all areas of the country, in all disciplines. NEA Jazz Masters In FY 2004, the NEA awarded more than $102 million in The Arts Endowment also has created several National funding, totaling more than 2,100 grants. These include Initiatives that support excellence in the arts. One not only the Challenge America grants and partnership builds on a program that has been one of NEA’s premier agreements with state arts agencies and regional arts lifetime achievement awards: NEA Jazz Masters. In organizations, but grants to organizations in creativity, addition to expanding the program in terms of number heritage and preservation, arts on radio and television, and amount of awards, the Arts Endowment added arts learning, and services to arts organizations and special components that together bring a higher artists; fellowships for creative writing in prose and profile to this extraordinary American art form and translation; and lifetime achievement awards in jazz help to ensure its continued existence, evolution, (the NEA Jazz Masters Award) and the folk arts (the and excellence. These include the NEA Jazz Masters NEA National Heritage Fellowship). on Tour, a series of presentations featuring NEA Jazz Masters in performances, educational activities, and/or speaking engagements for audiences in all 50 states that will run through 2006; NEA Jazz in the Schools, an educational resource for high school
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1990 NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson leads his orchestra during the NEA Jazz Masters ceremony and concert in Long Beach, California. Photo by Vance Jacobs teachers of social studies, U.S. history, and music, NEA Arts Journalism Institutes including a five-unit, Web-based curriculum and DVD The arts do not survive alone; they depend on lively toolkit, developed in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln and informed criticism, especially on the local level. Center and supported by the Verizon Foundation; That is why the Endowment has funded the NEA Arts and radio and television programming in partnership Journalism Institutes, a new National Initiative in with National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting 2004. Aimed primarily at journalists from outside of System. major cities, the initiative provides crucial professional Shakespeare in American Communities development not ordinarily available to journalists in smaller communities. These institutes in the disciplines A National Initiative begun in 2003, Shakespeare in of dance, classical music, opera, and theater provide American Communities continued providing high quality performances, lectures, and seminars with leaders in theater programming throughout the country with higher education, the arts, and journalism to improve support from The Sallie Mae Fund and in partnership participants’ ability to analyze and write about the arts. with Arts Midwest. In 2004, the initiative, through an unprecedented partnership with the Department of Operation Homecoming Defense, provided Shakespeare performances on military In another partnership with the Department of Defense, bases, the first such outreach for the agency. The and with support from The Boeing Company, the NEA Alabama Shakespeare Festival performed Macbeth on 13 created Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime military bases in 11 states, with an additional three Experience. This new National Initiative provides writing companies performing on five bases in three states. workshops for U.S. military personnel and their families by nationally known writers—novelists, poets,
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CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
historians, and journalists—at various military bases Little Now Music festival, which presented a series of throughout the country (and in four foreign countries). concerts, lectures, and school presentations for town The workshops will occur at 20 bases in at least ten residents in 2004. states in 2004-2005. Challenge America grants also serve to enhance and More on all the National Initiatives can be found invigorate the arts and culture already embedded in in the National Initiatives section of this report. the community. The NEA Challenge America grant of $10,000 to the Northern Tier Cultural Alliance in ACCESS TO THE ARTS Mansfield, Pennsylvania supported the Forest Heritage Bringing art to military bases is just one illustration of Intergenerational Project, in which traditional artists the Arts Endowment’s commitment to provide better and Native American community residents shared their access to the arts for underserved communities. In FY art with the community in workshops, storytelling 2004, the NEA awarded a direct grant in 433 of 435 sessions, visits to artists’ studios, and performances. Congressional districts in the country—the broadest In addition, the NEA works in myriad ways to reach in the agency’s history. provide the greatest access to the most Americans. The major funding mechanism for providing access to In Washington, DC, the Arts Endowment has worked the arts to all Americans is Challenge America. These with fellow agencies such as the Library of Congress grants offer support primarily to small and mid-sized and the Smithsonian Institution to support arts events, organizations for projects that extend the reach of the such as the Poetry Pavilion of the National Book arts to underserved populations. In Brevard, North Festival, held every fall since its inception by Mrs. Laura Carolina, for example, a town of fewer than 7,000 Bush in 2001. In 2004, with NEA support, the Poetry people, an NEA Challenge America grant of $10,000 to Pavilion featured poets William Jay Smith, Suji Kwock the Brevard College Corporation helped support the A Kim, and United States Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, among others.
Actor/writer Stephen Lang greets Senator Daniel Inouye As part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, held (Hawaii) after a special Operation Homecoming performance of Lang’s one–man play Beyond Glory on Capitol Hill. every summer to highlight the folk and cultural arts of Photo by Steven Purcell various regions of the country and world, the NEA in 2004 sponsored a series of evening concerts of NEA National Heritage Fellows. In keeping with the theme of the festival, the NEA Fellows were artists working in the Latino/Hispanic traditions, such as mariachi master Nati Cano, Puerto Rican percussionist Juan Gutiérrez, and New Mexican musicians Robert and Lorenzo Martínez.
4 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
and approximately 900 high schools in all 50 states, and 18 military bases. The program aims to bring one million students to a live, professional production of Shakespeare. For most of these students, these performances will be their first experience with professional theater.
The tour also includes artistic and technical workshops, symposia about the productions, and educational programs in local schools. The Arts Endowment has developed an educational resource package of exceptional quality that is available free to teachers. It includes a teacher’s manual, recitation booklet, Poet Suji Kwock Kim (2002 NEA Literature Fellow) reads at the NEA–sponsored 2nd Annual Poetry Pavilion, part of the National brochure for students, timeline poster, audio CD, Book Festival in Washington, DC. Photo by Jim Saah educational video, and bookmarks. Using these materials and events, we are helping to integrate LEARNING IN THE ARTS Shakespeare into the arts education programs of our Ensuring that future generations of Americans enjoy middle and high school students. More on Shakespeare and appreciate the arts is an important goal of the in American Communities can be found in the National NEA. Through its grants and National Initiatives, the Initiatives section of this report. Arts Endowment has been supporting arts education An additional offshoot of the Shakespeare in American projects in every part of the nation. Communities initiative was Shakespeare Comes to LA, a NEA Jazz in the Schools, part of the NEA Jazz Masters program in partnership with Shakespeare Festival/LA, National Initiative mentioned previously, will provide a which brought professional Shakespeare productions and better understanding of this indigenous art form, educational activities to stages and schools throughout one that is such an important part of our American the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This special festival history, by integrating jazz into social studies curricula. offered free performances and workshops to the more than 70,000 students in Los Angeles schools during the Shakespeare for a New Generation summer months. Arts education is the main component of another National Initiative, the second phase of Shakespeare Summer Schools in the Arts in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New In 2004, the NEA announced a new arts education Generation, which tours exclusively to middle and initiative, Summer Schools in the Arts. Ten sites in ten high schools. By the end of 2005, the Shakespeare in states received grants for the pilot phase of the American Communities initiative will have engaged 47 initiative to support summer learning programs in the theater companies to tour more than 550 communities arts. Each site will measure students’ gains in artistic
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CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
knowledge based on national and state standards. previous edition’s material and includes activities Additional goals are to enhance the students’ study and suggestions in literature, dance, music, theater, habits and create a life-long interest in the arts. In visual arts, folk arts, and media arts aimed specifically Boise, Idaho, for example, the Log Cabin Literary Center at children ages 3-8 years old. managed the Writing Camp at the Fort Hall Shoshone- Also included is a pull-out Bannock Reservation in which students interacted with guide of arts activities that tribal elders and explored natural sites to develop their parents and children can do creative writing skills. together.
The Arts Endowment will use the results of the pilot RESEARCH program to expand the initiative in 2005 and document The NEA funds research that effective practices in the teaching of art. Twenty-five examines various aspects of sites will be included in the 2005 Summer Schools in the arts to provide a better understanding of the arts the Arts. world and to broaden the conversation about American The Arts Endowment created a new arts education culture. In 2004, the NEA released Reading at Risk: A tool in 2004 for parents and caregivers: Imagine: Survey of Literary Reading in America, a comprehensive Introducing Your Child to the Arts. This new issue of survey that suggested, for the first time in modern the 1997 NEA publication revises and updates the history, that less than half of the U.S. adult population now reads literature. The report presented a detailed Malvolio (Tim Choate) is duped into fancying himself an object of romantic fantasies as his concealed detractors Sir Toby Belch assessment of the decline of reading’s role in the (Harold Surratt), Fabian (Will Beinbrink) and Sir Andrew nation’s culture. The report can be summarized in a Aguecheek (Bryan Cogman) listen in on his musings in Shakespeare Festival/LA’s production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth single sentence: literary reading in America is not only Night, directed by Jason King Jones, as part of the NEA’s declining rapidly among all groups, but the rate of Shakespeare Comes to LA program. Photo by Craig Schwartz decline has accelerated, especially among the young.
Reading at Risk is not a collection of anecdotes, theories, or opinions. It is a descriptive survey of national trends in adult literary reading. Based on an enormous sample size of more than 17,000 adults, it covers most major demographic groups—providing statistical measurements by age, gender, education, income, region, race, and ethnicity.
The data source for Reading at Risk was the NEA’s Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, which was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, spanning 20 years of polling. While not every measurement of CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT reading was built into the study, the report provides so counterparts. As Dr. Gene Cohen, primary investigator much data in such detail that it constitutes a for the study, pointed out, “These findings are indeed comprehensive factual basis for any informed remarkable in the amount of stabilization and discussion of current American reading habits. improvement observed in those with an average age of 80 who are engaged in arts programs.” ARTS AND ACCESSIBILITY
The NEA also has continued championing accessibility EXPANDING OUR REACH issues through the activities of our Office for The NEA is continuing to evolve as an agency, and AccessAbility. Over the past four years, the NEA has continuing to find new resources and new partnerships. funded a study to measure and evaluate the effects On the state and regional level, the Arts Endowment is that professional arts programming has on the quality now working with regional arts organizations on several of life of older adults. The study measured the mental National Initiatives. On the federal level, an innovative and physical health, as well as social activity, of 300 relationship with the Department of Defense has led older people from ages 65 to 99 at arts centers in to two important initiatives for our troops and their Brooklyn, San Francisco, and the Washington, DC families. And in the private sector, important funding metropolitan area. The preliminary final report of this from corporations not normally known for their arts support—The Boeing Company, The Sallie Mae Fund, and Verizon—has sponsored projects and provided educational materials to hundreds of thousands of Americans.
This report provides examples of projects the NEA has supported in every state, projects representing the vast array of lively, rich, and diverse art being created in this country. It demonstrates the NEA’s The NEA-sponsored study, Creativity and Aging, showed that arts ability to provide much-needed support to small arts activities, such as Susie Robinson of the CEYA Poetry Ensemble rehearsing with guitarist Paul Finocchiaro (pictured), make older communities like Topeka, Kansas as well as larger ones adults happier and healthier. like New York City, to partner with small as well as Photo by Chenoa Estrada large organizations. Our motto—A great nation deserves great art—includes the entire nation, and study, Creativity and Aging, highlighted some it is our goal to bring great art to every community. interesting results. Participants who were actively involved in high-quality arts programs reported better overall health, more energy, and increased involvement in social activities than those in the non-arts control Dana Gioia group. In addition, arts participants reported lower Chairman levels of loneliness and higher morale than their
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 7 Macbeth (Jake Waid) meets Assassin Wolf (Shadow Hotch) in Perseverance Theatre’s production of Macbeth, set in the context of southeast Alaska’s indigenous Tlingit culture and performed by an all-Native Alaskan cast as part of the NEA’s Shakespeare in American Communities initiative. Photo by Eric Torgerson
NATIONAL INITIATIVES
National Initiatives
ow in their second year, NEA National initiative, the NEA helped create new audiences and a NInitiatives continue to grow in number and in new appreciation for live theater and Shakespeare. individual scope. These are programs that, The first phase of touring, supported by The Sallie Mae unlike our direct grants, have a national focus. Like our Fund, involved seven professional theater companies, direct grant programs, however, they are done in which provided more than 270 performances to partnership with local communities, arts organizations, audiences in all 50 states. Touring concluded in and presenters. These programs frequently target November 2004, having brought live Shakespeare to communities and constituencies that otherwise would more than 190,000 Americans, primarily in small and not be accessible to them. In FY 2004, four National mid-sized communities. These activities included Initiatives were underway: Shakespeare in American an unprecedented tour to military bases in September Communities, NEA Jazz Masters, Operation and October 2004 in partnership with the Department Homecoming, and NEA Arts Journalism Institutes. of Defense, which provided $1 million for this part of the initiative. SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES Alabama Shakespeare Festival conducted the major part of the military base tour, bringing Macbeth to The National Endowment for the Arts created 13 military bases in 11 states. Their performance of Shakespeare in American Communities to introduce a the Scottish play, which included garbing the actors new generation of audiences to the greatest playwright in kilts, was met with widespread enthusiasm at every in the English language. In partnership with regional performance. In addition, five military bases in three arts organization Arts Midwest, which administered the
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NATIONAL INITIATIVES
states were served by other theater companies as part NEA JAZZ MASTERS of the first phase of the initiative. Established in 1982, the NEA Jazz Masters awards Beginning in September 2004, the second phase of annually elevates a select number of living jazz artists the initiative was launched, Shakespeare for a New to its ranks, conferring on them the nation’s highest Generation, focusing primarily on reaching middle and honor for this uniquely American art form. In 2004, high school students. By May 2005, the 21 selected Chairman Gioia launched a major expansion of the companies will have provided as many as 930 program, celebrating the NEA Jazz Masters and the art performances of more than 15 Shakespeare plays. of jazz through an awards ceremony and television broadcast, recordings, radio programs, and NEA Jazz Companies such as the Utah Shakespearean Festival Masters performances. exemplify the ambitious reach of the initiative. This company alone will tour to four states and provide For the first time, the NEA Jazz Masters awards almost 50 school performances under the banner of ceremony and concert was broadcast nationally. BET Shakespeare for a New Generation. Funding from the and BET Jazz aired the 2004 ceremony and concert Arts Endowment has allowed Utah Shakespearean five times in April 2004 as part of Jazz Appreciation Festival to expand its regular touring activities to Month. In addition, the Verve Music Group issued a include additional small, rural communities in Idaho, commemorative two-CD set of recordings with Arizona, the Navajo Nation, and Nevada. In addition, selections from the NEA Jazz Masters (1982 to 2004) students at each school have the opportunity to in January 2004. participate in workshops on text, voice, movement, As part of the new National Initiative portion of the and improvisation. NEA Jazz Masters program, in 2004 the Endowment In Alaska, performances by Perseverance Theatre are an inaugurated NEA Jazz Masters on Tour. This touring exceptional example of the universality of Shakespeare’s component of the NEA Jazz Masters program is work. Perseverance’s production of Macbeth was set in intended to bring NEA Jazz Masters to all 50 states. the context of southeast Alaska’s indigenous Tlingit Each engagement includes educational activities, culture and performed by an all-Native Alaskan cast. ranging from master classes and lecture-demonstrations This unique production reached nearly 4,000 middle to meet-the-artist sessions. The first phase of the tour, and high school students in remote areas of Alaska. co-sponsored with the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, began in spring 2004 and included events As an additional educational component of the in 13 states and the District of Columbia. The second initiative, the Arts Endowment has developed and phase, through a partnership with Arts Midwest and distributed 25,000 multimedia educational toolkits with support from Verizon, will bring jazz to the to teachers across the United States, enhancing the remaining states over the next two years. educational experience of Shakespeare for millions of students with films, recitation contests, and In 2005, two innovative parts of the initiative will be teacher lesson plans. added: a radio show, Jazz Profiles, in partnership with
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Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater performs at the NEA Jazz Masters ceremony and concert in Long Beach, California. Photo by Vance Jacobs
National Public Radio, and an episode of a new A new arts education program will be added to the television series, Legends of Jazz. Both programs NEA Jazz Masters initiative as well: NEA Jazz in the are being supported by Verizon. Jazz Profiles is a series Schools. This educational resource for high school of 14 hour-long documentaries on NEA Jazz Masters teachers of social studies, U.S. history, and music is a that will air in spring 2005 on more than 100 NPR five-unit, Web-based curriculum and DVD toolkit that member stations. NEA Jazz Master Nancy Wilson hosts explores jazz as an indigenous American art form and the program. Legends of Jazz is 13 weekly 30-minute as a means to understand American history. The episodes on jazz, combining live performance, intimate conversation, and archival material on the memorable curriculum is produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and people and events in jazz. Hosted by noted jazz supported by a $100,000 grant from the Verizon pianist and radio personality Ramsey Lewis (and based Foundation. The complete kit and curriculum will on his radio series of the same name), the program be available in fall 2005. will have a special one-hour feature in June 2005 on NEA Jazz Masters.
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NATIONAL INITIATIVES
OPERATION HOMECOMING that explores the variety of literary responses by previous generations of American troops. More than Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime 13,000 copies have been distributed to military bases, Experience, a program for U.S. military personnel and their families, documents the thoughts and reflections Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, Armed Forces of our troops—in their own words—during the time of YMCAs, public libraries, troops across the world, and their service. Through an unprecedented partnership the American public. with the Department of Defense and with support from The best writing emerging from this initiative will be The Boeing Company, the initiative provides writing published in a nationally promoted anthology that will workshops by nationally known writers—novelists, be sold in bookstores and distributed free by the Arts poets, historians, and journalists—at domestic and Endowment to military installations, schools, and overseas military bases representing all four branches libraries. The anthology is scheduled to be published in of the U.S. armed services. The workshops will occur 2006; those works not chosen for the anthology will be at 20 bases located in ten states and territories, as well as four foreign countries, in 2004-2005. housed in an existing permanent government archive for use by future generations of historians and citizens. The Web site established for the program, The program has received more than 1,500 submissions www.OperationHomecoming.org, contains educational containing 10,000 pages of writing. articles and literary video and audio clips to help the troops develop their writing skills. In addition, the Arts The response to the program has been overwhelming. Endowment has produced an accompanying audio CD Here are a few examples of the letters received:
Author Richard Bausch at a Operation Homecoming workshop at Fort Drum, New York in June 2004. Photo by Betty Doherty, US Army MWR
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NATIONAL INITIATIVES
From an Army Reservist in Iraq: theater, and dance. The institutes are designed for “I am an Army Reservist, called to duty for one year. journalists who cover the arts for print and broadcast Without the reserves, this war could not be pulled off. I outlets located mostly outside the country’s largest think my essay reflects the hardships that many citizen media markets, where professional development soldiers endure when they leave their lives behind to opportunities are limited. Institutes for dance critics serve. It’s an important story that should be told and I will be hosted by the American Dance Festival (ADF) at hope you will use my piece to tell it.” Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; for classical From a recently retired Army veteran in Texas: music and opera critics at Columbia University in New “Writing about those things that we combat veterans York City; and for theater and musical theater critics keep locked up inside is tremendously cathartic. I lost at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. my creative voice after Mogadishu; putting things into A pilot program for the Institutes was held in 2003 perspective took a long time, especially without any for dance critics at the American Dance Festival. The encouragement or understanding. Thank you again for this project.” success of that program encouraged Chairman Gioia to expand the program into a National Initiative that The NEA is extending its Operation Homecoming addressed additional disciplines in additional locations. initiative with Operation Homecoming: Beyond Glory, a tour of the one-man play Beyond Glory, adapted and performed by Stephen Lang, to more than 25 overseas and domestic military installations beginning in May 2005. Adapted by Lang from Larry Smith’s book, Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words, this acclaimed production features the stories of eight veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, including Admiral James Stockdale and Senator Daniel Inouye. By presenting the military audiences of today with the recollections of decorated veterans, the
Operation Homecoming tour of Beyond Glory Fellows of the NEA Arts Journalism Institute at Columbia University in October 2004. encourages service men and women to preserve Photo by Matt Peiken the stories of their own wartime experiences.
The NEA provided $1 million to fund the first two years NEA ARTS JOURNALISM INSTITUTES of the program. Each Institute will offer a two- or In June 2004, the NEA established three NEA Arts three-week program each year for up to 30 attendees Journalism Institutes to address a chronic problem and cover the participants’ expenses. throughout the country: the lack of quality arts The first Institute was held June 18 to July 13, 2004, criticism in the press. The institutes’ focus is on for dance critics at the American Dance Festival. Nine improving arts criticism in classical music, opera,
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critics from six states and Dublin, Ireland spent three The third Institute took place at USC in Los Angeles weeks at ADF in North Carolina attending performances, February 21 to March 4, 2005 for 25 critics from 21 classes, seminars, and panel discussions focusing on states. The sessions were broken into four modules: the history of dance and dance criticism, as well as the basic elements of dramatic production; instruction in function and responsibility of the dance critic today. the basic skills of producing thoughtful, intelligent Participants heightened their awareness and sharpened theater reviews; informal discussions with leading their observation skills through movement sessions, and professionals and faculty members; and attendance at gained practical knowledge by writing reviews and theater performances. “Better informed and trained participating in analytical discussions. “It not only theater critics will offer audiences beyond our largest gives critics the opportunity to exchange ideas about urban centers more exciting choices for cultural dance writing,” said Suzanne Carbonneau, project participation and appreciation,” said Michael Parks, director, “but also, by virtue of its setting at the director of USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism. American Dance Festival, to take a crash course in In just 18 months since the first pilot program in the contemporary dance world itself.” 2003 to the March 2005 Institute in theater and Columbia University’s Institute took place October 18 musical theater, 71 writers from 58 cities, 38 states, to 28, 2004, drawing 25 critics from 20 states. Sessions and two foreign countries have participated in the included history, concepts, and current practices in Institutes. Three papers were so enthused by the classical music and opera, as well as classical Institutes that they had two different staff writers music journalism. Evenings were spent attending attend two Institutes. This initiative will help performances, and then writing reviews for discussion communities across the country benefit from in next day sessions. One participant, Erin Auerbach substantially enhanced writing about the arts. of The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California, said, “I was a participant in the program, and I learned more about classical music and opera in two weeks than I did in my formal education. (I hold a master’s degree in Theater Arts and I trained classically as a singer for many years.)”
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State and Regional Partnerships
ince its beginnings in 1965, the Arts An example of these partnerships is Mississippi Arts SEndowment has been a partner to thousands of Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative, which promotes arts organizations, agencies, and artists. Our quality teaching and learning by integrating arts into entire mission of supporting excellence in the arts, both the curriculum at 20 public schools throughout the new and established, and bringing the arts to all state. In support of this program, more than 284 artists Americans is achieved through our partnerships. Among and teachers participate in a week-long Summer the most critical of these partnerships are those we Institute with intensive seminars on incorporating arts have enjoyed with 50 state arts agencies (SAAs), six into standard curricula, hands-on arts workshops, and jurisdictional arts agencies, and six regional arts site visits to local arts organizations. organizations (RAOs). Another example is the Virgin Islands Council on the Forty percent of the Arts Endowment’s funding is Arts, which used its partnership grant to fund outreach distributed among those agencies and programs such as choir, art classes, and organizations. Through this cultural dance presentations to more federal funding mechanism, we are able to support projects Tammy Farrens of Davenport School of that are meaningful to the Arts in Florida and D.D. Ward of Laurel High School in Mississippi local communities, while at present their version of Little Red Riding the same time leveraging Hood during a storytelling workshop at the Mississippi Arts Commission’s financial support from Whole Schools Summer Institute. Photo by Shelley Powers other sources.
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than 500 students at area schools, as well as “A Summit England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project on St. John Musical Traditions,” at which more than (NDP). The NDP supports the growth of contemporary 200 community members participated in performances dance by encouraging the creation of new work by and lectures honoring the music and cultural practices individual dance artists and companies and also of the U.S. Virgin Islands. fostering collaboration among dance presenters to mount tours of these new works. The NDP is Regional arts organizations (RAOs) were created by administered by a group of 12 “hub sites,” which state arts leaders, in partnership with the Arts are key presenters around the country committed Endowment and the private sector, to transcend state to developing dance, and six leaders from the dance boundaries and give the public access to a greater and field who act as advisors. The hub sites provide funding richer variety of arts experiences. A critical role of the recommendations that are then reviewed and approved RAOs is to make excellent dance, theater, musical by the advisory board. theater, opera, and literature presentations available in underserved communities. Each season, the NDP awards 15-20 production grants ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 each. The NDP also One of the ways RAOs do this is through the NEA administers touring and infrastructure grants directly to Regional Touring program, which helps bring high- presenters. As of 2004, the NDP has presented 152 new quality performing artists and companies to dance works by more than 100 artists and dance communities across the country with the help of companies in 47 states. federal, state, and private funds. Through a partnership of the NEA with the six regional arts organizations, the This season, the NDP supported a national tour of program provides assistance for interstate touring and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s The Flight gives priority to underserved communities. Project, six individual pieces around the theme of flight and invention. The individual works, in honor of the RAOs also assist the Arts Endowment and other centennial of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, were funders in providing programs nationally. Regional initially commissioned in 2001, with support from a arts organizations have worked with the NEA on two NDP production grant. During the 2003-2004 season, of its National Initiatives: Shakespeare in American the dance company performed The Flight Project in Communities (Arts Midwest) and Operation Homecoming 14 states for more than 13,000 audience members. (Southern Arts Federation). More information on these More than half of these participants were students. important projects can be found in the National To meet NDP’s goal of building new audiences for Initiatives section of this report. contemporary dance, additional components of the Another national project that resulted from tour included master classes, pre-performance talks, collaboration between the NEA and an RAO is the New and school outreach.
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Alvin Rangel and G.D. Harris in the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s production of The Flight Project, which toured to 14 states through the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Photo by Andy Snow
NEA National Heritage Fellow Yuqin Wang, who received the award with husband Zhengli Xu, demonstrates the art of Chinese rod puppetry. Photo by Jim Saah LIFETIME HONORS
Lifetime Honors
t the risk of stating the obvious, there NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS could be no art without artists. Throughout A Created by Congress in 1984, the National Medal of Arts its history, the United States has produced a is conferred annually by the President to honor persons wealth of creative and interpretive artists who have and organizations that have made extraordinary given the world a trove of works to be studied, contributions to the excellence, support, growth, and performed, admired, and treasured. availability of the arts in the United States. Unlike The Arts Endowment is proud to have recognized many other arts awards, the National Medal of Arts is not of them over its nearly 40 years through three awards limited to a single field or area of artistic endeavor. honoring lifetime achievements in the arts: National The National Endowment for the Arts solicits the public Medals of Arts, NEA Jazz Masters, and NEA National for nominations for the award, which are reviewed by Heritage Fellows. the National Council on the Arts and then forwarded to the President for final selection. The awards, which are non-monetary, are presented each year at a special White House ceremony. The National Medal of Arts was designed by internationally renowned sculptor Robert Graham.
Information on submitting a nomination can be found on the NEA Web site at www.arts.gov.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 19
LIFETIME HONORS
National Medal of Arts Recipients Andrew W. Mellon Anthony Hecht Foundation Poet Philanthropic Foundation deceased New York, New York John Ruthven Ray Bradbury Wildlife Artist Author Georgetown, Ohio Los Angeles, California Vincent Scully Carlisle Floyd Architectural Historian Opera Composer and Educator Houston, Texas New Haven, Connecticut
Frederick Hart Twyla Tharp Author Ray Bradbury received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Sculptor Choreographer, Artistc Bush in the Oval Office in 2004. deceased Director, Dancer White House photo by Susan Sterner New York, New York
NEA JAZZ MASTERS FELLOWSHIP
The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are the highest The selection criteria for all the awards are the same: honors that our nation bestows upon jazz musicians. artistic excellence and significance of the nominee’s Since 1982, 80 of America’s greatest jazz artists have contributions to the jazz art form. The NEA Jazz received the award. Each year, a one-time award of Masters form a veritable jazz hall of fame, including $25,000 is presented in the following categories: such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, rhythm instrumentalist, solo instrumentalist, Marian McPartland, and Ella Fitzgerald. More information keyboardist, vocalist, or arranger/composer. about submitting a nomination and the NEA Jazz Masters award is available on the NEA Web site: Additionally, an award is given in a non-musician www.arts.gov. category—jazz advocate, which is awarded to individuals who have made major contributions to the In addition, a series of activities—as part of the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the National Initiatives component of the program—were American jazz art form as a writer, patron, or presenter. added in 2004. A description of these activities can be This year, Chairman Gioia announced that the award found in the National Initiatives section of this report. would now be known as the A. B. Spellman NEA Jazz This year, a special award was given to Artie Shaw Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, named after the for his innovative musicianship and for popularizing NEA’s own noted jazz writer, accomplished poet, and the art form in the 1930s and 1940s. Sadly, Mr. Shaw innovative arts administrator, who has dedicated much passed away the week before the awards ceremony of his life to bringing the joy and artistry of jazz to as held at the annual International Association for many Americans as possible. Jazz Education conference.
20 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS LIFETIME HONORS
NEA Jazz Masters
Kenny Burrell, Rhythm Instrumentalist Slide Hampton, Arranger/Composer Kenny Burrell pioneered the guitar-led trio with bass Slide Hampton’s distinguished career spans decades and drums in the late 1950s. Known for his harmonic in the evolution of jazz. A charismatic figure, master creativity, lush tones, and lyricism on the guitar, he is arranger, and formidable trombonist, Hampton has also a prolific and highly regarded composer. served as music director for various orchestras and artists since the 1950s, including Maynard Ferguson, Paquito D’Rivera, Solo Instrumentalist Woody Herman, and NEA Jazz Masters Dizzy Gillespie The winner of four Grammy Awards, Cuban-born Paquito and Max Roach. D’Rivera is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. His Shirley Horn, Vocalist mastery on the saxophone and clarinet is unquestioned, Shirley Horn began leading her own group in the having been tutored from an early age by his father mid-1950s, and in 1960 recorded her first album Embers Tito, a classical saxophonist and conductor. and Ashes, establishing her reputation as an exceptional and sensitive jazz vocalist. After taking a 10-year hiatus to raise her family, she has re-emerged in recent years as a world-class jazz artist.
NEA Jazz Masters George Wein, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Smith (who passed away on February 8, 2005), Kenny Burrell, Paquito D’Rivera, and NEA Chairman Dana Gioia in Long Beach, California. Photo by Vance Jacobs
LIFETIME HONORS
Artie Shaw, Big Band Leader NEA NATIONAL HERITAGE Immensely popular and startlingly innovative, Artie FELLOWSHIP Shaw rose to prominence in the 1930s as a swing The United States, with all its many ethnicities and bandleader, master clarinetist, and boundary-crossing native peoples, has a rich and diverse history of artist, who infused jazz with the influences of modern appreciation for and perpetuation of folk and traditional European composers. He retired from music in 1954 to arts. Since 1982, the NEA has recognized the artists pursue a literary career, but his music still is performed who dedicate their lives to cultural traditions and arts today through a big band bearing Shaw’s name, fronted and who maintain the folk arts’ vibrancy and relevance by Dick Johnson. for future generations. The NEA has honored some 300 Jimmy Smith, Keyboardist artists with NEA National Heritage Fellowships. Jimmy Smith personifies the jazz organ revolution. He Ten NEA National Heritage Fellowships, the country’s raised the organ—specifically the legendary Hammond most prestigious honor in the folk and traditional arts, B3—from a novelty instrument in jazz to primary status were awarded in 2004. The fellowships include a one- in the 1950s and 1960s. Inspired by the great horn time award of $20,000. Artists who received the award players of the day, he cut the tremolo off and began included performers, such as sacred steel guitar player playing horn lines with his right hand, establishing the Chuck T. Campbell, and craftspeople, such as straw standard for jazz organists who would follow. appliqué artists Eliseo and Paula Rodriguez. George Wein, Jazz Advocate Chum Ngek received the Bess Lomax Hawes Award for Jazz impresario George Wein is renowned for his his long history of teaching Cambodian music and work in organizing and booking music festivals, and culture. This award recognizes individuals who have in particular for creating the Newport Jazz Festival, an made major contributions to the excellence, vitality, event that, in the words of the late jazz critic Leonard and public appreciation of the folk and traditional arts Feather, started the “festival era.” through teaching, collecting, advocacy, and preservation work.
Interviews with the 2004 awardees, as well as presentations of their work, can be found on the NEA Web site, www.arts.gov. In addition, a publication celebrating the 20th anniversary of the program is available in the publications section of the Web site.
22 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS LIFETIME HONORS
NEA National Heritage Fellows Anjani Ambegaokar Milan Opacich North Indian Kathak Dancer Tamburitza Instrument Maker Diamond Bar, California Shererville, Indiana Charles “Chuck” T. Campbell Eliseo and Paula Rodriguez Sacred Steel Guitar Player Straw Appliqué Artists Rochester, New York Santa Fe, New Mexico Joe Derrane Koko Taylor Irish-American Button Accordionist Blues Musician Randolph, Massachusetts Country Club Hills, Illinois Jerry Douglas Yuqin Wang and Zhengli Xu Dobro Player Chinese Rod Puppeteers Nashville, Tennessee Aloha, Oregon Gerald “Subiyay” Miller Chum Ngek (Bess Lomax Hawes Award) Skokomish Oral Tradition Bearer, Carver, Basket Maker Cambodian Musician and Teacher Shelton, Washington Gaithersburg, Maryland
Representative Norman Dicks (Washington) presents Gerald “Subiyay” Miller (who passed away on February 5, 2005) with his NEA National Heritage Fellowship at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Photo by Robert Burgess
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 23
Situation—Work No.22 (1987) by Katsunori Hamanishi, one of the works on display during the Worcester Art Museum’s exhibition, Japanese Masters of Mezzotint. Image courtesy of Worcester Art Museum
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Grant Highlights
The following pages highlight successful projects that the NEA has supported in every state. While these examples are by no means comprehensive, they are highly illustrative of the diverse, quality art that the NEA funds.
FY 2004 APPLICATIONS: GRANTS: GRANTS: Grant Category Number Received Number Awarded Amount Awarded Creativity 2,956 844 $19,960,000 Challenge America: Access 991 448 $7,815,574 Learning in the Arts 832 240 $7,722,680 Heritage/Preservation 374 196 $4,231,000 Arts on Radio and Television 159 42 $3,860,000 Service to Arts Organization and Artists 112 72 $2,525,000 Challenge America: Reaching Every Community* 128 128 $1,280,000
* Note: Grants were made through the invitational Challenge America: Reaching Every Community initiative to eligible arts organizations in identified communities across the nation where the Endowment had not awarded any funds, fulfilling the Chairman's public pledge to ensure the Agency's program reach is truly national.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 25
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Alabama
Students in the Alabama School of Fine Arts’ summer dance workshop perform with noted modern dancer Desmond Richardson of the Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company. Photos by Steve Johnson, As You Like It Photography
Alabama School of math-science. Students accepted by Contemporary Ballet Company Fine Arts Foundation ASFA pay no tuition for the classes. for two weeks during June and July 2004. Birmingham Of the 350 students, 50 enter the dance program. In recent years, as Led by artistic director Dwight he Alabama School of part of the curriculum, ASFA has Rhoden and dancer Desmond TFine Arts (ASFA) serves brought in nationally and Richardson, both formerly of 350 full-time students with internationally known dancers for the Alvin Ailey American Dance dormitory facilities on campus in master classes. In FY 2004, the Theater, and including a diverse downtown Birmingham. ASFA Alabama School of Fine Arts group of dancers, Complexions accepts students in grades 7-12 in a Foundation received an NEA worked with students during ASFA’s selective audition/interview process Learning in the Arts grant of first summer dance intensive from in six areas: creative writing, dance, $15,000 to support a modern dance June 28 to July 10, culminating music, theater arts, visual arts, and residency by the New York-based in two performances. dance company Complexions
26 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Students in the summer program Huntsville Museum Ten thousand of the four-color, ranged from 15 to 24 years old, of Art fully illustrated catalogue will ten from ASFA and 20 from be produced. The catalogue will Huntsville elsewhere, all earning a place in contain an introduction by museum the program through auditions. ounded in 1970, the president Clayton Bass, an interview The summer workshop was set up Huntsville Museum of Art is with artist Gianmaria Buccellati to simulate the daily rigors of a F by chief curator Peter Baldaia, a the leading visual arts professional dancer, taking dance institution in northern Alabama. Its pictorial overview of the process of and choreography classes in the collection includes historic and designing and creating the animals, morning with five hours or more contemporary American art in all and professional photography of of rehearsals in the afternoon. media, with special attention to the Buccellati collection. The The students performed two regions of the South. catalogue will showcase for the shows of works by noted first time Buccellati’s works, choreographers Arturo Fernandez, In FY 2004, the Huntsville Museum donated to the museum by Donald Byrd, Thaddeus Davis, of Art received an NEA Challenge Betty and Charles Grisham. and Rhoden, followed after an America grant of $10,000 to The Buccellati family of goldsmiths intermission by performances by support development of the has been active in Milan since Complexions dancers. catalogue for a touring exhibition of the museum’s Gianmaria the mid-18th century, where the Buccellati silver animal figures. “Buccellati style” originated. The style utilizes Renaissance-period techniques, luxury metals such as gold and sterling silver, and extensive textural engraving. Buccellati’s works are made in 925 sterling silver using a method he created to capture realistic details such as feathers and fur called lavorazione a pelo, or “hair-like workmanship.”
(from left to right) The intricate process of creating the silver animals begins with designer Gianmaria Buccellati sketching the animal; then a clay model is created and the silver prepared; the silver pieces are then welded on the clay model and finally brushed gently but thoroughly. Photos courtesy of Huntsville Museum of Art
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 27
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
A drawing of one of the totem poles carved for the Ketchikan Indian Corporation with NEA support. Image courtesy of Ketchikan Indian Corporation Ketchikan Indian The project also included an Corporation apprenticeship program in which master carvers taught young Tlingit, Ketchikan Tsimshian, and Haida carvers to shape the poles with the design of ne of the mission priorities the clans’ crests (killer whale, eagle, of the Ketchikan Indian O wolf, and raven), three “watchmen,” Corporation (KIC) in Alaska and a shaman to represent health is the promotion and preservation of care. The center pole stands 42 feet local Native Alaskan cultural tall, and the two flanking poles are heritage in a community of which 25 feet—together they tell the story one-third are Native. It has of the southeast Native Alaskans. supported a variety of programs to teach youth about Native Alaskan The totem poles were completed on culture, including language, music, September 29, 2004, and the poles and dance. were raised in front of the newly built KIC Tribal Health Clinic on In FY 2004, KIC received an NEA October 1. The potlatch celebration Heritage & Preservation grant of was held on October 2, with $35,000 to support the carving of one of three traditional southeast Native Alaskan totem poles, and the culturally significant pole-raising ceremony, called potlatch. Totem poles are among the most important artifacts of Native Alaskan culture.
The KIC Elders Committee met and determined that the three totem poles would be carved by artisans indigenous to the tribal community. Alaska
28 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
approximately 550 community more than 50 new plays, including Director Anita Maynard-Losh called members in attendance. Traditional Paula Vogel’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize- Wait! an “unsentimental valentine” dance groups from Seattle, winning play, How I Learned to to the theater life as it follows Washington and Metlakatla and Drive, which Vogel wrote during Wendy Burger, a socially awkward Prince of Wales Island, Alaska her residency there. UPS truck driver who finds herself performed at the ceremony. through her involvement in In 2001, Perseverance created community theater. The play was the SPRING, a three-month festival last that Maynard-Losh directed for of emerging theatrical works, Perseverance Theatre Perseverance before moving to featuring world premiere Douglas Washington, DC’s Arena Stage. productions and development work Jensen wrote her comedy as a ounded in 1978, on future SPRING productions. In participant of the NEA/Theatre Perseverance Theatre FY 2004, Perseverance received an F NEA Creativity grant of $30,000 to Communications Group’s Theatre has acquired a national Residency Program for Playwrights, reputation as a quality theater support the West Coast premiere being the resident playwright at company while serving the of Julie Jensen’s Wait! and the Salt Lake Acting Company in Utah. Juneau, Alaska area with classical statewide tour of Bridget Carpenter’s The play is based on Jensen’s own and contemporary productions. Up (The Man in the Flying Lawn experiences in theater. Perseverance has premiered Chair) during SPRING 2004. SPRING 2004 saw the West Coast premiere of Wait! May 7-30, 2004 to enthusiastic audiences. The theater company also toured Carpenter’s Up—based on the real-life story Ekatrina Oleksa of Larry Walter, who attached 32 (left) and Doneice Falcon perform in Perseverance weather balloons to his lawn chair Theatre’s production of Julie Jensen’s play Wait! and flew 16,000 feet over the Photo courtesy of Perseverance Theatre Mojave Desert—to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Whitehorse (capital of Canada’s Yukon Territory).
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 29 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Arizona
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Scottsdale
he Frank Lloyd Wright TFoundation of Scottsdale, Arizona was established by Wright in 1940 to be the repository of his life’s work. The Foundation’s holdings include two national historic landmark properties— Taliesin (in Wisconsin) and Taliesin West (in Arizona), the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, and an accredited architectural school.
In FY 2004, the Foundation received an NEA Heritage & Preservation grant of $20,000 to support the restoration of Wright’s living Frank Lloyd Wright’s quarters at Taliesin West. The world- living quarters at Taliesin famous architect designed and built West in Arizona, recently restored and open to the Taliesin West, which became public for the first time.
Wright’s winter residence/studio/ Background: Portrait of campus, from 1937 to 1942. The Frank Lloyd Wright Photos courtesy of the Frank site provides educational tours and Lloyd Wright Foundation seminars for the public, attracting more than 125,000 visitors annually.
30 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Taliesin West was built to coexist Mesa Symphony The opening program for 2004-2005 harmoniously with its desert Orchestra Association was entitled “A Dark and Stormy environs, using local materials such Night,” and was geared especially Mesa as rocks and sand in the making of for families. The program included the structure. At first more of a Modest Mussorgsky’s A Night on he Mesa Symphony Orchestra studio and campus than residence, Bald Mountain, Alexander (MSO) in Arizona was formed in 1940 Wright added the living T Glazunov’s saxophone concerto, and in 1956 to bring quality quarters, containing a private Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred musical performances and bedroom, small studio, and private Hitchcock’s movie Psycho. The educational programs to the East living space, adjacent to the famous concert was promoted through Valley community, encompassing Garden Room. press releases, radio advertisements, such cities as Mesa, Tempe, season brochures, and special Based on historic photographs and Chandler, and Scottsdale. Annually, material being sent to the public documents from Wright’s lifetime, MSO performs six classical concerts schools’ band and orchestra the restored quarters include books, in addition to a New Year’s Eve music programs. artifacts, art, lighting, and concert, July Fourth concert, and furnishings. The NEA grant assisted performance of Peter and the Wolf The opening program was performed in rehabilitating the furniture— for more than 9,000 community at two locations to reach even more custom-made by a local master fourth- and fifth-graders. audience members: October 15, artisan according to Wright’s 2004 at Word of Grace in Mesa, In FY 2004, MSO received an specifications—in the sitting room and October 17, 2004 at the NEA Challenge America grant of and bedroom. In November 2004, Chandler Center for the Arts. An $10,000 to support the opening the newly refurbished living estimated 3,000 people attended concerts of the 2004-2005 season. quarters were opened to the public the two concerts. MSO will be moving into a new for the first time. concert hall in the 2005-2006 season, and desired to increase its audience before the move.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 31 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Arkansas Arts Center The Arkansas Arts Foundation Center Foundation’s Artmobile carries Little Rock themed exhibitions to approximately 100 venues annually, he Arkansas Arts Center in reaching more than 90,000 people. Little Rock is the state’s Photo courtesy of Arkansas T Arts Center Foundation oldest and largest arts institution, with programs and events reaching 430,000 residents Challenge America grant of $25,000 In addition, educational materials annually in both urban and rural to support the Artmobile project. accompanying the exhibition communities. The Arts Center, provide material on the chemistry which is free to the public, Artmobile carries themed of paint, paper, and canvas; the operates as both a museum of exhibitions, which are changed physics of ceramics; and the visual art and a center for the every two years, to approximately sources of various media in nature. performing arts, offering classes 100 venues annually, reaching more An in-depth study guide for throughout the year in the fine and than 90,000 people. For 2004-2006, teachers and parents is included performing arts as well as the theme of the exhibition is and also available online with community outreach initiatives. Natural Insights: Art and the Earth. cross-curricular lessons and hands- The exhibition examines the many One of the Arts Center’s outreach on activities based on the pieces ways that artists take inspiration programs is the Artmobile, a in the exhibition. from nature, and includes paintings, traveling art exhibition drawn from drawings, lithographs, photographs, the museum’s permanent collection. and three-dimensional works such In FY 2004, the Arkansas Arts as ceramics and hand-blown glass. Center Foundation received an NEA
32 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Arkansas
Ozark Foothills Phil Lancaster and Alison Moore. The Southern Filmmakers Showcase FilmFest The festival showcased 51 films and included films from programs such hosted 33 guest artists and as Best of Indie Memphis, New Locust Grove presenters, as well as participating Films from Appalshop, and Films
he Ozark Foothills FilmFest composers and musicians. from the Foothills. “The James Dean Era” included screenings of Dean’s began in 2002 as a The Alloy Orchestra, the premiere T early television work and other rare two-city, five-day festival national orchestra of scores for footage, a memorabilia exhibit, and to bring independent and regional silent films, presented its original scholar-led discussions about the films to the mostly rural north scores to accompany the silent actor. Approximately 4,000 people central Arkansas area. The festival classics The Black Pirate and attended activities and screenings now spans three weeks and involves Steamboat Bill, Jr. The Alloy during the festival. three Arkansan communities: Orchestra also performed during the Batesville, Heber Springs, FilmFest Gala at Bradley Manor on and Searcy. the Lyon College campus.
In FY 2004, the Ozark Foothills FilmFest received an NEA Challenge America grant of $10,000 to support its 2005 festival. Running April 1- 17, 2005, the festival included a Southern Filmmakers Showcase featuring independent regional filmmakers; “The James Dean Era,” a two-day multimedia exploration of the artistic genesis and lasting impact of James Dean; and Miniature Graceland, a film/ performance piece by Arkansans The Ozark Foothills FilmFest in Locust Grove, Arkansas introduces independent and regional films to the local community. Image courtesy of Ozark Foothills Filmfest
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 33
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Ann Carlson is an award-winning choreographer, director, and performance artist who combines movement, voice, and visual elements. Flesh is loosely based on the E. M. Forster short story, “The California Machine Stops,” in which humanity lives in an underground mechanized complex. A youth journeys to the AXIS Dance Company Smith, AXIS has commissioned surface and finds people still living Oakland repertory works from preeminent above ground. Flesh starts from this choreographers, such as Bill T. point, following the youth’s ince 1987, the AXIS Dance Jones, Joanna Haigood, and Joe interaction with the surface people Company has been creating Goode. AXIS also maintains a as he learns about their survival S model education/outreach outside the machine. and performing high quality contemporary dance by dancers program, Dance Access. with and without disabilities. Under In FY 2004, AXIS received an NEA the artistic direction of Judith Shakespeare Creativity grant of $20,000 to Festival/LA commission a new repertory work Los Angeles by choreographer Ann Carlson. The 17-minute piece, entitled Flesh, was hakespeare Festival/LA set to the music of Meredith Monk (SFLA) has been bringing and was performed at St. Mark’s S American interpretations Church in New York City in AXIS Dance of Shakespeare’s plays to the people November 2004 as part of the Company of Los Angeles for nearly 20 years. performs a new Dances With Monk program repertory work SFLA hosts an annual Summer celebrating Monk’s 40th anniversary. by choreographer Festival at Pershing Square, a large, Ann Carlson, The piece was performed at eight Flesh. grassy park in downtown Los Photo by venues in fall 2004 and will tour Margot Hartford Angeles. The free five-week festival extensively in 2004-2006 as a draws audiences of roughly 7,000. regular part of the company’s In addition, SFLA offers a youth repertory. An estimated 3,500 employment program, Will Power to saw the performances in 2004. Youth, and a professional
34 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
development program for high character, played by Cedric Hayman, traditionally had the opportunity school teachers, Will Power appearing as a street musician on to experience live theater. to Schools. the beachfront property. The play SFLA implemented new was directed by Jason King Jones In FY 2004, SFLA received an NEA promotional and marketing and performed July 14-18 in Challenge America grant of $20,000 strategies to attract new audiences, Pershing Square and July 22-25 and to support free performances of such as disadvantaged youth and July 29 – August 1 in Palos Verdes’ Twelfth Night during the 19th individuals with disabilities. Using South Coast Botanical Garden. annual Summer Festival, leaders from the Will Power to incorporating it into the NEA Through the Shakespeare Comes Youth program, SFLA was able to National Initiative, Shakespeare to LA initiative, SFLA selects target specific area schools and Comes to LA. SFLA set the play in a performance locations and youth employment service programs seaside community strikingly similar conducts promotional activities for audience development. to Venice Beach, with the Feste in communities that have not
Cedric Hayman and Harold Surratt in Shakespeare Festival/LA’s Twelfth Night, directed by Jason King Jones, as part of the NEA’s Shakespeare Comes to LA program. Photo by Craig Schwartz
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 35
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Denver Center for the Performing Arts Denver
ounded in 1972 and resident companies at DCPA—is Fdedicated to excellence in designed to show the value of the arts, the Denver Center including drama in school curricula. for the Performing Arts (DCPA) in Living History took place in 23 Colorado is a showcase for live metro-area high schools during theater, an award-winning the fall semester of 2004. Three professional theater artists performed four scenes from Colorado classical and contemporary plays for the entire school. The ethical dilemmas posed by the scenes are multimedia production facility, a the basis for a series of classroom national training school for actors, workshops that utilize exercises and the site of a voice clinic and such as Hot Seat Improvisation, in research facility. In addition, DCPA which two actors become characters offers various educational and with opposing views from the play, outreach initiatives, including in- while a third artist encourages the school programs, professional student audience to question the development for teachers, and characters about themselves and distance learning. their society.
In FY 2004, DCPA received an Living History conforms to NEA Learning in the Arts grant Colorado State Standards for of $24,000 for its Living History Reading and Writing, Theatre, educational residency program. and History, and enhances learning The program—a collaboration of history, language arts, social between the DCPA Education studies, and theater. More than Department and the Denver Center 25,000 students participated in Theatre Company, one of the the program in 2004.
36 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Teaching artist Amy Perry and students in a class workshop on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Living History educational program. Photo courtesy of Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Jefferson Symphony In FY 2004, JSA received an NEA Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Association Challenge America grant of $10,000 Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic to support its first concert of Dances, and Tomas Svoboda’s Golden the 2004-2005 season. To increase Overture of the Season. For the audiences comprising underserved Vivaldi piece, translations of he Jefferson Symphony populations, free tickets were Vivaldi’s sonnets were printed in Association (JSA) in T offered to at-risk students and the program and read before each Golden, Colorado was their families, bringing 110 movement. Orchestra concertmaster founded in 1953 as the Golden Civic youth and their parents to the Tamara Mulliken was the violin Orchestra, and has since grown to opening concert. soloist for Four Seasons, and include 95 volunteer musicians in received a standing ovation from the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra The concert was held on October the audience for her performance. from across the metropolitan Denver 17, 2004, at the Green Center on area. In addition to performances, the Colorado School of Mines Post-concert interviews with JSA provides a Young Artists campus, drawing 875 people to attendees were all favorable, in Competition and a “Hands-On” the event. The orchestra, under some cases glowing, reviews. The educational outreach program for the direction of Dr. William Morse, concert sustained the Jefferson area schools. performed music from Baroque, Symphony Orchestra’s reputation as Romantic, and Neo-Romantic (from the premier orchestra in the region. the twentieth century) periods:
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 37 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Hartford Stage received an NEA Creativity grant Company of $35,000 to support a new production of work by renowned Hartford playwright (and 1996 National Medal of Arts recipient) Edward artford Stage Company Albee to celebrate the theater’s has become one of the H 40th anniversary season. The new country’s leading full-length play, Peter and Jerry, is nonprofit theaters, known for its an expansion of Albee’s first play, high-quality productions of classics, The Zoo Story. Albee has written a neglected modern works, and new new one-act play, Homelife, which is plays. In FY 2004, Hartford Stage the first act of Peter and Jerry. The Connecticut Zoo Story is the second act.
Edward Albee, director Pam MacKinnon, and actors Frank Wood Frank Wood (left) and Frederick Weller and Johanna Day in rehearsal of Homelife, the first act of Albee’s play in The Zoo Story, the second act of Edward Peter and Jerry. Albee’s Peter and Jerry, directed by Pam Photo by Carol Rosegg MacKinnon at Hartford Stage. Photo by T. Charles Erickson
38 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Hartford Stage’s association with Florence Griswold of his works and artifacts Albee goes back to the beginnings Museum along with loans from private of the theater, when founding collections and museums such Old Lyme director Jacques Cartier presented as the Corcoran Gallery of Art the then-new play, Who’s Afraid of and Smithsonian American Art he Florence Griswold Virginia Woolf? in 1966. Over the Museum in Washington, DC and Museum (FGM) in Old ensuing three decades, the theater T the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Lyme, Connecticut has its has produced many of Albee’s In addition, in homage to Metcalf’s origins as an artist colony in the subsequent works, sometimes under love of art and the natural world, late 19th century, where artists the playwright’s direction. more than 40 plein-air paintings working in the American are being exhibited along with the In Peter and Jerry, a quiet and Impressionist style would meet artist’s collection of meticulously unassuming man, Peter, is simply and work in Griswold’s home, labeled birds’ eggs and nests, looking for a quiet place to read soon to be known as the Lyme moths, and butterflies. his book. In Homelife, he is Art Colony. In 1936, Griswold’s interrupted by his wife, Ann, who house—a National Historic The exhibition and accompanying wants to talk about the stuff of Landmark built in 1817—and the catalogue trace Metcalf’s frequent life—spinach, cats, kids, marriage, 11-acre rural site became a museum visits to Griswold’s house between sex, and mortality. In The Zoo Story, focusing on American artists, 1905 and 1907 and how this we find Peter on his favorite bench primarily ones from Connecticut. launched his career as a major in Central Park. His attempt to American artist. His landscape In FY 2004, the Florence Griswold read his book is thwarted by Jerry, painting at the Lyme Art Colony Museum received an NEA Heritage & a stranger intent on taking over won him national recognition, Preservation grant of $15,000 to the bench. including a gold medal and Clark support an exhibition of the work of Prize for the painting May Night—a The play ran May 20 – June 20, artist Willard Metcalf. May Night: moonlit view of the Griswold 2004 and was directed by Pam Willard Metcalf at Old Lyme is House—at the inaugural exhibition MacKinnon. More than 12,000 showing from May 1 through of contemporary American paintings people attended the performances. September 11, 2005, bringing at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. together FGM’s extensive collection
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 39
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Christina Cultural in underserved urban areas of 2,000 community members at Arts Center Wilmington. The goal of the venues including the Department program is to diversify and expand of Services for Children, Youth and Wilmington the audience of young jazz listeners Their Families. in the area as well as to increase he 60-year-old Christina the pool of emerging jazz artists. Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) T In the summer of 2004, 40 students OperaDelaware in Wilmington, Delaware ages 7-12 participated in an aims to improve access to quality Wilmington intensive seven-week program artistic instruction, performance, focused on jazz history, theory, and and visual exhibitions. CCAC ounded in 1945, ensemble playing, culminating in adopted its arts mission in 1969 OperaDelaware is one of a final performance, What If There F as a response to a lack of local the oldest opera companies Were No Us? programs that preserved arts in the United States. The company’s indigenous to African American From November 2004 to March 36-year-old Family Opera Theater culture. More than 1,800 youth and 2005, 25 fifth-graders took a 15- (FOT) supports OperaDelaware’s adult students participate in weekly week course in African American private and group instruction in Music History. In addition, 15 music, voice, dance, theater, and middle school and high school the visual arts. CCAC has also students participated in a 20-week hosted residencies with professional after-school program emphasizing jazz artists, including Nnenna practice and performance. As part of Freelon, Arturo Sandoval, and the performance program, the youth Cyrus Chestnut. ensemble performed for more than
In FY 2004, CCAC received an NEA OperaDelaware’s Family Opera Challenge America grant of $10,000 Theater production of The to support Brownie, Mary Lou, Trane Hobbit presents opera to more than 9,000 students, many for & Me, a two-part jazz education the first time. project for elementary and Photos by Mark Garvin middle school students living
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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Delaware mission of introducing teachers In FY 2004, OperaDelaware received incorporating The Hobbit into arts, and youth in underserved areas an NEA Creativity grant of $10,000 language arts, history, geography, to opera. Each year, Family Opera to support FOT’s production of J.R.R. math, science, economics, and Theater mounts an opera in Tolkien’s The Hobbit. More than physical education curricula. conjunction with the reading 9,000 pre-kindergarten through Classroom activities included curriculum in Delaware public eight-grade students from more researching and studying the novel’s schools. Previous FOT productions than 60 schools were exposed birds in a science class, creating have included operatic versions of to opera, many for the first time, a Hobbit-inspired business in an Charlotte’s Web, A Wrinkle in Time, through public performances economics class, and designing and The Jungle Book. FOT of The Hobbit. shoebox stage sets in a visual productions have also been arts class. In order to familiarize To enhance the educational performed in 30 states as well students with general opera aspect of FOT’s project, teachers as in Canada and New Zealand. concepts, FOT also provided involved in the program received teachers with educational materials, instructional materials for including a map of the different parts of the stage, a chart of backstage personnel with job descriptions, and a compact disc of selected music from the opera.
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS District o
after President Kennedy, a lifelong of Andre Previn and Philip Littell’s supporter of the arts. The Kennedy operatic reconception of A Streetcar Center also serves as a national Named Desire. model for arts education and To explore the work of Tennessee outreach programs. Williams is to explore stories that In FY 2004, the Kennedy Center are uniquely American, essentially received an NEA Creativity grant human, and thus capable of of $55,000 to support Tennessee touching and teaching us a great Williams Explored, a unique deal about ourselves. The Kennedy celebration of the great American Center included educational playwright. During the spring and programs as well, such as Events summer of 2004, the Kennedy for Students that involved students Center brought to stage brand-new in discussions with cast members productions of Williams’s greatest and directors and ArtsEdge, an works: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The online, standards-based curriculum Sally Field and Jason Butler Harner in the Kennedy Glass Menagerie, and A Streetcar regarding the plays. Center production of The Glass Menagerie as part of the Tennessee Williams Explored celebration. Named Desire. The Kennedy Center Photo by Joan Marcus partnered with the Shakespeare Theatre, which produced “Five by National Building John F. Kennedy Tenn,” an evening of five one-act Museum plays—three of them world Center for the Washington Performing Arts premieres—directed by Michael Washington Kahn. In addition, Emmy Award- reated by an act of Congress winning actor Richard Thomas in 1980, the National starred in Letters from Tennessee: C he John F. Kennedy Center Building Museum (NBM) in for the Performing Arts in A Distant Country Called Youth, a Washington, DC is America’s premier T one-man show of letters written Washington, DC is the cultural institution dedicated to national center for the performing by Williams. The Washington Opera exploring American achievements in arts, opening in 1971 and named also participated separately, architecture, planning, construction, presenting the East Coast premiere
42 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS t of Columbia
engineering, and design. Annually architects, including Frank Lloyd attracting more than 400,000 Wright’s Unity Temple and La people, the museum presents Miniatura, Buckminster Fuller’s exhibitions and education programs Dymaxion House, Philip Johnson’s as well as publishes books and a Glass House, and Ludwig Mies van quarterly journal, Blueprints. der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion and Farnsworth House. The exhibition is In FY 2004, NBM received an NEA also featured on the museum’s Web Creativity grant of $44,700 to site, which receives approximately support an architectural exhibit, 40,000 visitors per month. symposium, and series of lectures on a collection of architectural drawings produced over the past one hundred years—a period in which both the discipline and the medium underwent dramatic transformations. Envisioning Architecture: Drawings from the Museum of Modern Art, New York exhibited at NBM from March 20 to June 20, 2004, attracting more than 16,000 people. This was the only Patricia Clarkson and U.S. venue for the exhibition, which Adam Rothenberg in previously had toured in Europe. the Kennedy Center production of A Streetcar Named Desire The exhibition presented a visual as part of the history from the 19th century Tennessee Williams Explored celebration. Viennese architect Otto Wagner to Photo by Joan Marcus contemporary deconstructivist Zaha Hadid. Featured were more than 190 works by more than 60 international
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra in the Miami City Ballet production of Jerome Robbins’s Afternoon of a Faun. Photo by Joe Gato
Miami City Ballet Miami Beach
he Miami City Ballet (MCB) Twas founded in 1985 by Edward Villella, a former George Balanchine protégé and principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. Since then, it has become an acclaimed neoclassical ballet company.
Acquiring new works is essential to the continued success of MCB. In FY 2004, it received an NEA Heritage & Preservation grant of $25,000 to introduce a new Florida dance to its repertoire: noted choreographer Jerome Robbins’s Afternoon of a Faun.
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Afternoon of a Faun was staged for In 2004, the Fine Arts Council Miami City Ballet by former New received an NEA Challenge America York City Ballet principal dancer grant of $10,000 to hold the 21st Bart Cook, and was performed in festival on May 28-29, 2005. February 2005 along with a second The Art, Craft & Music Festival Robbins work, Fancy Free, and two brought nearly 140 artists and Balanchine pieces: La Valse and craftsmen from throughout Sonatine. A pre-performance Florida and adjacent states to The work is a variation of Vaslav discussion of the works was held Brooksville to participate in a Nijinsky’s famous 1912 version, by Villella and his artistic staff. juried show. In addition, live which was based on Claude music was performed continuously Debussy’s music Prélude à l’Après- Hernando County during the two-day festival. midi d’un Faune and a poem by Stephane Mallarme describing a Fine Arts Council For the 2005 festival, the faun’s encounter with nymphs. In Brooksville council expanded the musical Robbins’s contemporary version, entertainment schedule, which the faun becomes a male dancer he Hernando County included a wide variety of music captivated by a ballerina who falls TFine Arts Council in by local bands including country, under his spell. Brooksville, Florida was doo wop, funk, reggae, jazz, rock, created in 1987 to encourage pop, and rhythm and blues. A Afternoon of a Faun holds a special and showcase the arts in the special section of the festival was place for artistic director Villella: community, working with local devoted to children, showcasing the Robbins was moved to create this artists, local governments,and art activities of local students and lovely pas de deux upon seeing county schools. One of the events providing food and entertainment Villella as a young student at the is the annual Art, Craft & Music specifically for kids. School of American Ballet stretching Festival, which attracts more than during ballet class. It was also the 20,000 people from the county and The event was co-sponsored by first piece that Villella performed as neighboring communities during Hernando Today/The Tampa Tribune, a principal dancer with New York the spring. WFLA-TV Channel 8, and the City of City Ballet. Brooksville and Florida Arts.
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Colquitt Miller training from visual artist-in- In the next phase of the project, Arts Council residence Karen Mervis at the New the participating students will Life Learning Center (NLLC), the partner with residents and patients Colquitt arts council’s cultural art center. from Miller County Hospital and Students learned a variety of he Colquitt Miller Arts Nursing Home, an arts council visual art techniques, including Council (CMAC) was the community partner, to create a T printmaking, landscape painting, number of community visual art result of a grassroots and pen and ink drawing. movement to foster and sustain “canvases.” In support of the Students displayed their work economic growth in southwest project’s aim to foster civic pride, at two community shows and in Georgia. The council’s activities these communal artworks will then an ongoing exhibition at NLLC. have included producing compact be installed both in the hospital discs of locally composed music, and at the school. publishing oral histories of local communities, and presenting annual productions of Swamp Gravy, a folklife play celebrating local history. Scholarship support is available for underserved populations in the community for the council’s projects and programming, ensuring access to all activities.
In FY 2004, CMAC received an NEA Challenge America grant of $25,000 to support Art With Heart, a multigenerational community arts project. During the multiphase Artwork in process as part of Colquitt Miller Arts Council’s Art With Heart project. project, 150 first- through eight- Photo courtesy of Colquitt Miller Arts Council grade students received hands-on
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Synchronicity around the impact of war. The Performance Group project evolved as a response to the fact that more than 33,000 Atlanta international refugees have moved
ounded in 1997, the to Atlanta over the past decade. Synchronicity Performance Award-winning documentary F filmmaker Carol Cassidy trained Group (SPG) of Atlanta, Georgia aims to support women project participants in interview artists, forge community methods during a five-day partnerships, and develop new workshop. Company members then developed the text for work for the theater. During SPG’s Kristi Casey (foreground) preparing premiere season, the Atlanta Women + War using interviews for her performance in the Synchronicity Performance Group’s production with nearly 50 women from the Journal-Constitution dubbed the of Women + War. company “a refuge where artists can local community, including military Background: An actor scribbles down personnel, human rights workers, blocking instructions in preparation for take on challenging material and the first public showing of Women + War refugees, journalists, and the by the Synchronicity Performance Group. shape a production on their own Photos by Joel Silverman terms.” As part of its community families of Holocaust survivors. outreach program, the group During the rehearsal process, SPG conducts theater workshops at a presented two public performances local girls youth detention center of Women + War and used audience and offers free and discounted feedback to refine the production. tickets to low-income and refugee The finished theater piece debuted families and special-needs children. as part of the group’s 2005 season.
In FY 2004, SPG received an More than 2,000 people attended NEA Creativity grant of $8,000 the mainstage run, which also to support Women + War, a included special performances for community-based documentary Atlanta’s refugee community and a theater project, in partnership brown bag series of lectures/ with Refugee Family Services, demonstrations for local community groups, businesses, and schools.
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Honolulu Theatre company mounts eight youth- for Youth oriented shows each year, most often performing in non-traditional Honolulu theater spaces, including school gymnasiums and cafeterias. For ounded in 1955, the many of Hawaii’s residents, Honolulu Theatre for Youth F especially those living on outlying (HTY) produces plays based islands, HTY provides the only on children’s literature and the access to live theater. classics, as well as new work drawing on the history, folklore, In FY 2004, HTY received an NEA and social issues of Hawaii. The Creativity grant of $25,000 to support a production of Dis/Troy, Yokanaan Kearns’s adaptation of Homer’s The Iliad. Commissioned Hawaii by HTY artistic director Mark Lutwak, the play was first workshopped in 2002 at the Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices Festival. In 2004, Dis/Troy Louie Hung and Hermen Tesoro, Jr. in Honolulu toured to 42 intermediate and high Theatre for Youth’s schools on Hawaii’s six major production of Dis/Troy by Yokanaan Kearns, based islands, serving more than 6,500 on The Iliad. children. More than 1,000 people Photo by Brad Goda attended nine additional public performances held at venues around Honolulu. HTY also partnered with the Hawaii State Public Library System to present performances at libraries statewide to an additional 1,000 people.
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In support of its productions, HTY publishes Second Stage Education Guides for classroom use by teachers. The guide for Dis/Troy included an essay by the playwright on adapting an epic poem for the stage, information on the historical basis of The Iliad, suggestions for classroom activities including a debate, and a guide to basic theater etiquette. As part of the company’s Hula Master Lorraine Daniel during an oral history interview education mission, actors from each with the Hula Preservation Society’s preservation team. Photo courtesy of Hula Preservation Society play also engage with students in activities ranging from talk-back which is hula developed and danced 2004, www.hulapreservation.org discussions to drama workshops before 1893. HPS has created a Web received an average of 103,340 hits exploring the content and themes site featuring a free interactive monthly. Web site users can access of each particular show. digital library and museum of hula interviews with elder hula masters, to preserve the knowledge of video clips of hula movements, kupuna (elder) hula masters, many audio clips of hula chants, and Hula Preservation of them over 80 years old. HPS glossaries of hula-related terms. Society staff collects the oral histories of Many of the Web site’s users come the kupuna hula masters and also Kaneohe from outside the state, including documents performances, elementary school students, college- awaii’s Hula Preservation workshops, lectures, and other level researchers, genealogists, and Society (HPS) in events in which the masters hula students and teachers from H participate. Much of the history and the nation’s hundreds of hula Kaneohe, Hawaii was founded in 2000 by master hula culture of the Hawaiian people is schools. Digitization has also made dancer and Hawaiian cultural expert told through the practice of hula. these important cultural resources available internationally; users from Nona K.D. Beamer and her daughter In FY 2004, HPS received an NEA more than 40 countries regularly Maile K. Beamer Loo. The society is Heritage & Preservation grant of visit the Web site. dedicated to the preservation and $25,000 to support the expansion perpetuation of “ancient hula,” of the prototype Web site. During
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 49 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Idaho
University of Idaho Moscow
he University of Idaho Tis the state’s land grant university, which was established in 1889 and provides a variety of programs from an array of disciplines. Its relationship with jazz began in 1968, when it inaugurated an annual jazz festival, now known as the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, which runs for four days in February. The School of Music was named after the NEA Jazz Master in 1987, and in 2000 the Lionel Hampton Center was created. The Center gathers the School of Music, jazz festival, International Jazz Collections, and the future construction of a performance and education center under one initiative.
In FY 2004, the University of Idaho received an NEA Heritage & Preservation grant of $20,000 to support the preservation of the Lionel Hampton Collections, part 1988 NEA Jazz Master Lionel Hampton, here performing at the 1992 NEA Jazz Masters ceremony, donated his master and source tapes for Glad-Hamp Records to the University of Idaho, which is currently preserving the recordings. NEA photo
50 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
of the International Jazz Collections City of Nampa In January 2004, Imago, a theater housed at the Lionel Hampton mask ensemble based in Portland, Nampa Center. Established in 1992 with Oregon, brought its innovative stage
Hampton’s donation of historical he City of Nampa, Idaho, presentation to Nampa, and held a materials, the International Jazz located in the southwestern creative movement workshop for Collections has grown to be one T Skyview High School drama students part of the state, was of the premier jazz archives in founded in 1891 and has a the afternoon of the performance. the world. population of 52,000. In 1989, the In February, the Juan L. Sanchez Ensemble performed two concerts The recordings to be preserved Nampa Civic Center was founded by of Arabic and Sephardic music along are the master and source tapes the City to provide a venue for a with rumbas, bossa novas, and Latin of Glad-Hamp Records, a company variety of cultural events to take jazz, one for students and an Hampton and his wife Gladys place. More than 800 events are evening performance for the general created in the 1960s. The company presented at the center every year. public. Vishten, an Acadian music recorded not just Hampton, but In FY 2004, the City of Nampa and dance troupe based in New other jazz greats such as Cat received an NEA Challenge America Brunswick, Canada, performed Anderson, Benny Powell, and Kai grant of $10,000 to support afternoon school and evening Winding. Many of these recordings performing arts events and related performances in March. are no longer available activities planned for the civic commercially. Once the materials center in 2004. The wide range Additionally, from January to are preserved, the collection will of performers—including drama, April 2004, Windwood Theatricals be archived and made available mask theater, dance, Spanish and presented the Broadway play The to scholars and students of jazz. Acadian music, Broadway musicals, Unsinkable Molly Brown, actor David Some of the material for which and big band jazz—expanded the Roche presented a one-man show, the university has the rights will arts experience for this rural area and the Count Basie Orchestra be made available on the Internet and exposed the community to performed a concert of the jazz as well. new art forms. great’s music. Free tickets to all the performances were provided to low- income and underserved students.
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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Illinois
Art Institute artists, critics, and lecturers in Chinese Music Society of Chicago the visual and media arts. Teachers of North America will be able to incorporate the Chicago Naperville knowledge they gain in the sessions into their respective curricula. he Art Institute of Chicago he Chinese Music Society Twas founded by city artists TICA offers four one-week Tof North America in in 1866 as both a museum summer sessions: two in painting Naperville, Illinois was and a school whose goals were to and drawing, and one each in organized in 1969 to increase the exhibit quality art of all types and visual and cultural studies and art knowledge of Chinese music and to conduct programs of arts and technology. Each session performing arts, and became a education. The collection now comprises the following nonprofit organization in 1976. encompasses more than 5,000 components: studio practice, The Society often works through years of human expression from visiting artists, museum education, performances by the Chinese cultures around the world, and and curriculum development. Classical Orchestra, led by Dr. Shen the school’s graduate program is Sin-yan, an authority on Chinese For the 2004 TICA, 104 teachers continually ranked as one of the music. Today, the Society participated from 34 states and the best in the country. membership numbers more than District of Columbia. “One of the 1,800 musicians and music lovers. In FY 2004, the Art Institute’s discussions we have with each TICA In performance and on recordings, school received an NEA Learning group centers on review of artists the Chinese Classical Orchestra has in the Arts grant of $57,000 to and art work available to each of internationalized Chinese music support the Teacher Institute in them,” said Philip Baranowski, TICA over the last two decades, making Contemporary Art (TICA). This founder and director. “With many it more accessible to the general program, designed exclusively of our teachers working in rural public. for experienced high school art areas, it is fascinating to see the teachers from around the nation, vast number of projects, objects, In FY 2004, the Society received an provides participating teachers the and artists that exist throughout NEA Challenge America grant of opportunity to study contemporary the country.” art theory and practice with leading
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The Chinese Classical Orchestra, led by Dr. Shen Sin-yan, has made Chinese music more accessible to the general public over the last two decades. Photo courtesy of Chinese Music Society of North America
$10,000 to support the 2004-2005 medley, and works by contemporary season gala concert of the Chinese Chinese composers. Compositions Classical Orchestra. The gala concert performed included Moon over the was held on November 6, 2004 in Mountain Pass, military music from the International House Auditorium the Tang Dynasty; The Flower Sobs of Chicago. The orchestra uses by 20th-century Suzhou Pingtan traditional Chinese instruments, ballad singer Xu Lixian; and Yan such as the bawu, a free-reeded Tieming’s Fishing Song featuring bamboo flute; the yangqin, a the haunting sound of the bawu. grand dulcimer; the erhu, a vertical The concert drew a predominantly python-skin fiddle; and the pipa, Asian-American audience from the a grand lute. Chicago metropolitan area, northern Indiana, and Milwaukee and The program included traditional Madison, Wisconsin. Chinese folk music, a Peking Opera
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 53
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Tales and Scales, Inc. Evansville
or nearly 20 years, Tales Fand Scales in Evansville, Indiana has ignited the imaginations of children, youth, and families with “Musictales,” Indiana a unique blend of storytelling, theater, dance, and music. Under the leadership of artistic director Deborah Moore, this group of master Percussionist Brian Smith coaches Dexter Elementary students during a rehearsal of Olympic Values, part of the Imagine That! program of Tales and Scales of Evansville, Indiana. Photo courtesy of Tales and Scales
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
musicians annually gives more the program focused on the century, however, making them too than 200 performances; school creation of the student Musictale fragile to loan. residencies under the Imagine production. In addition to arts In FY 2004, Indiana University That! program; and workshops for skills, students involved in the received an NEA Heritage & students, educators, and artists. program also broadened their Preservation grant of $10,000 to The ensemble has performed in critical-thinking, problem-solving, support the preservation of selected more than 36 states, and with and teamwork abilities. Each works from its David Bradley Film many symphony orchestras, residency culminated with the Collection. In order to preserve including ones in Chicago, Boston, students performing their Musictale. these historic works and support and Utah. Each year, Tales and Overall, approximately 1,000 the library’s mission of making these Scales also hosts Camp Imagination, members of the community viewed rare and out-of-print films more a week-long summer arts camp the final performances. widely available, the University based in southwest Indiana. embarked on a two-phase film In FY 2004, Tales and Scales Indiana University preservation project. The films were received an NEA Learning in the first transferred from film to video Arts grant of $30,000 to support Bloomington using a flying spot scanner to Imagine That! residencies in seven minimize the risk of damaging the Evansville schools during the 2004- he Lilly Library, Indiana original film while still producing a 2005 school year. Almost 200 TUniversity’s library for rare quality video copy. Next, the master students in first through fifth books, manuscripts, and videos were copied on to DVDs, grades participated in the two-part, special collections, aims to make its which will be available for loan week-long programs. Working with film collection available not only to locally and nationally. Tales and Scales artists, students at university faculty and students but Burglar on the Roof, a silent film each school used historical also to historians, scholars, and the from 1898, 23 films by pioneering accounts of Olympic athletes to general public. Upon his death in filmmaker D.W. Griffith, and films create a Musictale around the theme 1999, David Bradley, a noted film by screen comedians Charlie Chaplin of Olympic values. historian, gifted his archive of and Mack Sennett were some of the 3,000 16-millimeter films and more In the first phase of the program, 210 films targeted for initial than 300 linear feet of manuscripts, students learned basic skills in preservation efforts. books, and periodicals to the music, creative movement, and university. Many of these films date theater through a series of games from the early decades of the 20th and activities. The second half of
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 55 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Iowa
Simpson College In FY 2004, Simpson College Indianola received an NEA Heritage & Official Salvage Depot (1941) and Record and Preservation grant of $10,000 to Tribune & H.C. Criswell Feed Store (1940) by Don Berry, an American photographer impson College in support the preservation of the who documented rural Iowa between 1920 and 1970, whose photographs are being Indianola, Iowa is a United collection of Don Berry, an American preserved by Simpson College in Iowa. S photographer who documented rural Methodist-related private college founded in 1860. Simpson Iowa between 1920 and 1970. has an active arts program, Berry, the owner, publisher, and including visual arts exhibitions, editor of the local newspaper, The concerts, recitals, and theater and Indianola Record-Herald and Tribune, musical theater productions that was also an accomplished serve the larger central Iowa photographer, whose collection of community, including Des Moines small town life in Warren County and its suburbs. includes photos of farms, schools,
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University of The magazine trains its focus Northern Iowa on current affairs and politics in addition to literature. It receives Cedar Falls more than 10,000 submissions from authors annually. NAR also industry, social situations, and he University of Northern features visual art in every issue. portraits of people at work and at Iowa in Cedar Falls is the T Circulation is more than 1,800 play. In 1997, the Berry family publisher of the oldest subscribers in every state and gave the collection of 4,000 literary review in the country, The more than 15 countries; in addition, photographic negatives to Simpson North American Review (NAR). NAR is sent to more than 750 College, most stuffed in old Founded in 1815, NAR has been libraries worldwide. shoeboxes and envelopes. Many of publishing poetry, fiction, and the negatives had suffered cigarette nonfiction for almost 200 years. Its In FY 2004, NAR received an NEA smoke damage and were in no contributors included Walt Whitman, Challenge America grant of $10,000 archival order. Henry James, Andrew Carnegie, and to support the publication of three Joseph Conrad. issues of the literary magazine. The Simpson, over the next two years, issues featured the winner of the will purchase archival storage Over the last 20 years, NAR won the Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize, given materials, computer equipment to National Magazine Award for Fiction for stories taking a strong position create an index, and photographic twice and placed stories in the on important social issues; a materials to develop prints. Once annual O. Henry anthologies four celebration of Hispanic Heritage the negatives have been cleaned times, in the Pushcart Prize annuals Month; and more than 15 fiction and arranged in chronological order, nine times, in Best American Short pieces, more than 60 poems, and an exhibition of 40 of the images Stories eight times, and in Best numerous nonfiction works and will be created and held in 10 American Essays twice. Graphics are reviews and visual art pieces. locations across Iowa. The another strength for NAR, which has exhibition is scheduled to be ready twice won the “Ozzie” gold award by October 2005. for best cover among consumer magazines with a circulation of less than 100,000.
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Kansas
William Inge Theatre a unique collaborative experience Participating playwrights also have Festival during its 24-Hour Play Festival. received awards such as an Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellowship and Independence In FY 2004, the William Inge commissions from the Mark Taper Theatre Festival received an NEA Forum and the Irish-American ounded in 1982, the William Creativity grant of $10,000 to Heritage Center. Workshop Inge Theatre Festival in support a season of Playwrights-in- F performances of each play reached Independence, Kansas Residence workshops. Six 235 audience members, almost a nurtures, celebrates, promotes, and playwrights and 14 guest actors third of whom were students. More presents American theater. Each and directors participated in the than 285 people, including 190 April, the organization sponsors a program, which gives the writers students, attended a lecture series four-day theater festival of a chance to workshop and develop during which the guest artists performances, readings, workshops, new plays. The selected playwrights shared acting techniques, gave and educational seminars. The were Anne Phelan, Elaine Romero, advice on theater training, and Playwrights-in-Schools program Rose Portillo, Richard Broadhurst, shared their own personal stories of provides writing and drama Carson Becker, and Jeremy Kareken. life in the theater. The playwrights workshops to local high school Many of the plays workshopped in and guest artists also presented and community college students. 2004 are currently under workshops to high school and The William Inge Theatre Festival consideration for production college-level students in playwriting, also provides emerging and by professional companies. acting, and improvisation. established theater professionals
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Actress Maricela Ochoa works with two students on improvisational skills at an Independence, Kansas high school, as well as acting for playwright Rose Portillo’s reading of her new work, titled Twilight’s End, as part of the William Inge Theatre Festival’s Playwright-in- Residence season. Photo courtesy of William Inge Theatre Festival
Hutchinson-Reno $10,000 to support the writing and artists ranging from professionals County Cultural promotion of Kansas Murals: A to students and community groups. Commission Traveler’s Guide. The commission Biographies of the selected received funding from the Arts muralists and an additional Hutchinson Endowment in 2001 to support 400 murals are highlighted in initial research for Kansas Murals the book’s appendix. reated in 1989, the and the design and construction of Hutchinson-Reno County The Hutchinson-Reno County C a project Web site. Cultural Commission is a Cultural Commission will use Kansas support agency for local arts and Due to be published in fall 2006 by Murals to promote tourism and humanities councils. The the University Press of Kansas, the economic development in Kansas, commission’s mandate includes 250-page volume features color encourage preservation of public fostering tourism through arts photographs and narratives of art, provide an educational resource events and attractions, assisting significant public murals from six on Kansas history and art, celebrate organizations, promoting events Kansas regions. Featured works Kansas artists, and foster interest community wide, and enhancing include Work Projects in new community mural projects. the quality of life of all citizens Administration-era murals and The volume will be available by making the arts accessible to Kansas Statehouse murals by for purchase at venues such as the whole community. American Regionalist painter John historical societies, museums, Steuart Curry. The 90 highlighted libraries, and arts fairs. In FY 2004, the Hutchinson-Reno murals showcase a diversity of County Cultural Commission received techniques and approaches with an NEA Challenge America grant of
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Louisville Ballet Louisville
he Louisville Ballet began Tits high caliber dance programs in 1952. It now reaches more than 100,000 people annually and has earned a national reputation as one of the country’s leading regional ballet companies. The ballet company has a repertoire of 135 works, more than 50 of them world premieres, and presents five Kentucky productions a season plus the classic Nutcracker.
Helen Daigle, with Robert Dunbar and Milan Valko, performs during the Louisville Ballet’s production of Paul Taylor’s Company B. Photo by Vita Limanovica
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In FY 2004, the Louisville Ballet Ballet’s touring repertoire with a featured Edvard Greig’s Piano received an NEA Creativity grant of focus on Kentucky communities Concerto in A Minor and Gustav $10,000 to support the presentation with nearby military installations, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” of choreographer Paul Taylor’s such as Fort Knox. and was performed on September Company B. Paul Taylor has been 11, 2004 at Paducah’s Luther F. a dominant force in dance for Carson Four Rivers Center, decades, his work having been Paducah Symphony overlooking the confluence of the performed by more than 65 Orchestra Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. The companies. The Ballet had one Paducah Four Rivers Center is the new home Taylor piece in its repertoire, of the PSO, and this concert was the Esplanade, which premiered in 1998. he Paducah Symphony orchestra’s inaugural event at its Orchestra (PSO) in rural new venue. Company B, set in the 1940s to T western Kentucky has been the music of the Andrew Sisters, Internationally acclaimed pianist bringing audiences from nearby was presented March 4 and 5, Jeffrey Chappell was the guest communities in southern Illinois, 2005 as part of the Boogie Woogie soloist for the Greig concerto, his southeastern Missouri, northwestern Ballet program with Adam premiere performance with the Tennessee, and western Kentucky to Hougland’s Devolve and Choo-San orchestra. The Mahler symphony, hear performances of classical music Goh’s Variations Serieuses. Company based on Central European folk and since 1979. In addition to its B, featuring 13 of the Ballet’s traditional dance themes, followed. regular season schedule, the talented dancers, is a dazzling Jordan Tang was the conductor for orchestra performs an annual and nostalgic piece that recalls both pieces. Christmas Gala Concert as well as the World War II era. Youth Concerts that are targeted to The performance was broadcast on The Ballet hosted public rehearsals area schools. Also, the PSO National Public Radio affiliate WKMS of Taylor’s piece prior to each performs an annual “Pops” Concert, in Murray, Kentucky. The orchestra production to provide an which helps raise funds for its played to an audience of introduction to the staging of the educational endeavors. approximately 1,200 people, and ballet. The addition of the new reached an additional estimated In FY 2004, the PSO received an piece to its repertoire allows the 24,000 through the radio broadcast. NEA Challenge America grant of Ballet to cultivate new audiences $10,000 to support the opening that revere Taylor or enjoy the concert of its 2004-2005 season. Andrew Sisters’ music. In addition, The program for the concert Company B has been added to the
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New Orleans Jazz and In FY 2004, NOJ&HF received an interviews with practitioners at Heritage Foundation NEA Heritage & Preservation grant the Folklife Village and themed of $25,000 to support three New discussions at the Folk Heritage New Orleans Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Stage. exhibits: the Louisiana Folklife or almost 35 years, the New Village, the Folk Heritage Stage, Orleans Jazz and Heritage F and the Native American Village. Shreveport Regional Foundation (NOJ&HF) has Each area featured cultural presented the world-renowned New Arts Council demonstrations and performances by Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Shreveport tradition-bearers, including Native a seven-day celebration spotlighting American musicians, Mardi Gras the music, cuisine, and culture of ince 1976, the Shreveport costume makers, and artisans like Louisiana. Jazz Fest, as it’s Regional Arts Council (SRAC) basketweavers and woodworkers. S popularly called, regularly attracts has nurtured, developed, Together, the three festival sites more than 400,000 visitors each promoted, and presented arts for boasted more than 100 craftspeople year. The festival is part of the people of Louisiana’s and performers, many of whom NOJ&HF’s mission to promote, northwest regions. Some of SRAC’s return annually. Most have learned preserve, perpetuate, and encourage responsibilities include community their craft through a relative, Louisiana’s indigenous arts and cultural planning, arts in education community member, or mentor. culture. Other foundation initiatives programs, maintaining an arts include youth programs at the Recent participants have included district, and overseeing public Heritage School of Music; “Raisin’ the Native Nation Intertribal pow murals and installations. The the Roof,” a homeownership wow dancers; Larry Miller, a organization’s overarching goal is program for musicians and artists; melodeon (Cajun accordion) to reach out to underserved and free musical performances in maker; NEA National Heritage populations through community disadvantaged neighborhoods. Fellow Irvan Perez, a singer and and academic focused arts NOJ&HF also provides 40,000 free woodcarver; and YellowFawn education. Previous programs and discounted festival tickets to Thornton, a fourth-generation include interdisciplinary arts underserved populations, including Choctaw potter. Educational sessions residencies, master classes, and the nursing homes and schools. included folklorist-conducted annual ArtBreak Festival, which showcases student artists.
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In FY 2004, the Shreveport Regional During the school year, participating Arts Council received an NEA classroom teachers and resident Learning in the Arts grant of artists also attended two mandatory $50,000 to support ARTSMART, an professional development workshops arts education program targeted to aimed at helping them to Native Nation Intertribal pow wow dancers perform middle school students at risk of collaboratively integrate arts learning for fairgoers in Native failing to advance to high school. into the grade-level curriculum. In American Village at the New Orleans Jazz and The three-part program, in 2005, students also participated in Heritage Festival. partnership with Caddo Parish a four-week Summer Arts Academy Photo by Teresa Parker Public Schools, integrates the arts emphasizing the program’s arts into math and language curricula learning component. with the aim of improving the students’ classroom grades, daily attendance, standardized test scores, and cognitive skills.
In the 2004-2005 school year, participating students attended an after-school program three days per week and a monthly Saturday off-campus residency. In addition, artists from four disciplines—literature, visual art, dance, and theater—worked with the students for seven weeks during in-school residencies, which culminated in a final student performance and art show. Louisiana
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Alice James Poetry established and beginning poets, Cooperative with particular emphasis on involving poets in the publishing Farmington process. Winners of the regional New York/New England Award are ounded in 1973, the mission active members of the cooperative, of the Alice James Poetry F judging future contests and Cooperative in Farmington, participating in editorial and Maine is to seek out and publish executive decision-making. The the best contemporary poetry by Cooperative’s authors have won many distinguished literary prizes, including the American Book Award, The Nation/Discovery Prize, and Maine the William Carlos Williams Award. My Mojave, the eighth book of poetry by Alice James author and NEA Literature Fellow Donald Revell, won the $25,000 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets.
In FY 2004, the Alice James Poetry Cooperative received an NEA Creativity grant of $24,000 to support the promotion and publication of six poetry
NEA Literature Fellow titles from its Beatrice Frank X. Gaspar won the Hawley Award and Beatrice Hawley Award from the Alice James Poetry New York/New Cooperative for his book, Night of a Thousand Blossoms. England Award Image courtesy of Alice James Poetry Cooperative competitions. The Cooperative receives more than 1,200 entries each year for these prizes.
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Among the winning titles in that younger generations the 2004 competitions were of the Malisset, Micmac, manuscripts by National Book Passamaquoddy, and Award finalist Cole Swensen, Penobscot Tribes continue Whiting Writings’ Award winner working in ancestral craft Catherine Barnett, and NEA traditions and develop the Literature Fellow Frank X. Gaspar. skills necessary to make a Winning titles were reviewed by living on disadvantaged many prominent publications, rural reservations. including Publishers Weekly, The Members of the alliance Baskets made by NEA National Heritage Washington Post, The Christian include 125 ash and Fellow Clara Neptune Keezer, a master artist in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program Science Monitor, and the Los sweetgrass basketmakers of the Maine Indian Basketmaker’s Alliance. Angeles Times Review of Books. and 75 native artisans Photo by Peggy McKenna More than 7,000 copies of the working in other craft traditions. winning titles were sold, and, as Alliance programs include an arts In 2004, 19 masters from three part of its outreach program, the apprenticeship program, tribal tribes and 21 apprentices took Cooperative distributed free copies community workshops, and the part in the program, practicing of the award titles to artists’ Wabanaki Arts Center Gallery. a range of skills including log colonies and prison libraries. In FY 2004, Maine Indian pounding, ash preparation, Basketmaker’s Alliance received an sweetgrass gathering, weaving, Maine Indian NEA Heritage & Preservation grant and braiding. Apprentices, who Basketmaker’s of $25,000 to support its Traditional ranged in age from 9 to 60, Arts Apprenticeship program. Since learned both traditional tribal Alliance its inception, more than 100 and familial basket styles. Old Town apprentices have participated in Participating master basketmakers this traditional training in which included NEA National Heritage ounded in 1992, the Maine masters and apprentices meet once Fellow Clara Neptune Keezer. Indian Basketmaker’s F weekly for an entire year. In Apprentices were given the Alliance of Old Town serves addition to working on craft skills, opportunity to display and sell the more than 7,000 members of teachers and students are their baskets at the Wabanaki Arts Maine’s four federally recognized encouraged to use tribal languages Center Gallery, Bangor’s National Native American tribes, which are during sessions in order to help Folk Festival, and the Maine Indian collectively called the Wabanaki. preserve native oral traditions. Basketmakers annual festival. The alliance’s mission is to ensure
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Children’s Chorus of educators, the American Kodály Maryland Institute. Music teachers from all over the country participate in this Towson three-year certificate program. Through its concerts, outreach he Children’s Chorus of programs, guest appearances, and Maryland (CCM) in Towson T broadcasts, CCM reaches a wide is dedicated to excellence cross-section of audiences. in choral music performance and education. The CCM Conservatory In FY 2004, CCM received an NEA Program is open to all children ages Challenge America grant of $7,500 5-16 who qualify by passing an to support its Community Outreach audition. Each level of training is Concerts for rural populations in associated with a performing Maryland. Two concerts were ensemble. In addition to the presented in Somerset and Conservatory Program, CCM provides Washington Counties for audiences an early childhood music program, of 400-500 for each performance. In Crickets, for children ages four to addition, CCM provided pre-concert six. In 2000, CCM also founded a workshops for students attending training program for music the concerts in the counties.
Members of the Children’s Chorus of Maryland. Photo by Amy Jones
Background: A member of Children’s Chorus of Maryland Young Singers. Photo by Ramona Galey
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The concerts and workshops took Washington County In FY 2004, the museum received place in Princess Anne (Somerset Museum of Fine Arts an NEA Challenge America grant County) in March 2005 and of $10,000 to support the Hagerstown Hagerstown (Washington County) development and implementation of a visual arts education program, in April. The concerts received he Washington County Exploring the Significance of African an enthusiastic reception from Museum of Fine Arts in audiences, which came from T Art. Due to the distance Hagerstown, Maryland was of Washington County from most three counties. founded by Mr. and Mrs. William major multicultural institutions, CCM also provided educational Henry Singer, Jr. and incorporated there is little opportunity to opportunities for local children in 1929. The museum has a long introduce local students to the arts attending the concerts through pre- tradition of exercising cultural and culture of different ethnic concert “Side-by-Side Sings” leadership in the Cumberland Valley and racial groups. Non-European workshops, which allowed children region, providing residents and cultures have had a great impact from the audience to sit with a visitors with access to an on European and American artists; child in the choir during a pre- outstanding permanent collection when African art was first seen concert rehearsal. Artistic director of more than 6,000 art works. It widely in the Western World in Betty Bertaux introduced important maintains an active schedule of 1900, it was viewed as strange musical principles as well as exhibitions, musical concerts, and exotic, but greatly influenced important concepts such as lectures, films, art classes, and the work of Picasso and Matisse, discipline, teamwork, and focus special events for children and among others. required for performance. adults throughout the year. The program was designed for eighth-graders in eight Washington County middle schools. The students were introduced to African art Maryland through the 50-minute film, African Art & Culture, followed by hands-on examination of Ashanti, Bambara, Luba, and Yoruba ritualistic artifacts and a general discussion with the curator about each item and its cultural context.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 67 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS Massachusetts
Silence No.1 (2002) by Katsunori Hamanishi, one of the works on display during the Worcester Art Museum’s exhibition, Japanese Masters of Mezzotint. Image courtesy of Worcester Art Museum
Worcester Art Museum audiences. In the past decade, WAM November 28, 2004. These two Worcester has been successful in diversifying 20th-century artists elevated its collection, adding significant the difficult art of mezzotint, a ounded in 1896, the pieces of African American and 300-year-old European form of FWorcester Art Museum Southeast Asian art. printmaking in which images (WAM) in Massachusetts is are produced through subtle In FY 2004, WAM received an one of the largest art museums in gradations of dark and light rather NEA Challenge America grant of New England, housing nearly 35,000 than line. The exhibition provided $10,000 to support the exhibition objects spanning 50 centuries. WAM the opportunity to present an Japanese Masters of Mezzotint: Yozo also acts as a center of art uncommon art form to the public, Hamaguchi and Katsunori Hamanishi education, providing classes and and also to explore contemporary from September 6 through public programs for a variety of Asian culture and art.
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The artists’ mezzotints display tones an estimated 12,000 reels of successful American-made Yiddish ranging from deepest black to white independently made films, feature films. and the selective use of rich colors. documentaries, shorts, newsreels, The 1937 film, directed by Ilya Hamaguchi celebrated the delicate home movies, and institutional Motyleff (and an uncredited Sidney beauty of the vessels, fruits, films dating from 1903 to the Goldin, who began the film but died vegetables, and insects that he present. The topics of the films early in production), was the screen appreciated while living in France. range from the Jewish immigrant debut of Moishe Oysher, the cantor In Hamanishi’s prints, constructed experience in America and and matinee idol who later starred objects and natural forms of Hollywood’s portrayal of Jewish life in other Yiddish classics. elemental shapes are juxtaposed to Israeli history and the Holocaust. as they emerge out of darkness, NCJF owns the only known 35- NCJF’s first priority is the suggesting cryptic riddles. millimeter nitrate print of the film, preservation of rare and endangered which has broken splices, torn Hamanishi flew from Japan to nitrate and acetate films. The perforations, and some shrinkage, Worcester for the opening of Center began in 1976 with the but can be restored. The reels will the exhibition, and conducted rescue of a languishing Yiddish- be preserved and new 35-millimeter a public demonstration workshop language film collection and has prints will be made, as well as a DVD of his technique. since preserved and restored 33 master. In addition, a new, separate Yiddish feature films. In FY 2004, subtitle track will be created, as the NCJF received an NEA Heritage & original subtitles were inadequate. National Center Preservation grant of $20,000 to The project is expected to be for Jewish Film support the preservation of The completed in 18 months. Cantor’s Son, one of the most Waltham A still from the film, The he National Center for Cantor’s Son, being restored by the National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF) in Jewish Film in Waltham, T Massachusetts. Waltham, Massachusetts Image courtesy of National Center for houses the largest, most Jewish Film comprehensive collection of Jewish-themed film and video in the world. NCJF exclusively owns
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Kaila Potts wins First Place in the Senior Division Laureate of the 2004 Sphinx Competition for her viola performance. Photo by Glenn Triest Michigan
PIX Arts Council for nationally known artists; a Local Jazz Orchestra, led his band through Greater Lapeer Artist Series; KIDS CLUB: Live at a repertoire of Armstrong’s work Lapeer the PIX, an introduction to the from the 1930s through the 1960s. performing arts for families with In Too Much Light, the theater he PIX Arts Council for elementary school children; and troupe attempts to perform 30 plays TGreater Lapeer (PAC) theater workshops for children. in 60 minutes. Each play is written programs and operates by one of the performers, honed In FY 2004, PAC received an the PIX Theatre, a historic theater by the ensemble, and randomly NEA Challenge America grant of created in the 1940s. The theater performed with the other 29 pieces $10,000 to support its 2004-2005 was restored in 1997 and now through audience participation. Premiere Series program. PAC added showcases musical and theatrical “talk-back” sessions to two PAC is booking two other prominent performances and second-run film scheduled performances: Marcus artists who have not appeared showings, becoming a focal point Belgrave Octet’s show “The Louis previously in Lapeer for for local arts and community Armstrong Tradition,” and the Neo- performances during summer activities in the town of 9,000 Futurists’ experimental play, Too 2005. PAC’s Premiere Series has residents. Over the three years of Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. brought in acts not customarily its existence, PAC has offered a Marcus Belgrave, formerly a seen live and is helping to expand Premiere Series of performances by trumpeter with the Lincoln Center the PIX’s audience.
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Trevor Ochieng, First Place Junior Division Laureate of the 2004 Sphinx Competition, plays violin with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, with guest conductor Guillermo Figueroa. Photo by Glenn Triest
symphony promotes works by African American and Latino composers.
Members of the orchestra devoted themselves to the mentoring and education of minority youth string players through providing master classes and lectures. In 2004, 18 Sphinx Organization comprised of top professionals participants were selected to from around the country. Detroit participate in the competition held from February 18-22, 2004. In FY 2004, the Sphinx Organization he Sphinx Organization received an NEA Creativity grant of The Honors Concert featured the Tof Detroit, Michigan is $60,000 to support the artistic three Junior Laureate winners dedicated to building development of the Sphinx accompanied by the Sphinx diversity in classical music by Symphony and the 2004 Sphinx Symphony, and the Finals Concert developing the classical music talent Competition. The symphony includes featured the three Senior Laureates in African American and Latino past and current members from and the Junior Division winner youth. Sphinx also holds the annual major U.S. symphonies, as well as Trevor Ochieng along with the Sphinx Competition, in which young faculty members of leading music symphony and guest artist violinist African American and Latino string institutions, including Peabody and Sanford Allen. Sphinx is facilitating players compete, mentored by New England Conservatories, Harlem performances of the Laureates with members of the Sphinx Symphony School of the Arts, Rutgers more than 20 orchestras nationwide, Orchestra, a unique all African University, and the University of including Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, American and Latino orchestra Michigan. During performances, the Detroit, St. Louis, and Seattle.
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College of Saint Merce Cunningham is one of the British alternative rock scene since Benedict most important and progressive the early 1990s, and Sigur Ros, an dance artists of our day, creating Icelandic experimental rock group St. Joseph new perspectives on dance’s recently breaking through on the he College of Saint Benedict relationship with music and the international music scene, (CSB) in St. Joseph, visual arts. He has received accompanied the piece. T numerous awards for his work, Minnesota, founded in Cunningham’s residency provided including a National Medal of Arts 1913, has been presenting visual innovative live dance performance in 1990. and performing arts events for 28 to new audiences who may have years through its Fine Arts Series. Split Sides involves Cunningham’s not experienced live dance before. In FY 2004, CSB received an NEA interest in “chance operations” in The performance drew more than Challenge America grant of $20,000 creating art: for each performance, 2,000 adults and children from the for the Minnesota premiere of Merce the order of the two sets of 20- surrounding rural community. Cunningham’s dance piece, Split minute music compositions, the Sides. In addition, members of the two decors, two sets of costumes, dance company were artists-in- and two lighting plots were Walker Art Center residence at the college for a week, determined by a public pre- Minneapolis conducting panel discussions and performance roll of dice, allowing master classes both at CSB and for, mathematically, 32 different stablished in 1927 and the Hennepin Center for the Arts possible versions of the piece. Efocusing on contemporary in Minneapolis. Music by Radiohead, stars on the art beginning in the 1940s, Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center Background: Jean Freebury (far right) leads a dance master class on has established an international the Merce Cunningham technique at the College of Saint Benedict as part of the dance company’s week-long residency. reputation as a leader in Photo by Kristin Darnall contemporary arts. One of the
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few art institutions of its kind the most renowned Asian artists, suite inspired by the art works of in the country, the Walker is equally performing a retelling of the Hindu the Walker’s collection in May. dedicated to visual, performing, epic Ramayana in a piece entitled Dance features include the Bill T. and film/video arts. Nearly 1,500 Sethu in September 2004. In 2005, Jones’s world premiere of his new artists and scholars participate in music features include a three-night solo program As I Was Saying… in Walker activities each year, bringing festival celebrating the music and June 2005. During the two years of in more than one million annual 75th birthday of NEA Jazz Master Connective Creation, 14 weeks of visitors. Ornette Coleman in April and the developmental residencies are world premiere of up-and-coming designed to build bonds between In FY 2004, the Walker received jazz pianist Jason Moran’s new jazz the artists and the community. an NEA Creativity grant of $75,000 for its extensive program,
Connective Creation: Developing 1984 NEA Jazz Master Ornette Coleman performs as part of the Walker New Work in Community, which Art Center’s three-day festival centered on the jazz legend’s music. Photo courtesy of Walker Art Center consists of seven large-scaled commissioned residency projects over two years. In March 2005, the Walker nearly doubled the size of the center to provide more possibilities for performances.
Among the artists featured in Connective Creation were the Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, I Dewa Putu Berata, and the Schubert Club Gamelan, some of
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Meridian Symphony American composer Ulysses Simpson University of Association Kay’s Presidential Suite, George Mississippi Gershwin’s Concerto in F for Piano Meridian and Orchestra, excerpts from Aaron University
he Meridian Symphony Copland’s ballet Rodeo, and Samuel he Center for the Study Association has enhanced Barber’s Adagio for Strings. of Southern Culture was T Pianist/composer Logan Skelton, a the cultural environment T established at the of east Mississippi and west central Mississippi native who is Associate University of Mississippi in 1977. Alabama by providing an annual Professor of Piano at the University Since then, the Center has gained series of public concerts by the of Michigan School of Music, was an international reputation for Meridian Symphony Orchestra the guest artist. education and scholarship on the (MSO), promoting arts education, Before the program, Skelton and history, literature, music, art, and and developing local musical conductor Claire Fox Hillard held food of the American South. The talent. The orchestra performs a pre-concert lecture. A student Center sponsors several programs four to five concerts each year in workshop with Skelton was held aimed at the general public as well, addition to a children’s concert at the Meridian Community College such as the Faulkner and and a Pops Concert. for area piano students. Both the Yoknapatawpha Conference, the In FY 2004, the Meridian Symphony workshop and concert were Chancellor’s History Symposium, and Association received an NEA standing room only, attracting the Oxford Conference for the Book. Challenge America grant of $10,000 more than 500 people. In FY 2004, the University of to support the MSO’s opening The symphony has sought to bring Mississippi received an NEA concert of the 2004-2005 season. more members of the large local Creativity grant of $10,000 to The concert, entitled “America the African American community into support the 2004 Oxford Conference Beautiful,” was held September 11, its audiences through performing for the Book, April 1-4, 2004. The 2004 to commemorate the tragedy music by African American artists, free conference, inaugurated by the of September 11, 2001. such as “The Roots and Influences Center in 1993, is a three-day The program of all American of Jazz: America’s Music” and gathering celebrating the literary composers began with the National “America the Beautiful.” arts. Since 1999, the conference has Anthem and included African been broadcast on cable television
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as well, reaching an estimated 50,000 people.
The 2004 conference included a tribute to renowned writer Walker Percy, to whom the conference was dedicated, and an annual session celebrating National Poetry Month. A special program honoring award- winning children’s book author Mildred D. Taylor, including a governor’s proclamation of April 2 as Mildred D. Taylor Day in Mississippi, drew approximately 1,100 people. In addition, there were numerous workshops and panels on the process of writing, getting published, and reaching an audience.
Writers participating in the conference included Roy Blount, Jr., Barry Hannah, and NEA Literature Fellows Kaye Gibbons, Beth Ann Fennelly, and William Jay Smith. The 2004 conference attendance The Oxford Conference for the Book is an annual three-day gathering celebrating was 300 to 500 people at almost all the literary arts in Oxford, Mississippi. of the 17 sessions. Mississippi
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Missouri
West Plains Council traditions, and advocated for education resources around the on the Arts the arts as a partner in area’s traditional cultural resources. community development. Reynolds also assisted in the West Plains planning, programming, and In FY 2004, WCPA received an NEA promotion of the West Plains Old ocated in the heart of the Challenge America grant of $30,000 Time Music/Ozark Heritage Festival, Missouri Ozarks, for more to support a one-year folklorist L which features traditional crafts, than 25 years the West position. Rachel Reynolds, the cultural activities, and musical Plains Council on the Arts (WCPA) folklorist chosen for the position, entertainment, including has supported the region’s was charged with expanding performances by NEA National traditional arts through accessibility to audiences for the Heritage Fellows Kenny Baker documentation, conservation, and region’s traditional artists, art and Will Keys. Additional projects presentation. Working with partners forms, and folklife. She also included creating the Pickin’ such as Southwest Missouri State coordinated a strategic planning Session series to promote the University, the Missouri Arts process for cultural tourism to traditional music and dances of Council, and the Missouri Folk Arts diversify audiences and benefit the region and expanding the Program, WCPA has fostered the local economies. WCPA’s database of cultural development of local artists, Major activities for 2004 ranged resources of the Missouri Ozarks. presented artists and art forms from creating a regional folk arts not traditionally accessible to the and cultural tourism Web site to area, preserved regional cultural conducting fieldwork documenting regional folklife, traditional artists, and art forms to working with local schools and organization to develop
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Cinema St. Louis such as Cambodia: Living with St. Louis Landmines and Bluegrass Journey— and first-time directors, including ounded in 1991, the Ferenc Toth’s Unknown Soldier about mission of Cinema St. Louis surviving on the streets of Harlem F and St. Louis native Ryan Eslinger’s is to present cinema that offers glimpses of human experience Madness and Genius, which explores from around the world in order to the world of academic physics foster learning about myriad through a discovery by a professor expressions, cultures, and opinions. and student.
Cinema St. Louis has produced the Algeria, Bhutan, Scotland, and St. Louis International Film Festival New Zealand were among the 29 since 1992 when the festival countries presenting international featured only 25 films. The festival films at the festival. Special events provides the only exposure to some at the festival included a live of the world’s best films for more discussion with Oscar-winning than 16,000 viewers. director Bill Condon, a tribute to In FY 2004, Cinema St. Louis pioneer woman director Alice Guy received an NEA Creativity grant Blache, and a free seminar for of $10,000 to support the 13th St. filmmakers on privacy and Louis International Film Festival. publicity rights. The 11-day event featured more than 180 films, including short At the 13th St. Louis International Film Festival, the audience lines up before a sold-out screening at the Hi-Pointe Theater. and feature-length international Photo courtesy of Cinema St. Louis documentaries, American independent works, and locally produced films. More than 50 guest filmmakers and 18,000 audience members participated in the 2004 event.
Outside of screening some Oscar- nominated films such as Finding Neverland, the festival’s schedule included feature documentaries— GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Art Mobile of Montana but also quality art lessons and Dillon teacher workshops in art education. In 2003-2004, Art Mobile traveled rt Mobile of Montana, to 70 sites in 27 counties, reaching Abased in rural Dillon, 7,256 individuals, mostly students. provides a traveling art In FY 2004, Art Mobile received an outreach program for those with NEA Challenge America grant of less access to the visual arts. $12,000 for its 2004-2005 Targeting students and underserved activities. During the year, Art areas such as Indian reservations, Mobile visited 55 sites in Montana Art Mobile provides not only (including the state’s seven Indian collections of original works of art reservations), reaching just about every area of the state, and served nearly 7,000 individuals. Each visit is a minimum of two hours, and Montana some sites schedule more than one visit in a year. Art Mobile provides visits for all ages, but tries to target more intergenerational groups, such as in Judith Gap, Montana, where a local seniors group participated in a site visit with high school students. The program also provides accommodations for the hearing and visually challenged.
Art-making activities are part of the site visits, offered in a range of media from printmaking to watercolor to pastels, and are
Students from the Hutterite Colonies near Lewistown, Montana working on art projects after the presentation of the Art Mobile of Montana exhibit. Photo by Sara Colburn GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
often related to art works in the exhibits. All Art Mobile art lessons adhere to the Montana Performance Standards for the Arts.
The artists featured in Art Mobile are primarily Montanan artists. These artists, whose works speak to the rich, visual legacy of the West, are well received by the mostly rural audiences that Art Mobile visits.
Whitefish Theatre Whitefish Theatre presented Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World as part of their Summer Series in 2004. Whitefish Photo by Stillwater Photography
he Whitefish Theatre in July and August 2004: Songs for The Whitefish Summer Series Company (WTC) is a T a New World and Art. The plays were coincides with increased tourist cultural arts center in performed five days a week, Songs activity to Glacier Park, Flathead rural northwestern Montana, playing July 22 through August 8 Lake, and Whitefish Lake located attracting audiences from and Art playing August 11-22. nearby. Songs for a New World is a hundreds of miles away for Through a partnership with Flathead musical by Tony Award-winning their theatrical productions. In Valley Community College, four songwriter Jason Robert Brown. The addition to performances, WTC interns assisted WTC in the libretto addresses the ways in has a children’s education program production of the two plays. The which we can deal with the stress, that includes after-school Whitefish Chamber of Commerce terror, and anxiety of modern life. workshops, a summer camp, and and Glacier County assisted in Art, by noted French playwright school performances/discussions. developing marketing plans and Yasmina Reza, uses the eternal In FY 2004, WTC received an NEA promotional materials for the Web, question, What is art?, as basis for Challenge America grant of $10,000 radio, and television, as well as an examination of the friendship for two Summer Series productions distribution in print. among three men.
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Museum of Nebraska Art Kearney
ounded in 1976, the FMuseum of Nebraska Art (MONA) in Kearney became the state’s official visual arts collection by legislative act in 1979. The collection of more than 5,000 artworks contains work by Nebraskan artists and works reflective of Nebraska’s culture and environment. Artists represented in the collection include Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton, wildlife illustrator John James Audubon, and contemporary fiber artist Sheila Hicks. MONA’s community programs, in support of its mission to enhance the quality Negro Singer by Grant Reynard, part of the Museum of Nebraska Art’s exhibition Afro Psalms, which is available for touring through the museum’s ARTreach program. of life for all Nebraskans through Image courtesy of Museum of Nebraska Art expanded arts education, include artist and scholar lectures, musical who do not have regular access through September 2006. and theatrical performances, and to it, particularly those living in Presenters may request one of six hands-on arts workshops for youth rural areas. thematic exhibitions, such as Afro and adult students. Psalms, an exploration of African Grant funds were used to print American life through the In FY 2004, MONA received an interpretive and promotional juxtaposition of works by illustrator NEA Challenge America grant of materials as well as for the Grant Reynard and poet Charles $10,000 to support its ARTreach transportation and installation of Fort. MONA expects up to 2,500 program in which works from the the touring artworks. Beginning in individuals will benefit from each museum’s collection are toured and October 2004, 22 sites were offered site’s four-week exhibition. exhibited statewide. The program a chance to participate in the brings quality original art to citizens project, which is scheduled to run
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Nebraska Humanities The NFN provides technical Council assistance to traditional artists and cultural and community Lincoln organizations who wish to apply for NHC or NAC grants. NFN has also he Nebraska Humanities worked with traditional artists, Council (NHC), the T cultural communities, and the Nebraska Arts Council Nebraska Arts Council to develop an (NAC), and the University of online middle school curriculum on Nebraska-Lincoln Plains Humanities the state’s folk and traditional arts. Alliance partnered in 2003 to To further foster cultural learning, create the Nebraska Folklife NFN distributes encounter “trunks,” Network (NFN) in response to the The Nebraska Humanities Council is including a teacher’s manual, books, working on a special kit on Vietnamese lack of wide-ranging folklore festivals, which provides information on compact discs, traditional clothing, programs in the state. The mission topics such as traditional decorations, games, and other cultural items. here shown for Tet, the Vietnamese lunar of the NFN is to research, new year, which include a table with The first two trunks were “From the candles, incense, and blossoms. document, support, and publicly Photo by Gwen Meister Steppes to the Plains: Nebraska’s present Nebraska folklife and Germans from Russia” and “A traditional arts. interview tradition bearers from Treasured Heritage: Mexican each group. The resulting trunks In FY 2004, the NHC received Americans in Nebraska.” will be available for use in 2006 by an NEA Folk & Traditional Arts In 2004, NFN started production schools, libraries, museums, and Infrastructure Initiative grant of on two new kits by documenting community organizations. The $25,000 to support the second various cultural festivals hosted program reaches nearly 4,000 year of a statewide folklife and by the state’s Vietnamese and students, primarily in fourth traditional arts program Swedish communities. NFN is also through sixth grades. administered by the Nebraska conducting fieldwork to identify and Folklife Network.
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Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Las Vegas
he Las Vegas-Clark County TLibrary District serves 1.5 million residents in a 7,000-square-mile area in Clark County, Nevada, with 12 urban branches and 12 rural branches. In addition, the library district produces artistic and cultural programming in 13 art galleries and six performing arts centers featuring national, regional, and local authors, musicians, dancers, and visual artists.
In FY 2004, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District received an NEA Challenge America grant of $10,000 to support a residency with the Ailey II Company of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the West Las Vegas Library and Theatre. The residency included a Ailey II dancers Courtney Brené Corbin and Yusha-Marie Sorzano lead a master class at the West Las Vegas Art Center as part of the dance company’s residency. lecture/demonstration for Photo by Isaac Sawyer, Las Vegas Sentinel Voice elementary and middle school students, a master dance class for youth, and a free evening concert. West Las Vegas is historically an African American community Nevada located near downtown Las Vegas.
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cultures. The residency fit well with Book Festival. Originally planned the theme, as Ailey II showcased as a three-day festival from October jazz and modern dance with a 21-23, 2004, it was expanded by decidedly African American focus, five days due to an enthusiastic often using jazz and blues as response by new community musical accompaniment. partners: the City of Las Vegas, the Art Institute of Las Vegas, The master dance class for young the University of Nevada at Las dancers ages 10 to 17 included 68 Vegas, and Clark County. The participants and was led by Ailey II festival featured more than 50 dancers Courtney Brené Corbin, nationally known and locally Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Ricardo established writers in readings, Zayas. More than 150 students panel discussions, and writing attended the lecture/demonstration. workshops. The event raised public The evening performance drew more awareness of literary programs than 350 people. offered at Henderson-area libraries and other local cultural venues.
Henderson District The 2004 festival featured three Public Libraries keynote speakers: acclaimed crime Henderson novelist Walter Mosley, National Book Award-winning novelist n addition to library services, Charles Johnson, and author and the Henderson District Public screenwriter Michael Blake. Festival ILibraries (HDPL) present activities also included a children’s artistic and cultural activities in theater production in the city’s the community, such as the Vegas outdoor amphitheater, two Valley Book Festival. This festival evenings of poetry readings and a The residency was a featured part is sponsored by HDPL in poetry workshop, and presentations of the library’s African American partnership with the Nevada by graphic artists/cartoonists Heritage Month celebration in Humanities Committee and the Chip Kidd and Keith Knight. An February 2005. Many of the City of Henderson, and is free estimated 5,000 people attended activities related to the celebration to the community. festival activities in Henderson revolved around the subject of and Las Vegas. In FY 2004, HDPL received an NEA dance, focusing on its broad role Challenge America grant of $10,000 within African and African American to support the 2004 Vegas Valley
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Background: Randall Scotting and Dream. Nationally known artists, Susannah Biller, members of the Opera North Youth Artist program, play Oberon Lebanon such as Eric Fennell and Leah and Titania, king and queen of the Partridge, performed the major roles fairies, in Opera North’s matinee performance of Benjamin Britten’s A pera North of Lebanon, with Opera North’s Young Artists Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of in supporting roles. During the A Festival of Shakespeare in Song. New Hampshire is northern Photo by Carl S. Brandon O matinee performances, Young Artists New England’s premier professional opera company, playing were given the opportunity to to more than 12,000 people perform in the principal roles. Opera annually at the historic Lebanon North won seven OperaOnline Opera House. In addition to its awards for performances during the season performances, Opera North 2004 season, including one for a also provides the Young Artist Young Artist.
Program, a training program for In addition to the performances, expert young singers and technical Opera North toured scenes from personnel; a school and community the two operas as well as other outreach program; master classes; Shakespeare works in music at a and pre-performance lectures. variety of venues throughout In FY 2004, Opera North received Vermont and New Hampshire. an NEA Challenge America grant Preview “scenes” programs were of $10,000 to support its 2004 presented in rural communities summer program, A Festival of and underserved school districts in Shakespeare in Song. The festival June 2004, and a symposium on featured five performances of Shakespeare’s comedy and drama Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet in song was held during the and four performances of Benjamin performance season. Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s New Hampshire
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Concord Community In FY 2004, CCMS received an NEA for children in public housing; Music School Learning in the Arts grant of percussion sessions for at-risk $45,000 to support its Music in the students; master classes and Concord Community Initiative. This initiative sectionals for school music provides programming to those who programs; and improvisational he Concord Community could not otherwise participate and composition residencies by Music School (CCMS) in T because of income, disability, or CCMS faculty. New Hampshire serves distance, serving children ages nearly 1,500 students of all ages, During the 2003-2004 school year, 6 months to 18 years. income levels, and musical abilities the Music In The Community every week, providing more than CCMS partnered with public Initiative took CCMS faculty 80,000 musical services to 33,000 schools, pre-schools, retirement members to partner sites more individuals during 2003. In 2002, communities, public housing, and than 700 times. From Concord to CCMS participated in the NEA human service agencies throughout Manchester, from the Lakes Region initiative Creative Communities, New Hampshire on this initiative. to Northern New Hampshire, more partnering with the Manchester Through its partnership with 11 than 2,700 individuals were served Housing Authority to offer dance, organizations, CCMS provided music through this program during the singing, improvisation, and and movement classes for at-risk year. These individuals were percussion classes to children mothers and their children and involved in 529 sessions, which ages 4-12. low-income pre-schoolers; chorus, is expected to increase to more creative dance, and musical theater than 700 in 2005.
Students in the after-school partnership between the Concord Community Music School and the Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority who began with creative movement classes in 2001 are now studying ballet as part of the Music in the Community Initiative. Photo by Dan Gawlowski
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 85 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS New Jersey
Montclair Art Museum The project, celebrating its 10th Montclair anniversary, provides these services free of charge to local organizations he Montclair Art Museum that do not have the expertise or in New Jersey is financial resources to develop visual T arts programming of their own. The internationally known for its American and Native participants of the program are American art collections, providing developmentally and neurologically exhibitions and educational impaired adults that live with programs that explore the two severe physical limitations. evolving artistic traditions. The Project Reach Out is offered at the museum serves more than 60,000 North West Essex Community visitors annually, and has various Healthcare Network in Montclair educational programs to reach the and the First Cerebral Palsy Center public and special needs audiences, of Essex in Bellville to participants including lectures, studio art who would find it difficult to visit classes, guided gallery tours, Students participating in the Montclair Art the museum. Art projects are Museum’s Project ReachOut, a visual arts outreach and family days. designed by an experienced artist program for adults with special needs. Photos by Eleanor M. Schlosser In FY 2004, the Montclair Art and art educator to accommodate Museum received an NEA Challenge a wide range of physical disabilities. America grant of $15,000 to support Participants learn to express Project Reach Out, an off-site themselves in a variety of two- and educational program designed to three-dimensional artistic modes reach more than 5,000 disabled from drawing with pencil and adults with sustained visual arts charcoal to painting with acrylic lessons and hands-on art activities. on canvas to woodwork and crafts.
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Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium Jersey City
amed after Thomas NEdison’s Black Maria film studio in West Orange, New Jersey, erected in 1893 to facilitate the production of the earliest moving images known to the public, the Black Maria Film and Video Festival presents a highly varied and provocative collection of new film works offered for exhibition through its traveling showcase tour. The festival includes an international exhibit cutting edge works from The winners of the 24th festival, juried award competition and independent film and videomakers. ranging from experimental works to post-film discussions. Following a rigorous jurying process documentaries to animation, came that whittles down 700 entries to from 14 states and five foreign In FY 2004, the Thomas A. Edison 50 selected works, the festival countries. From January to June Media Arts Consortium of Jersey launches its national tour each 2005, the festival traveled to 75 City received an NEA Creativity January. The festival is recognized sites in 18 states throughout the grant of $20,000 to support the by The Academy of Motion Picture country and in Italy. A festival 24th Annual Black Maria Film and Arts and Sciences as an Academy curator travels to each venue Video Festival. Award–qualifying festival for short to introduce and oversee the Since 1981, the annual Black films (documentary, animation, exhibition of the work and to Maria Film and Video Festival and live action). facilitate audience discussion. has been fulfilling its mission to
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The Museum of New Mexico’s TREX program offers high quality exhibitions for Museum of New touring throughout the United States, such as Cerámica y Cultura: The Story of Spanish and Mexican Mayólica, exhibited here at the University of Arizona Museum Mexico Foundation of Art in September 2004. Photo courtesy of University of Arizona and Museum of New Mexico Santa Fe
he Museum of New Mexico TFoundation is a nonprofit organization, governed by a board of trustees, that provides essential philanthropic and financial support for the Museum of New Mexico system and the museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program (TREX). TREX exhibitions feature the unique arts and cultures of the Southwest, serving museums nationally and internationally.
In FY 2004, the Museum of New Mexico Foundation received an NEA Challenge America grant of $20,000 to support TREX in the development of new exhibitions and new ways to make them more accessible using the Internet. TREX circulates exhibitions from the museum collections and on loan to the museum and develops new traveling
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exhibitions in conjunction with Sweet Bird Classics programs a year, releasing one each other branches of the museum Albuquerque week during the school year. Each system. The traveling exhibition season includes episodes on the program is the oldest such program he mission of Sweet Bird building blocks of music: melody, in the United States, having been Classics of Albuquerque, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. founded in 1909. T World-class musicians and New Mexico is to produce high-quality educational radio composers such as Yo-Yo Ma, In 2004, TREX offered 12 programs and associated print Bright Sheng, Zakir Hussain, exhibitions for booking, including materials about classical and world and Tan Dun, as well as major Cerámica y Cultura: The Story of music. The programs are available orchestras and local musicians, Spanish and Mexican Mayólica, for free to radio stations and have participated in the episodes. which explores the rich history and school districts in the United culture of the Iberian Peninsula Boombox Classroom makes it States and Canada. and the Americas through the art possible for elementary and form of mayólica, tin-enameled In FY 2004, Sweet Bird Classics middle-school students to have a earthenware; Stories Untold: Jewish received an NEA Learning in the professionally taught music lesson Pioneer Women, 1850-1910, the Art Arts grant of $30,000 to support every week, even if there is no of Andrea Kalinowski, in which the Boombox Classroom, a nationally music teacher in the classroom. contemporary artist uses a mixed- syndicated, award-winning series of Participating teachers download media approach to tell stories of radio programs about world and the age-appropriate curriculum work Jewish women’s lives on the classical music designed for school materials from Sweet Bird Classics’ Western frontier; and Gone: districts that have little general Web site along with answer sheets, Photographs of Abandonment on music instruction in grades play lists, and supporting material. the High Plains, which shows kindergarten through eighth. All the materials follow the National noted photographer Steve Fitch’s Standards for Music Education. Boombox Classroom runs on 20 images of abandoned buildings stations in 14 states. Some stations along the Great Plains. All TREX air the programs on weekends; exhibitions include resource guides, others use them as curriculum if interpretive components, and their communities have too little publications that enhance music in the schools. Sweet Bird educational impact and Classics produces approximately 36 community outreach efforts.
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The Revolutionary Ensemble, with avant-garde legend Leroy Jenkins on violin, Sirone on bass, and Jerome Cooper on drums, at the 2004 Vision Festival in New York City, sponsored by Arts for Art. Artwork behind musicians is by Yuko Otomo. Photo by Michael Wilderman
Arts for Art In FY 2004, Arts for Art received an Arts for Art), Matthew Shipp, and NEA Creativity grant of $10,000 to New York David S. Ware—performing with support the ninth annual Vision legendary musicians such as Reggie rts for Art is an artist-run Festival from May 25 through May Workman, Leroy Jenkins, Butch nonprofit in New York 31, 2004. The festival was held at Morris, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. A the Center at St. Patrick’s Cathedral City that builds The festival offers benefits to and drew more than 3,500 people awareness and understanding both the artists and the public: over seven days. of avant-garde jazz and other the artists gain essential exposure expressive art movements that The Vision Festival revolves around to larger audiences, leading to share an aesthetic based on a self-produced performances of a more performing and recording disciplined disregard for traditional cooperative group of musicians opportunities, and the public boundaries. The organization’s working in avant-garde jazz. There gets to experience some of the principal activities include were a total of 150 artists who finest experimental improvised exhibitions of visual arts, performed in 31 performing groups music available. The casual community-based art education during the festival, with some of atmosphere of the performances programs, and the presentation of the brightest stars in contemporary allows the audiences and artists cutting-edge music, highlighted by avant-garde jazz—William Parker to mingle and interact. the annual Vision Festival. (one of the founding members of
90 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS New York
Iroquois Indian culture. The two festivals held in performed contemporary Iroquois Museum 2004 were the Strawberry Moon dances. The festival also included Festival of Iroquois Arts, May 29-30, storyteller Perry Ground, the Howes Cave and the 23rd Annual Iroquois Howard Lyons Band, and the Old Festival, September 4-6. Mush Singers, all with roots in one he Iroquois Indian Museum of the 17 Iroquois communities. (IIM) in central New York Both festivals included Iroquois T Tuscarora pottery, Cayuga wampum, State is an educational social dancing, storytelling, and and Mohawk stonecarving institution dedicated to fostering foods; children’s activities; nature demonstrations were also part understanding of Iroquois culture park walks; and an all-Iroquois art of the activities. through their arts, both visual and market featuring some of the performing. As an anthropology premier Iroquois artists and Iroquois art and crafts, such as this museum, IIM identifies and presents craftspeople working today. Oneida drum and drumstick by craftsman Richard Chrisjohn, Sr., are artists celebrating the unity of At the Strawberry Moon Festival, on display at the Iroquois Indian traditions of the 17 Iroquois Museum and during their series of an Onondaga woodworking festivals presented each year. Confederacy communities scattered demonstration was held by Al Photo courtesy of Iroquois Indian Museum across the United States and Jacques, an Oneida cornhusk Canada, including the Cayuga, demonstration by Rita Chrisjohn Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Benson, and a Mohawk drum making Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations. demonstration by Alan Brant in addition to other activities. In FY 2004, IIM received an NEA Heritage & Preservation grant of At the 23rd Annual Iroquois $20,000 to support At the Edge of Festival, the Jim Sky Dancers the Clearing, a series of festivals to and Onondaga Dancers performed present traditional and traditional Onondaga dances contemporary Iroquois art and while Santee Smith and Company
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American Dance Festival Durham
he New York Times has called T American Dance Festival (ADF) in Durham, North Carolina “the country’s foremost and enduring organization devoted to creativity in American modern dance.” Founded in 1934, ADF’s mission is to support the creation and presentation of new dance works, preserve the modern dance heritage of the United States, and build wider audiences for dance. The organization also provides professional education and training for dancers, including youth programs for young dancers. ADF is committed to enhancing public understanding of the art form through outreach programs such as Community Crossover classes, special The Argentinean dance children’s performances, access to its company Grupo Krapp presents the U.S. premiere of video collection, and tours. Mendiolaza at the 2004 American Dance Festival in In FY 2004, American Dance Festival Durham, North Carolina. Photo by Bruce R. Feeley received an NEA Creativity grant of $60,000 to support Mapping Modern
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A dancer from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performs at the 2004 American Dance Festival. h Carolina Photo by Bruce R. Feeley community residents on the Piedmont’s historical role in the cotton and textile industries and Dance, a program of major works by Charlotte Symphony the subsequent decline of the renowned choreographers from the Orchestra region’s mills. In the program’s U.S. and abroad including Ronald K. Charlotte second year, the orchestra Brown (U.S.), Alexandre Pepelyaev commissioned local composer (Russia), Nacho Duato (Spain), and Founded in 1932, the Charlotte David Crowe to write a piece for Ohad Naharin (Israel). Three Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the chamber orchestra based on these international choreographers from largest performing arts organization oral histories. The project aimed to Russia, Argentina, and Japan were in the Carolina Piedmont region, raise awareness of the mill also commissioned to create new which encompasses North Carolina’s works for ADF dancers during a communities’ history as well as to Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties as six-week residency. demonstrate how orchestral music well as York County, South Carolina. can illuminate and transform the In addition to public performances, The CSO employs 62 full-time understanding of a community’s Mapping Modern Dance included a musicians for a 40-week season experience. program of related educational that includes a classics series, a The resulting composition, Mill activities. These efforts included a Pops series, Mostly Mozart and Village: A Piedmont Rhapsody, was series of panel discussions exploring Neighborhood concerts, and four performed in a 12-concert series to the influences and roots of modern Lollipops concerts for children. audiences numbering nearly 4,000 dance in the United States; post- The CSO’s mission is to promote people. To strengthen the performance talks for audiences orchestral and choral music as connection between the CSO and with choreographers, dancers, integral components of the the socio-economically diverse local critics, and scholars; an archival preservation and development community, the concerts and an photo exhibit; docent tours of ADF of American culture. classes and workshops; dance accompanying lecture- demonstrations; and master classes. In FY 2004, the CSO received an demonstration took place More than 30,000 people attended NEA Challenge America grant of in venues such as churches, performances during the Mapping $20,000 to support the second community centers, recital halls, Modern Dance series and more year of its Mill Community project. and schools throughout Gaston, than 3,000 people participated In the first part of this initiative, Mecklenburg, and York Counties. in outreach activities. the CSO collected stories from
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Northern Prairie support the development of North Dakota Council Performing Arts the Prairie Theatre Players, a on the Arts Fargo professionally trained touring Bismarck repertory company that fulfills the stablished in 1946, organization’s outreach mission to he North Dakota Council EFargo-Moorhead Community bring quality theater productions to Ton the Arts (NDCA) was Theatre (the operating name schools and rural communities that established in 1967 by the of Northern Prairie Performing Arts) would not otherwise have access to state legislature to support and is the largest theater arts the arts. The troupe will tour two develop the arts and artists organization in the Red River plays during its first season. The throughout North Dakota. One of Valley region of North Dakota and musical I Believe in Make Believe is their programs is the Traditional Minnesota. It is the region’s only designed to stimulate the creative Arts Apprenticeship Program, which non-academic, year-round arts imagination of early elementary preserves North Dakota’s diverse presenter and the only non- school children. Goodbye Marianne, living traditions, particularly those collegiate theater organization the story of a Jewish girl growing folk traditions that are rare or with its own performance space. up in 1930s Berlin, fosters dialogue endangered. Former apprentices Additional programs at the theater about acceptance, tolerance, and have gone on to participate in include the Prairie Theatre Academy, inclusion. the Artist-in-Residence program, an afterschool drama program for which places artists in K-12 Prairie Theatre Players is scheduled children and youth, and the Guest classrooms for 10-week sessions to tour in 2006 and expects to Artist/Guest Director program in to incorporate folk arts learning produce 30 performances reaching which avocational members of the into classroom curriculum. more than 7,500 students and 400 theater company work and perform teachers. The traveling company will In FY 2004, NDCA received an NEA with professionals from perform at schools, civic Folk & Traditional Arts Infrastructure organizations such as the Fargo- auditoriums, and community centers Initiative grant of $30,000 to Moorhead Civic Opera. throughout North Dakota, support its statewide Traditional In FY 2004, Northern Prairie Minnesota, and South Dakota. Arts Apprenticeship Program. In Performing Arts received an NEA 2004, 17 master-apprentice teams Creativity grant of $10,000 to participated in the ten-month
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program. Teams came from a diverse array of North Dakota communities including Butte (population: 92) and Fargo (population: 90,000), and apprentices ranged in age from 14-85. Some of the traditional arts supported by the program included Norwegian hardanger fiddle construction, saddle making, Chippewa beadwork, and traditional button accordion music.
Although all apprenticeships took place during the ten-month period, the amount of time each team spent working together varied depending on the difficulty of the tradition, the apprentice’s experience level, and the team’s ambitiousness. At the completion of the apprenticeship, each apprentice participated in a public demonstration or presentation of his or her folk tradition, such as a classroom visit or festival performance. Apprentices also Top: Master traditional artist Marvin Bald Eagle Youngman, wearing hat, instructs submitted written reports about his apprentice Vernon Langan in traditional Chippewa hide tanning as part of North Dakota Council on the Arts’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. their experience and plans to Bottom: Apprentice in Ukrainian Easter Egg-making (pysanky) Christina Rodakowski continue working in the gives a presentation to the 6th grade class at Trinity Elementary School East as part of North Dakota Council on the Arts’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. folk tradition. Photos courtesy of North Dakota Council on the Arts North Dakota
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Ballet Metropolitan two Family Culture Corps programs, “Play” depicts the busy street Columbus and one Morning at the Ballet of a city while “Mostly Mozart” performance for school children. has more classical ballet dancing, he Ballet Metropolitan in The performances drew more with the dancers dressed in 18th Columbus, Ohio has achieved than 4,600 people, and the century garb. “Wildfire” shows T school performance drew an primitive man as he makes his wide recognition for its commitment to the creation and additional 1,300. evolution from primate to human. performance of new work, blending The ballet company took the first The dance piece was presented in classical and modern technique. movement, “Play,” to New York City three movements: the first Ballet Met’s long history of new work in May 2004 for its debut at the movement, “Play,” was performed includes 42 world premieres and 70 Joyce Theater. to the music of contemporary company premieres. musician Moby from his 1999 album Play; the second, “Mostly Mozart,” In FY 2004, Ballet Met received an Sorg Opera Company NEA Creativity grant of $10,000 for was performed to Mozart’s Eine the commission of a full-length Kleine Nachtmusik; and the third, Middletown ballet by Ballet Met’s artistic “Wildfire,” used music from ocated between Cincinnati associate Stanton Welch, Evolution: Australian composer John Antill’s and Dayton in Middletown, Mozart to Moby. The world premiere Carroboree. All three movements L Ohio, the Sorg Opera of the work took place from April 29 used radically different dance Company enriches the quality of life through May 9, 2004, with a total styles, illustrating different in the largely rural Miami Valley area of eight performances, four pre- or evolutions of movement: the through presenting opera post-performance conversations, contemporary, the classical, and productions. The opera company the primal. Ohio
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Sorg Opera of Middletown, Ohio performs Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, The Mikado, with members of New York’s Gilbert and Sullivan Players, directed by Nelson Sheeley and orchestra conducted by Curtis Tucker. Photo by Tim Guth
performs at Sorg’s Opera House, an and Sullivan Players from New York members visited music classes historic theater built in 1891 by joined the local cast and orchestra. at the local high school before prominent Middletown citizen, the evening performance. The work was performed October 15 industrialist Paul J. Sorg. In and 16, 2004 as the opening of the The Mikado, which remains one addition to performances, Sorg company’s 15th season, drawing the of the most popular Gilbert and Opera has maintained several largest crowd in seven years. The Sullivan works, is set in Japan as education and outreach programs, company performed the operetta it was opening to the West in the both in and out of schools. again on October 18 in Loveland, 19th century. The production was In FY 2004, Sorg Opera received an Ohio, attracting 400 audience such a success for Sorg Opera that NEA Challenge America grant of members to the Monday evening the company is considering whether $10,000 to support the performance performance. The Middletown to change its focus from grand, of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, performances were preceded by free comic, and light opera to staging The Mikado. Members of the Gilbert preview lectures. In Loveland, cast primarily light opera.
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Oklahoma
In FY 2004, Jazz in June, Inc. the festival to four of the region’s received an NEA Creativity grant of major listening areas. $10,000 to support the 2004 Jazz Jazz in June As part of the festival, Kregg in June Festival. Held June 24-26, Norman Barrentine (saxophone) of the the 20th anniversary festival Swingtips, Max Gise (guitar) of attracted nearly 40,000 visitors. azz in June began in 1984 the Max Gise Band and Jae Sinnett Three evenings of free concerts, as a single performance (drummer) of the Jae Sinnett Trio J featuring nine blues and jazz event and has grown into a participated in a series of jazz musical groups, took place at three-day festival at two Norman, clinics and a jam session. Also, local outdoor venues including a city Oklahoma venues. The festival’s musician Maurice Johnson spoke on park and a shopping area. mission is to educate the public managing a music career. Each 50- about jazz as a unique art form by Headliners for 2004 included minute session featured discussion, showcasing the diversity of the the Sweet Baby Blues Band, demonstrations, and a question- genre. Past festival performers The Swingtips, and NEA Jazz and-answer period. More than 150 include the Ellis Marsalis Quartet, Master Paquito D’Rivera with the festivalgoers participated in one or Tony Guerrero, and Airmen of Note, United Nations Orchestra. After the more of the free clinics. the United States Air Force jazz festival, local public radio station ensemble. KGOU broadcasted several hours of
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Left: A fifth-grader works on an ASTEK design project at Highland Park Elementary School in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Photo by Neal Evers
Right: At the end of each ASTEK program cycle, each classroom displays the city built during the program at the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture gallery. Photo by Andrew Brister
Oklahoma State learning. In 2000, the American classroom visits by seven local University Institute of Architecture Students practicing architects. At the end recognized ASTEK with a Special of the program, each group of Stillwater Accomplishment Honor Award. participating fifth-graders created a master plan for a city, In FY 2004, Oklahoma State he mission of Oklahoma with each student being University received an NEA Learning State University (OSU) is responsible for an individual T in the Arts grant of $5,000 to fund teaching, research, and building. These final projects were ASTEK. In the 2003-2004 academic extension. One of the programs exhibited in the School of year, nearly 400 fifth-graders from that uphold that mission is the Architecture’s gallery. university’s School of Architecture all six elementary schools in the program, Architecture Students Stillwater Public School system In addition to providing Teaching Elementary Kids (ASTEK). participated in the program. Forty- information for each weekly ASTEK provides OSU architecture five OSU architecture students session, the 60-page workbook students to introduce art and design volunteered to organize and teach written and published by the concepts to elementary students. weekly hour-long sessions. Subjects architecture students also prepares Since its establishment in 1999, the included scale and sketching, the fifth-graders for statewide arts ASTEK program has benefited more geometry in architecture, textures curriculum testing. The than 1,500 fifth-grade students. For and materials, and urban and participating architecture students many participants, ASTEK provides community planning. The Stillwater also benefit through the the only access to art and design students also benefited from development of leadership skills.
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Imago, The Theatre reaching an audience of 60,000 Mask Ensemble people annually. The troupe Portland previously has received commissions to create choreography and imagery mago, The Theatre Mask for theater, opera, dance, and Ensemble of Portland, Oregon symphony performances. As part of I its outreach mission, Imago provides was established in 1979 by co-directors Jerry Mouawad and workshops and residencies to schools Carol Triffle. The company presents as well as agencies serving young highly stylized performances, which people with emotional and incorporate elements of musical behavioral difficulties.
theater, physical comedy, visual In FY 2004, Imago received an NEA illusion, and other distinct art Creativity grant of $13,000 to forms. Previous productions support the development and include Jean-Paul Sartre’s No production of a new multimedia Exit and the original works FROGZ theater piece based on Luigi and biglittlethings. In addition Pirandello’s Each in His Own Way. to producing a five-play season Written by Carol Triffle, Missing in Portland, Imago also tours Mona, aka Leo’s Lost Notebook nationally and internationally, explores the elusive nature of reality and illusion and the diversified nature of perspective. Imago’s development process for the play included writing the text, kinetic Oregon and cognitive exploration of the text, movement analysis, exploration of design elements, and the development of the production’s physical comedy elements.
In April 2004, Imago performed the new play 12 times to more than
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Estacada, located 30 miles southeast of Portland at the edge of Mt. Hood National Forest. The three-day festival includes music and dance performances, an art exhibit by local artists, a silent auction, and a gospel sing-along.
In 2004 the Estacada Summer Celebration attracted more than 2,500 local and regional visitors. The roster of performers included
Duet from Imago Theatre’s Missing Mona, aka Leo’s Lost Notebook. jazz, blues, Latin salsa, opera, Photo courtesy of Imago Christian rock, mariachi, gospel, and bluegrass groups. Storytellers and 1,000 Portland-area patrons. This families. One of their projects, puppeteers were also on hand to debut production of Missing Mona, Estacada Summer Celebration, entertain audiences. Family arts which included slide projection, has helped to energize Estacada’s activities included wood boat 16mm film, and live video, received dormant downtown, inspire a building, hat and soap making, and a Projection Design award from sense of community pride and paper fish kites. Estacada Public the Portland Theatre Arts Critics. beautification, promote cultural Library, a festival partner, provided tourism, and expose the community staff time for community outreach. to diverse cultures and art forms. Special events at the 2004 festival Estacada Together In FY 2004, Estacada Together included the debut of Fishing the Estacada received an NEA Challenge America Clackamas, the town’s 11th public grant of $10,000 to support the mural by celebration partner Artback n partnership with the promotion and presentation of Artists Cooperative. Estacada Arts Commission, I Estacada Summer Celebration, an Estacada Together regularly outdoor arts festival. Held annually provides arts and culture since 1999, the festival brings arts experiences for the Estacada, and cultural events to the remote, Oregon community’s children and economically challenged town of Background: The Quilt Story, a mural by Artback Artists Cooperative’s mural-in-a- weekend, part of the Estacada Summer Celebration. Photo by Clinton Vining, Estacada News
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Williamsport Symphony Orchestra Williamsport
he Williamsport Symphony TOrchestra (WSO) brings live classical music to the rural area of central Pennsylvania, performing five subscription concerts, one free family concert, and one free community concert each year. The WSO also sustains a Youth Orchestra of approximately 90 members, which performs two free concerts annually.
In FY 2004, the WSO received an NEA Challenge America grant of $10,000 to support the two opening concerts of the 2004-2005 season and accompanying educational activities. The first concert occurred in Williamsport on October 12, 2004; 500 free tickets were distributed to people of different age groups. The second free
Guest artist Jeff Thayer plays Brahms’s Violin Concerto with the Williamsport community concert was in Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robin Fountain, for its opening concert in 2004. Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, Photo by Ralph Wilson/Street Light Photography
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introducing the orchestra to a new Barnes Foundation Along with one of the world's great audience. Nearly 2,000 people Merion Station collections of modern European attended the two concerts. paintings, the Barnes Foundation houses a sizable assemblage of early The orchestra performed Antonin he Barnes Foundation was 20th-century American paintings Dvorák’s Slavonic Dance #1, Ludwig established in 1922 by T that are little known even among van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, scientist, art collector, and specialists and connoisseurs. The and Johannes Brahms’s Violin educator Albert C. Barnes as an collection includes important Concerto featuring guest artist Jeff institution dedicated to the paintings by William J. Glackens, Thayer. A former resident of advancement of education and the Maurice and Charles Prendergast, Williamsport and member of the appreciation of the fine arts. Its Charles Demuth, Alfred H. Maurer, WSO, Thayer’s performance received galleries house more than 9,000 Horace Pippin, Marsden Hartley, two standing ovations. Robin fine and decorative arts objects, and Jules Pascin, providing a visual Fountain, WSO music director since including the largest collections testament to Albert Barnes's 1992, conducted the orchestra. of Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse influential role as a champion Audience members had the in the world. of American art. opportunity to mingle with the In FY 2004, the Barnes Collection conductor and members of the received an NEA Heritage & As with much of the Foundation's orchestra after the concert. Preservation grant of $70,000 to collection, few of these American artworks have been studied or The educational activities involved support the research, writing, and published. The catalogue of the students from two middle schools publication of a catalogue of the collection will include extensive who attended the Williamsport museum's collection of American documentation as to Barnes's concert, and included a presentation paintings and works on paper. acquisition of these works and to by WSO percussionist Don Fisher. This will be the first publication his personal relationships with the Jeff Thayer joined 50 current and documenting a unique collection artists. The catalogue is expected former Suzuki violin students to of more than 300 American works to be published by May 2006. perform in a Suzuki Celebration on of art. October 16, 2004.
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Perishable Theatre Festival. The playwriting festival Everett Dance Theatre began in 1992 to give women a Providence Providence greater voice in American theater. ounded in 1986, Rhode ounded in 1983, Perishable For the 2004 festival, 270 women Island’s Everett Dance Theatre in Providence, playwrights from seven countries on F F Theatre is a multicultural, Rhode Island has been at four continents submitted plays for intergenerational professional the forefront of introducing new consideration. From these, three company. The troupe’s mission is to voices to American theater for more were selected to present their create, perform, and teach art under than 20 years. The theater now previously unproduced one-act plays the direction of NEA Choreography offers four programs: the Mainstage in world premiere productions: Holly Fellow Dorothy Jungels. Mentorship Season, where new theatrical works Hildebrand’s The Dog, Jennifer programs include the Carriage House are performed; Shows for Young Haley’s Gone With the Window, and School, which provides long-term, Audiences, a touring company JC Samuels’s How High the Moon? presenting original musicals to professional training to inner-city regional youth; the Annual The three finalists each received a youth and young adults, and the International Women’s Playwriting $500 cash prize and a fully staged Re-Verse performance series, which Festival, which develops and stages production for a month-long run as offers emerging artists the new one-act plays by women the showpiece of the festival, which opportunity to work with playwrights; and the Theatre Arts ran weekends from September 24 established professionals. The School that offers theatrical training through October 30, 2004. The company has given educational to approximately 400 community playwrights also received 50 copies performances at venues such as New members per year. of a printed anthology that York’s American Museum of Natural combined the scripts with critical History on topics ranging from In FY 2004, Perishable Theatre commentary provided by area physics to emotional intelligence. received an NEA Creativity grant of scholars. The performances were In FY 2004, Everett Dance Theatre $15,000 to support the 12th Annual presented to near-capacity received an NEA Creativity grant of International Women’s Playwriting audiences during the festival. $10,000 to support the creation and Rhode Island
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presentation of Home Movies, an original theme-based, evening- length concert work. Using elements of dance, theater, and video, Home Movies explored the ways in which families provide a sense of belonging and safety, how family units are identified, and the nature of home.
Everett Dance Theatre premiered Home Movies at Trinity Repertory Company. Nearly 2,000 audience members saw performances of the production during the four-week Providence run, including nearly
400 middle and high school Top: Sokeo Ros, Rachael students. Everett Dance Theatre Jungels, and Aaron Jungels of the Everett has also toured Home Movies to Dance Theatre perform the evening-length work several out-of-state venues, Home Movies, using dance, including Contemporary Dance theater, and video. Theatre (Cincinnati, Ohio), Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, Maine), Bottom: The Everett Dance Theatre Company and Painted Bride Arts Center interacts with a videoed (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). dancer as part of Home Movies. During a New York residency, the Photos by Katja Kulenkampff troupe created a “home movie” with members of the Bronx’s Hunts Point community as well as performing at a school for juvenile offenders.
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Spoleto Festival USA Charleston
poleto Festival USA was Sfounded in 1977, with NEA support, by Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene, and A highlight of the 2004 Spoleto Festival USA is Chen Shi-Zheng’s complete others involved in the Festival of 18-hour production of The Peony Pavilion, a 55-scene Kunju opera, played in six sections with 22 actors taking multiple roles. Two Worlds as the American Photo by William Struhs counterpart to that festival held
annually in Spoleto, Italy. Finding festival from May 28 through June Other musical highlights of the an American city that offered the 13, 2004. The 2004 Spoleto Festival festival included a new production charm of Spoleto, Spoleto Festival USA featured more than 130 of Richard Strauss’s opera Ariadne USA took up residence in performances of opera, theater, auf Naxos, a jazz concert by Dee Charleston, South Carolina, offering music, and dance from an Dee Bridgewater, and the Spoleto programs of dance, theater, opera, international array of artists Festival Orchestra’s performance of music, and the visual arts. and companies, drawing record- Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. breaking crowds of approximately In FY 2004, Spoleto Festival USA Dance highlights included legendary 45,000 people. received an NEA Creativity grant ballerina Nina Ananiashvili and the of $60,000 to support the 17-day A highlight of the festival was Chen Moscow Ballet Theatre, the Alvin Shi-Zheng’s complete 18-hour Ailey American Dance Theatre, production of The Peony Pavilion, a and David Gordon and his Pick Up 55-scene Kunju opera, played in six Performance Company. The festival sections with 22 actors taking also included a theatrical production multiple roles. The opera turned the of Rezo Gabriadze’s play Forbidden Memminger Auditorium into a 16th- Christmas, or The Doctor and century Chinese pavilion, complete the Patient, featuring with a 1,800-gallon pond stocked Mikhail Baryshnikov. with fish and waterfowl.
Legendary ballerina Nina Ananiashvili leads the Moscow Ballet Theatre in a special performance at the Spoleto Festival USA. Photo by Hidemi Sato
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Hilton Head Orchestra Hilton Head
he Hilton Head Orchestra In FY 2004, the Hilton Head Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio on the Tis dedicated to providing Orchestra received an NEA Old Testament prophet, Elijah; and classical music and Challenge America grant of $10,000 Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. supporting the musical arts on its to support the opening concert of 1, Jeremiah, which incorporates namesake South Carolina island the 2004-2005 season. The Gala traditional Jewish liturgical motifs. and in all the schools in Beaufort Opening Concert was held on The second half of the concert County. In addition, the orchestra October 4, 2004 at the First included Igor Stravinsky’s ballet sponsors the Hilton Head Youth Presbyterian Church, a fit setting for score Pulcinella and Antonin Orchestra and the Hilton Head the musical program. Dvorák’s Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66. International Piano Competition Guest artist Jennifer Luiken, mezzo More than 800 people attended the for young pianists. The orchestra’s soprano, joined the 65-musician concert, and nearly 100 attended extensive outreach to the schools, orchestra for the first half of the the free afternoon lecture with the unusual for an orchestra of this program that touched on religious guest artist and conductor followed size, includes opening all final themes. Performed were “Et by the final orchestral rehearsal. rehearsals free to students. Exultavit” from J.S. Bach’s oratorio based on the Magnificat of Luke’s gospel; “O Rest in the Lord” from South Carolina
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South Dakota
South Dakotans for 2004, 39 arts administrators from children’s performer Phil Baker, the Arts 11 states and Saskatchewan, classical guitarist and humorist Canada attended the four-day Gordy Pratt, and South Dakota Lead residential arts management sculptor Dale Lamphere during training program for staff of small demonstrations and performances. he primary goal of South and mid-sized arts organizations. Dakotans for the Arts is T Participants included staff from to advance the arts in the Spearfish Center for Arts and the state by providing technical South Dakota Arts Humanities (South Dakota), assistance to arts organizations, Council Hastings Symphony Orchestra strengthening their administrative Pierre (Nebraska), Bridger Mountain skills and their ability to serve Theatre Festival (Montana), as effective partners in their he South Dakota Arts and Cowley College (Kansas). communities, and by supporting TCouncil (SDAC) has a strong arts educators and students. One Each PAMI residency includes three commitment to supporting initiative, the Prairie Arts six-hour sessions in management and preserving local folk arts in the Management Institute (PAMI), and leadership areas taught by a community. As part of its mission, addresses the lack of substantial staff of master arts management SDAC also works to make quality career development opportunities practitioners. In 2004, seminars art accessible statewide. for arts managers in the prairie focused on leadership values, In FY 2004, SDAC received an states, many of whom have no written communications skills, NEA Folk & Traditional Arts formal arts administration training. and maximizing the value of an Infrastructure Initiative grant organization’s board of directors. In FY 2004, South Dakotans for of $20,000 to support the Participants were also given the Arts received an NEA Services administration of its folklife opportunities to interact with to the Field grant of $18,000 to programs. For one such program, professional artists such as support the third year of PAMI. In in 2004 folklorist Andrea Graham
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conducted fieldwork in ethnic and tribal communities as well as occupational communities, such as ranchers and cowboys, to locate and document artists working in traditional textile arts. Based on her findings, SDAC and the South Dakota Art Museum collaborated to curate The Fabric of Community: Traditional Textiles of South Dakota, a group exhibit featuring ten artists selected from South Dakota’s diverse cultural groups. Featured textiles include Lakota star quilts and jingle dresses, Norwegian hardanger embroidery and costumes, Mennonite quilts, and Rugmaker Diane Fields of Aberdeen, South Dakota, talks with school children at the Dacotah Finnish rag rugs. The exhibit opens Prairie Museum about the Scandinavian technique at the South Dakota Art Museum of making rag rugs called nalbinding. Photo by Andrea Graham (Brookings) in fall 2005 and travels to the Dahl Arts Center (Rapid City) conjunction with the Lewis and and the Dacotah Prairie Museum Clark anniversary celebration. (Aberdeen) in 2006. Each location Activities related to these projects will host public receptions with included fieldwork to search out craft demonstrations by the new traditional artists, photo and featured artists. audio documentation of the In 2004, SDAC continued its apprenticeship program, and the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship development of strategies for program and facilitated a Web site increasing the participation of Annikki Marttila of Frederick, South Dakota knits traditional Finnish patterns. developed collaboratively by the traditionbearers in a wider range of Photo by Andrea Graham seven Missouri River states in SDAC programs.
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Background: The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera perform Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition while displaying students’ art as part of its Sight and Sound project. Photo by Louis Sohn
Tennessee
Country Music sound recordings of country and folk the conservation and preservation Foundation music, including 98 percent of all of the transcription collection. pre-World War II country recordings Nashville The transcription collection is ever made. The collection includes currently maintained in a stable 14,100 acetate or vinyl o collect, preserve, and environment in the museum’s transcriptions, created between interpret the history archives, but many of the recordings T the 1930s and 1960s as temporary of country music, the are deteriorating due to age and recordings intended to be played Country Music Foundation (CMF) improper storage and handling only a few times. Much of the has assembled one of the world’s before arriving at the museum. collection is rare and often not largest and finest bodies of Since these recordings were meant duplicated elsewhere. materials related to this important to be temporary, even one playing form of popular culture. CMF The federal Save America’s Treasures could permanently damage the operates the Country Music Hall of (SAT) program, begun in 1999 as a recording. The grant will allow CMF Fame and Museum, which presents millennium initiative, addresses the to inspect, clean, and transfer to the story of country music over urgent preservation needs of the digital media the most fragile and the last two centuries. nation’s most significant historic at-risk recordings. The project is sites and collections. The Country expected to encompass 4,900 Among the museum’s holdings is Music Foundation was awarded an transcriptions and will take three the Recorded Sound collection, FY 2004 SAT grant of $214,000 years to complete. which holds approximately 200,000 through the NEA to support
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Chattanooga In FY 2004, CSO received an NEA the Association of Visual Artists, Symphony and Opera Challenge America grant of $10,000 for high school age students to support a classical concert as participating in the juried art Association part of the Sight and Sound project. competition. Members of the CSO Chattanooga CSO collaborated with nearby Hunter also visited area elementary and Museum of American Art to middle schools participating in a he Chattanooga Symphony underscore the creative connection special program centered on and Opera Association T between music and visual art, Pictures at an Exhibition. (CSO) is a unique especially for elementary through organization in the United States. The concert performances coincided secondary school students. The CSO Merged in 1984 from separate with a juried show of the students’ performed Modest Mussorgsky’s performing arts entities, the CSO work. Student pieces were displayed Pictures at an Exhibition on October is the oldest successfully combined in the performance hall before 28 and 29, 2004 as a starting point organization of its kind in the the performances, and projected in a discussion of one art form country. It presents more than 25 above the stage during the concert. influencing another. performances of classical, operatic, Conductor Robert Bernhardt pops, and youth-oriented musical The project included a series of led a special post-concert programming annually. visual art workshops held at several symposium after the October 29 locations, including the University performance for students and of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the general audience.
Students’ art is displayed in the performance hall before the concert as part of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association’s Sight and Sound project using visual art in connection with music. Photo by Louis Sohn
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The Kazoo-dah Parade draws a crowd during the 2004 Children’s Festival. Photo courtesy of Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands
Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands The Woodlands
he Cynthia Woods Mitchell Students enjoy a performance Pavilion, owned by the during a school field trip to T the 2004 Children’s Festival Center for the Performing held at the Cynthia Woods Arts at The Woodlands, is an open- Mitchell Pavilion in The Texas Woodlands, Texas. air amphitheater founded in 1990. Photo courtesy of Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands The Pavilion provides a variety of live performing arts as well as educational and outreach programs for children and families. The official summer home of the Houston Symphony and a presenting venue for the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet, the Pavilion also hosts special events such as the annual Children’s Festival. Nearly half a million people visit annually.
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In FY 2004, the Center for the University of drinking tea. He also recorded Performing Arts at The Woodlands Texas at Austin professional storytellers at events, afraid that these stories would received an NEA Challenge America Center for Middle grant of $10,000 to support the disappear with the passing of this 2004 Children’s Festival. The Eastern Studies generation. Anthropologist Andrea festival took place October 21-24, Austin Rugh translated the original two- 2004, with weekend performances volume collection into one, adding he Center for Middle open to the public and the weekday an informative introduction. Eastern Studies is a major schedule devoted to school field T Professional illustrator Douglas educational and cultural trips. A total of 14,000 people Rugh provided black-and-white unit within the University of Texas attended activities during the prints based on the stories. at Austin. The Center provides festival, including students from outreach to public schools; sponsors Walid Ikhlassi evokes the 38 public and private schools in public lectures, films, and concerts; individual’s struggle for dignity 14 school districts. and publishes books through its and significance in Aleppo during The Children’s Festival was designed various programs, including a the French mandate of the 1940s to educate and entertain monograph series, Modern Middle and 1950s. From the boy Antara elementary and intermediate school East Series, and Modern Middle East who personifies the Arab legend children through storytelling, Literatures in Translation Series. of a half-African slave warrior to music, and dance, with audience everyday middle-aged lovers, In FY 2004, the University of Texas participation. Both professional Ikhlassi’s characters fight colonial at Austin received an NEA Creativity artists and community groups were oppression and corruption from grant of $20,000 to support the showcased on Pavilion stages. Other the newly formed government. An publication of two works of Arabic lively festival components included avowed experimentalist, Ikhlassi fiction in translation: Folk Tales Arts Alley under the direction of portrays the modern human from Syria, collected by Samir the Art Teachers Network, a group condition through widely Tahhan and translated and with an comprised of art teachers from divergent techniques. introduction by Andrea Rugh, and Houston-area school districts; wood Whatever Happened to Antara? and sculpting; an instrument “petting Other Stories by Walid Ikhlassi and zoo”; and booths of interactive translated by Asmahan Sallah and games. Showcasing arts and Chris Ellery, with an introduction education in a nontraditional by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea. setting, the Children’s Festival engages children in the Syrian poet Samir Tahhan collected performing arts. folk tales from old men sitting outside their houses in Aleppo,
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Orchestra of Paul A. Smith. These master classes West Valley City Southern Utah culminated with a final performance West Valley City on September 25 at the downtown Cedar City Heritage Center to an audience of est Valley City, Utah’s nearly 700. After the festival, Dr. ounded in 1897, the second-largest city, is Smith was asked by the W Orchestra of Southern Utah nestled in the Salt F participating choral directors to be Lake Valley between the Wasatch in Cedar City is a volunteer the All-State Choral Guest Conductor organization of professional and and Oquirrh mountain ranges. In in Salt Lake City in October 2006. avocational musicians. The FY 2004, West Valley City received orchestra’s mission is to increase In partnership with the Cedar City an NEA Heritage & Preservation the appreciation for classical music Corporation, the Cedar City Chamber grant of $10,000 to support the as well as to make classical music of Commerce, and the Cedar City Tradition Bearers Festival, a more accessible to local populations. Arts Council, the Orchestra of day-long folklife celebration. Southern Utah sponsored the In FY 2004, the Orchestra of Held in August 2004, the free choral festival in order to showcase Southern Utah received an NEA nine-hour festival directly supported performing arts events within Cedar Challenge America grant of West Valley’s mission to identify, City’s downtown cultural $10,000 to support the Cedar City document, and preserve the ethnic district. The festival Fall International Choral Festival. arts and artists in the community also increased the The five-day festival featured and to introduce these traditions participation of international performances by to the larger public. In the year underserved groups 500 regional choral and orchestra leading up to the festival, West in local arts activities musicians. To foster multicultural Valley City conducted fieldwork to and exposed the local learning, each participating community to chorus performed at least one international music work from outside the western and culture. traditional repertory.
In preparation for the festival, from September 2 to September 25, Dennis McMasters of J.T. 2004, youth and adult choirs from Dunnie Pipe Band performs throughout the state participated in at the 2004 Tradition Bearers Festival in West Valley critiques, workshops, and clinics City, Utah. Photo by Michael Christensen with renowned choral clinician Dr.
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identify the community’s cultural market. Thirteen performance dancers; and the Utah Scottish groups in order to invite these groups took the stage at the festival Association J.T. Dunnie Pipe Band. groups to take part in the festival. including Cambodian Preah Vihear, a Participating artisans included troupe of youth dancers performing Festival programming included Elizabeth Peterson, a bobbin lace traditional Khmer dances; Ballet musical and dance performances on specialist; Rocio Mejia, a piñata Folklorico Citlali, known for three stages, two folk art exhibition and paper flower maker; Earl Dent, spectacular dance choreographies of and demonstration areas, classrooms a Hopi kachina maker; and the Mexico’s Native American heritage; for informal crafts talks, a children’s Southridge Quilters. More than 800 the Tongan Singers of Utah, tent with hands-on arts activities people visited the festival, which traditional Tongan chanters and and storytelling, and an ethnic food West Valley City hopes to make an annual event.
Ballet Folklorico Citlali performs at the Tradition Bearers Festival in West Valley City, Utah. Photo by Michael Christensen
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Master blacksmither Lucian Avery (right) teaches apprentice Joe Mangan his craft as part of the Vermont Folklife Center’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Photo by Vanessa Fournier
Vermont Folklife vehicle for bringing particular art England contra dance calling, Center forms, individual artists, and the Tibetan traditional folk song and arts as emblems of cultural identity dance, Cape Breton fiddling, Middlebury to the attention of the general shoemaking, blacksmithing, Abenaki public. The NEA grant will support he Vermont Folklife Center Native American basket making, discovery research to identify and in Middlebury documents, lam singing (a traditional Lao vocal T document folk and traditional artists style), and making pha kouane preserves, and presents the and art forms. traditional culture of the state and (complex ritual objects that play an essential role in surrounding region. The Traditional The discovery research was Laotian ceremonies). Arts Apprenticeship Program is a completed during June to August key component of its outreach to 2004. In 2004, 14 apprenticeships These apprenticeships touched on traditional artists. were possible through the NEA the various cultures intermingling funding. Apprenticeships usually In FY 2004, the Vermont Folklife in Vermont: the New England span from three to 12 months, Center received an NEA Folk & culture, the Native American running from July 1 to June 30. Traditional Infrastructure Initiative culture, and the Asian immigrant The apprenticeships covered various grant of $25,000 to support the culture. By passing on these arts artistic disciplines, such as Native statewide Traditional Arts from master to apprentice, the American traditional beadwork, Apprenticeship Program. The program assures the survival of ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), apprenticeship program is a these important parts of Vermont’s old-time Yankee fiddling, New emerging cultural identity.
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Weston Playhouse Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are play. In October, they performed Theatre Company Dead. Windsor High School in their own interpretations of scenes Windsor and Burr and Burton from the play on WPTC’s stage to Weston Academy in Manchester were an audience including parents, chosen from a pool of applicants he Weston Playhouse teachers, school administrators, to participate in Page to Stage. Theatre Company (WPTC) and WPTC cast members. Students T also attended WPTC’s school is Vermont’s oldest WPTC made two classroom visits to matinee performances of the professional theater. Since 1988, each school in September, leading play. WPTC artists then returned WPTC has operated on a regional a background discussion and to the schools in November to theater model, offering professional offering feedback on the students’ discuss and analyze the students theater and educational programs performances of scenes from the to an expanding rural base. and teachers’ experiences.
In FY 2004, WPTC received an NEA Students from Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont perform a scene from Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead as part of the Weston Playhouse Challenge America grant of $25,000 Theatre’s Page to Stage initiative. to expand its education and Photo courtesy of Weston Playhouse Theatre Company outreach programs. The expansion will build on existing programs, increasing support for the Other Stages series, expanding the winter reading program for adults, and launching a new in-school program.
The new initiative, Page to Stage, provided an in-depth, performance- based introduction to the play offered in the annual school matinees to high school students at two Vermont schools. In 2004, the play was Tom Stoppard’s
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William King Regional In Intricate Detail: Pierced-Tin 19th century to create pieces for Arts Center Furniture of Southwest Virginia & home use. In Intricate Detail Northeast Tennessee, 1840-1860 was opened July 30, 2004 and Pinturas Abingdon organized by the Art Center using de Fe opened August 27, both furniture borrowed from private closing January 2, 2005. he William King Regional individuals. It ran simultaneously Approximately 8,000 people Arts Center in Abingdon, T with Pinturas de Fe: The Retablo viewed the two exhibits. Virginia opened its first Tradition in Mexico and New Mexico, exhibition in 1992 and since has an exhibition of retablos and ex displayed 10-12 rotating exhibits votos, devotional pictures of saints, Youth Orchestra annually. The Arts Center serves obtained through the Museum of a primarily rural population in of the Americas New Mexico’s traveling exhibitions southwest Virginia and northeast Arlington program (TREX). Tennessee. Programming for school he Youth Orchestra of the audiences, such as Art Express for Pierced-tin panels and retablos Americas (YOA) in Arlington, third-graders and Van Gogh offer two interpretations of the T Virginia is a multicultural, Outreach for second-graders, decorative use of tin. One is the world-class symphony orchestra of serve approximately 8,000 American tradition of employing tin 110 gifted young musicians from students annually. to enhance domestic spaces. The the countries of the Western other, representing a Mexican In FY 2004, the Arts Center received Hemisphere, led by artistic advisor perspective, treats tin as a canvas an NEA Challenge America grant of Plácido Domingo. The YOA provides for depicting images of personal $10,000 to support two exhibitions a unique opportunity for young veneration. Both art forms reflect demonstrating the decorative uses musicians to rehearse and perform the easy availability of tin in the of tin in 19th-century folk art. under leading conductors and Virginia
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distinguished musicians assembled Elementary School/Escuela Key in schools were even more effective. from throughout the Americas. Arlington and the Oyster Bilingual YOA musicians offered two Elementary School in Washington, performances and gave music In FY 2004, the YOA received an DC. Because members of the YOA lessons and demonstrations, NEA Creativity grant of $27,000 are bilingual—including speaking in both Spanish to perform as part of the opening representatives from Costa Rica, and English, to students in ceremony of the National Gallery of Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and the kindergarten through fifth grade. Art’s exhibition The Courtly Art of U.S.—their visits to bilingual the Ancient Maya. The YOA provided authentic musical examples reflecting the history and culture of the artworks presented. The concert included two works by Carlos Chávez that were re-imaginings of the music of Mayan and Aztec cultures. The audience for the National Gallery of Art’s opening celebration on March 30, 2004 numbered more than 400, including Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of Mexico Marta de Fox, and other dignitaries.
In addition, the YOA led workshops and demonstrations at two local schools, Francis Scott Key Ten musicians in Youth Orchestra of the Americas from Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States, who performed at the National Gallery of Art to honor the exhibition The Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya on March 30, 2004. Photo by Ed Berger Photography, Inc
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Background: Detail of hand painted original fire curtain made and designed by Armstrong of Los Angeles for the Fox Theater. Photo courtesy of Fox Theater Washington
Fox Theater In 2004, the Fox Theater received by Armstrong of Los Angeles; very Spokane an NEA Heritage & Preservation few of Armstrong’s curtains remain grant of $39,000 to assist with the in existence. pokane’s Fox Theater was theater’s renovation, specifically in Once the renovation is complete, designed in 1931 by noted the conservation of the original fire the Spokane Symphony will become S curtains that hang over the stage. Seattle architect Robert the theater’s primary tenant and Reamer with the interior design by The total renovation is expected to would occupy the building’s Anthony Heinsbergen. Heinsbergen, take 15 to 18 months. performing arts space about a a prominent designer who worked Experts in historic restoration called third of the time. The remainder on the interiors of 757 theaters the interior a one-of-a-kind historic would be used for events and in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and decorative masterpiece. All the performances by other regional created a storybook fantasyland murals have suffered from and national arts organizations. in the theater. The auditorium, environmental damage, temperature lobby, and mezzanine murals and humidity extremes, and created the illusion of moving general lack of maintenance. The Town of La Conner through an undersea world into a fire curtains, however, are in better La Conner forest canopy of dense foliage, all condition but still require cleaning illuminated by the theater’s most to preserve their beauty. The he town of La Conner, significant feature: a 350-light, curtains are composed of a series Washington, founded in the 60-foot-wide sunburst in the of vertical banners—in greens, T 1880s, is located near the ceiling above the stage. blues, and golds—that frame a mouth of the Skagit River directly central medallion. They were made across from the Swinomish Indian Reservation, an hour north of
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Seattle. For a town of less than 1,000 people, it attracts thousands of visitors annually for its natural beauty and artistic opportunities. Baroque Northwest demonstrate their instruments to audience The La Conner community is diverse members after performing a Family Education Concert as part of the 2004 Summer Water Music Festival in La Conner, Washington. for its small size, including Native Photo courtesy of the La Conner Institute of Performing Arts and Town of La Conner Americans, Latino migrant workers, a significant retirement population, Performing Arts produced the addition to performances, there and a school-aged population. Many festivals. The first festival, the were lectures and participatory of those populations lack the Summer Water Music Festival, workshops for audience members, opportunity, both economically and held July 15-18, 2004, brought a as well as family educational geographically, to experience combination of early and concerts, meet-the-artist performing arts activities. contemporary musical performances receptions, and free parades. to La Conner, from medieval, In 2004, the Town of La Conner The other festival, the Winter Choral renaissance, and baroque to Native received an NEA Challenge America Festival, was held January 14-15, American and blues. Eighteen grant of $15,000 for two festivals 2005, featuring the choral group national and international artists that would reach these populations. Seattle Pro Musica performing performed over the four days. In The La Conner Institute of Nordic and Baltic choral music. In addition to the performance, the Sharyn Peterson and the Starry group conducted two educational Night Chamber Ensemble open the 2004 Summer Water Music sessions. More than 800 people Festival in La Conner, Washington. Photo courtesy of the La Conner Institute attended both festivals. of Performing Arts and Town of La Conner
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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS West Virginia
Allegheny Echoes providing youth scholarships to Marlinton those without financial resources to attend the workshops. llegheny Echoes in The 2004 workshops took Marlinton was created by A place June 20-25, 2004. For the a group of West Virginian musical instruction, mornings were musicians and writers to promote, devoted to classroom instruction support, preserve, and teach the and afternoons involved instructor- traditional Appalachian culture, led jam sessions. The creative specifically music and literature, writing class took field trips for of the state. Allegheny Echoes’s inspiration, and had a Poetry Afternoons involve instructor-led jam principal activity is the annual sessions at Allegheny Echoes’s summer Walk—a performance piece week-long summer workshops in workshops in Pocahontas County, involving community members West Virginia. Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Allegheny Echoes and instructors. Evening activities Students work with master artists included square dancing, poetry in creative writing, fiddle, banjo, readings, and student and guitar, lap dulcimer, hammered staff concerts. dulcimer, mandolin, bass, and vocals. The Master’s Program featured an hour-long presentation by a In FY 2004, Allegheny Echoes different master artist each received an NEA Heritage & afternoon. The master artists in Preservation grant of $8,000 to 2004 were Franklin George: fiddle, support the workshops. In seven banjo, and Scottish pipes; Bob years of holding the workshops, Shank: hammer dulcimer and banjo; participation has grown from 28 Elaine Purkey: singing and guitar; students the first year to more than Charlie Loudermilk and Junior 100. Although students have ranged Spencer: banjo and fiddle; Woody in age from 6 to 88 years old, Simmons: fiddle and banjo; and Kirk Allegheny Echoes focuses on Judd: creative writing. passing down the West Virginian heritage to young people by
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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Singer k.d. lang performs at the State Cultural Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia as part of the Mountain Stage West Virginia Public radio series. Photo by Brian E. Blauser Broadcasting Foundation Charleston
ountain Stage is a In FY 2004, the West Virginia Public Mountain Stage is the largest Mweekly, two-hour, live Broadcasting Foundation received live performance presenter in West performance radio show an NEA Arts on Radio and Television Virginia, featuring more than 110 produced by the West Virginia Public grant of $30,000 to support artists annually. The variety of Broadcasting Foundation. Presently production of the 2004 season of artists in 2004 have included avant- heard on 106 radio stations Mountain Stage. West Virginia Public garde legend John Cale, alternative- throughout the United States, Broadcasting Foundation produces rock musician Robyn Hitchcock, Mountain Stage features established 26 new programs of the radio series Cajun group BeauSoleil, gospel and emerging singers, songwriters, a year. In addition to reaching a group the Dixie Hummingbirds, and musicians in a mixture of national audience of 206,000 blues artist Charlie Musselwhite, contemporary and traditional per week, an important mission roots musician Greg Brown, and pop styles. The show, hosted by singer- of Mountain Stage is to reach artist k.d. lang. Mountain Stage songwriter Larry Groce, is produced thousands of West Virginians and introduced listeners to more flavors before a live audience from the citizens in surrounding states who of music than they might normally State Cultural Center Theater in live in rural areas where access to sample through the show’s intricate Charleston, West Virginia. live performance is limited. mix of performers and musical styles.
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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
VSA Arts of In 2004, 30 artists led weekly, hour- Wisconsin, Inc. long sessions in 22 classrooms at 12 Madison centers serving 323 children. Music residencies focused on enhancing motor skills as well as fostering (top) VSA artist Dawn Olson assists a participant with ounded in 1985, VSA arts her art project as part of VSA arts of Wisconsin’s of Wisconsin is accredited language development and Early Childhood program. (bottom) A VSA arts of F communication skills. At the end Wisconsin Early Childhood participant adds some by VSA arts, which has color to his project. of the residency, each classroom Photos courtesy of VSA Arts of Wisconsin been Congressionally designated as the national coordinating agency hosted a final celebration, giving of arts programming for people with students an informal opportunity disabilities. VSA arts of Wisconsin to share work with their families. has arts centers in Madison Participants in VSA’s Early Childhood and Milwaukee. program achieved new or improved artistic abilities, improved ability to In FY 2004, VSA arts of Wisconsin interact with others, and progress received an NEA Learning in the toward established educational or Arts grant of $16,000 to support its social goals. Early Childhood program. Primarily targeted to children with disabilities The daylong statewide conference or at risk to develop a disability, provides workshops in creative the seven-year-old program uses the drama, movement exploration, creative arts to foster physical, music, visual art, and creative social, emotional, cognitive, and writing to early childhood creative development. The program educators. Participants learn how consists of a ten-week artist-in- to use the arts as a tool to foster residence program and an annual inclusive environments and also statewide conference and training. increase their understanding, confidence, and ability to care for children with special needs. Wisconsin
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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Inc. Milwaukee
ilwaukee Repertory MTheater was founded in 1954 and is home to a 13-actor theater company. In 2004, Milwaukee Rep presented 14 plays in the three theater spaces housed in its Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex. As part of its community outreach, the theater offers numerous educational opportunities, including student matinees, facility Jonathan Smoots and Deborah Staples star in Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. tours, in-school workshops, adult Photo by Jay Westhauser acting classes, and pre-performance discussions. Programs for youth and anniversary season. The production attended by nearly 4,000 theater young adults include 15 acting, supports the theater’s mission to patrons. The theater’s education directing, and literary internships play a vital role in the community’s department also produced a study each season, workshops in which cultural life by presenting high- guide for use by classroom teachers Girl Scouts can earn a theater quality theater that explores and in preparing their students to see badge, and the Summer Theater illuminates the human condition. the play. The study guide for A Doll’s Conservatory for Teens, an intensive House included biographical Under the direction of guest artist theater training program. information about Henrik Ibsen, Laszlo Marton, Milwaukee Rep a timeline of women’s history, In FY 2004, Milwaukee Repertory presented 40 performances of A discussion questions, and activities Theater received an NEA Creativity Doll’s House to more than 21,000 such as creating a set design grant of $35,000 to support a individuals, including more than reflective of the play’s theme. production of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s 1,500 students. A pre-performance House as part of the theater’s 50th lecture series, Rep in Depth, was
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Wyoming
and the Salvation Army. WYO Russia, and FLY Dance Company, Theater’s educational programs serve serving more than 1,300 children students in public and private and youth. Former NCA member Cleo Parker schools as well as homeschoolers. Robinson brought her dance company to The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance WYO Theater in Sheridan, Wyoming and The theater also works with the served as artists-in-residence for Ensemble residency included dance community students. Wyoming Girls School, a court- Photo by Christy Crytzer workshops with elementary physical ordered facility in which students education students, master classes must earn the right to participate in WYO Theater with students in jazz and modern outside activities. Sheridan dance, and dance activities with In FY 2004, WYO Theater received adults in YMCA pilates and yoga ounded in 1989, WYO an NEA Creativity grant of $10,000 classes. The troupe also provided FTheater of Sheridan, to support residencies and free residency activities in Casper, and Wyoming provides the only performances by three dance groups public performances were held in access to live theater for many as part of the company’s Children’s both Sheridan and Casper. Students residents of the geographically Educational and Families’ Series. In from 13 schools were bussed to isolated region. The organization’s partnership with the Sheridan Arts WYO Theater for cultural dance commitment to community Council and the YMCA Arts and performances by the Don Cossack education and outreach includes the Humanities program, WYO Theater Dance Troupe of Russia. FLY Dance distribution of free tickets to groups presented programming by the Cleo Company participated in two such as Easter Seals, Rehabilitation Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, lecture-demonstrations as well as Enterprises of Northeast Wyoming, the Don Cossack Dance Troupe of presenting a public performance.
126 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
Cheyenne Symphony Society Cheyenne
ince 1981, the Cheyenne to selected concerts from the SSymphony Society (CSS) has orchestra’s season. worked to provide cultural In FY 2004, CSS received an NEA outreach to the city of Cheyenne, Creativity grant of $10,000 to Laramie County, and southeastern support a performance by the Wyoming. The Cheyenne Symphony Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra of Orchestra presents a five-concert Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D series each season as well as five minor as part of the orchestra’s 50th intimately scaled Hausmusick Anniversary season. This symphony concerts at the homes of select was Beethoven’s last major work, Conductor Stephen Alltop of the season members and historic sites using Friedrich Schiller’s poem Ode Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra throughout the area. The orchestra takes his bows after the to Joy for an unusual, at the time, orchestra’s performance of also offers a four-pronged choral final movement. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. educational program, Giving the Gift Photos by Guido Pagnacco of Music, which serves more than Under the direction of conductor 7,000 youth and adults annually. Steven Alltop, more than 150 Specific activities include school singers from four regional choruses and the Laramie County Community visits by visiting guest artists, took part in the concert. College Chorus. The orchestra and residency programs with orchestra Participating choruses included the choral musicians performed to a full members, and an art contest in Cheyenne Chamber Singers, the house of 1,496 at the Cheyenne which local art students are invited University of Wyoming Collegiate Civic Center on January 22, 2005. to respond with visual art projects Chorale, the Casper College Chorale,
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 127 LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS
Literature Fellowships
ost writers must earn their living from means other than creative writing. To find time to compose, Mthey grab a half an hour at lunch, wake up an hour before the rest of the family, take notes on the subway ride home. If they are lucky, they find enough time to research, write, and complete a book.
The National Endowment for the Arts offers Literature Fellowships to help alleviate the financial and time pressures and to allow writers and translators valuable creative time away from their daily jobs. At the same time, the Literature Fellowships provide national recognition—often for the first time—to writers. As poet and fiction writer Sandra Cisneros stated, the Literature Fellowship “verified I was indeed valuable, what I did mattered, not just to myself and to a few friends, but to strangers who had judged my work extraordinary.…that validation meant more to me than the money.”
Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded $40 million through its Literature Fellowships to more than 2,475 writers. The record of the Literature Fellowships program shows unparalleled support for writers at critical, early stages of their careers. Since 1990, 42 of the 60 recipients of the National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry and Fiction have received NEA Literature Fellowships, often 10 to 20 years earlier.
128 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS
This year’s Literature Fellowships are for Prose (Prose and Poetry fellowships are given in alternate years). Of the 1,422 applications received, 42 writers from 22 states were awarded $20,000 grants, totaling $840,000. Literature Fellowships are awarded through a process of anonymous manuscript review under the sole criterion of artistic excellence and merit. Panelists do not know the identities of the writers, their publishing histories, academic achievements, or previous awards.
In addition to the creative writing fellowships, each year Literature Fellowships are awarded for translation projects to translate literary works written in foreign languages into English (alternating between prose and poetry to coincide with the creative writing fellowships). The art of literary translation facilitates the international exchange of fiction, poetry, and drama between cultures; many books cherished by Americans are experienced primarily in translation. Without translation, most Americans would not be able to enjoy Homer, Leo Tolstoy, Italo Calvino, or Pablo Neruda. In 2004, 60 applications for Translation in Prose grants were received, of which 11 translators in nine states were awarded grants totaling $160,000. Grants to translators are awarded for specific translation projects in grants of either $10,000 or $20,000.
CREATIVE WRITING Judy Blunt is an assistant professor Justin Cronin’s novel Mary and FELLOWSHIPS—PROSE: at the University of Montana. Her O’Neil was published by the Dial book, Breaking Clean, was published Press. He received a PEW Fellowship (all grants are $20,000) by Alfred A. Knopf in 2002. and earned his MFA from the Jennifer Ackerman’s most recent University of Iowa. Carrie Brown has had four books book, published by Houghton published by Algonquin Books. She Ann Darby is the author of the Mifflin, Chance in the House of Fate is a visiting assistant professor at novel The Orphan Game, published was released in 2001. Her first Sweet Briar College. by William Morrow in 1999. Her collection of essays, Notes from the short fiction has appeared in The Shore, was published in 1995. Bo Caldwell is a freelance writer Northwest Review, The Malahat based in Cupertino, California. Julene Bair’s collection of essays, Review, and The Best of Story A recipient of a Wallace Stegner One Degree West, details her Quarterly, among other journals. Fellowship, her novel The Distant childhood. Her work has also been Land of My Father was published James DeVita is an actor in anthologized by Milkweed Editions. in 2001. Wisconsin. His first novel, Blue, was A recipient of a Guggenheim published in 2001 by HarperCollins. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Fellowship, Peter Balakian teaches Workshop, Alexander Chee lives Carolyn Ferrell teaches at Sarah at Colgate University. His memoir, in Brooklyn, New York, and is a Lawrence College. Her first collection Black Dog of Fate, was published in visiting writer at Wesleyan of stories, Don’t Erase Me, was 1997. University. His novel, Edinburgh, published in 1997. Tom Barbash has written three was published in 2001. Cristina Garcia was a finalist for the novels, with the most recent, The Bernard Cooper is an art critic for National Book Award in 1992. Her Last Good Chance, having been Los Angeles Magazine. A recipient novels include The Agüero Sisters, published by Picador. He is a of a Guggenheim Fellowship for published in 1997, and Dreaming in lecturer at Stanford University and Creative Nonfiction, his book, Truth Cuban, published in 1992. a former recipient of a Wallace Serum, was published in 1996. Stegner Fellowship.
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Julia Glass won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2002 for her first novel Three Junes, published by Pantheon Books. ROM HIS POCKET, CHEN PAN PULLED “ T. Greenwood is the author of three out what was left of the sky-blue dressing gown that novels, Undressing the Moon, Nearer Fhad belonged to his wife. The gown was in tatters, Than the Sky, and Breathing Water, the neckline torn, but he wrapped the fragment around his all published by St. Martin’s Press. wrist. For ten years the nightgown had held Lucrecia’s original scent –a peppermint and sea-salt odor—before it had gotten Michael Griffith is a teacher at the musty with old tears. It was true that his love for Lucrecia University of Cincinnati. His novel, had grown with each passing year. Chen Pan was astonished Spikes, was published in 2001. at its persistence. Who was it that said: If only one person Joshua Harmon received his MFA in the world knows me, then I will have no regrets. So why from Cornell University. His fiction was he so regretful? has appeared in such journals as Witness, AGNI, Antioch Review, Chen Pan imagined taking a small blue boat and sailing it Iowa Review, and Bomb. beyond the rim of the horizon, beyond the slowly rising sun to where he knew Lucrecia’s spirit rested. Last March, Noy Holland teaches at the he’d bought a revolver and polished it every day. He couldn’t University of Massachusetts. Her decide whether to go on living or simply shoot himself. work has appeared in Conjunctions, Sometimes he spun the revolver on the nightstand or on The American Voice, and Open City. the counter of his shop, waiting for it to stop and point She was nominated for a National Book Award for her book, The at him directly. It never did. Spectacle of the Body. What did it mean to die, anyway? What if there wasn’t a Karl Iagnemma is a research shred of truth to anything he’d learned? After all, who scientist for the Massachusetts had ever returned from the beyond to inform the living? Institute of Technology. His fiction Chen Pan marveled at the optimism of others in the face of has appeared in The Paris Review, death. Their insistence on pasting paper money everywhere. Zoetrope: All Story, and in The Best Or burying their loved ones in three coffins, one inside the American Short Stories 2002. other. Or inserting bits of mercury-dipped jade into the Wayne Karlin has published several orifices of the deceased to delay their decay. What if death novels with Curbstone Press, was no more or less than this: the kapling of a broken string? including The Wished-For Country Each time Chen Pan thought about this, he felt as if each and Prisoners. He has won one hair on his head were on fire. prior NEA Literature Fellowship CRISTINA GARCIA and teaches at the College of ” Southern Maryland. Excerpt from Monkey Hunting, Knopf, 2003 Used by permission of the author Charles Kemnitz teaches at the Penn College of Technology. His writing has appeared in Cimarron Review, New Millennium, Northwest Review, and River Teeth.
130 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS
Ivonne Lamazares teaches Creative Lia Purpura is writer-in-residence at Larry Watson has received one prior Writing at the University of Central Loyola College. Her first collection of NEA Literature Fellowship. His novels Florida. Her first novel, The Sugar essays, Increase, was published by include Laura, Montana 1948, and Island, was published by Houghton the University of Georgia Press. White Crosses. He holds an honorary Mifflin in 2000. Doctor of Letters from Ripon College. Jess Row is the author of the Dorene O’Brien’s work has appeared short story collection The Train Brad Watson was a finalist for the in The MacGuffin, Margin, and New to Lo Wu and has published National Book Award for his novel Millennium Writings. She teaches at fiction in Ploughshares, Ontario The Heaven of Mercury. He also has Wayne State University. Review, Harvard Review, and a collection of stories entitled Last Washington Square. Days of the Dog-Men. Julie Orringer’s fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Ploughshares, The Jim Ruland lives and writes in Andrew Winer is a lecturer at Yale Review, and Zoetrope: All Story. California. His fiction has appeared the University of California-Irvine, Her stories are collected in How To in Exquisite Corpse, Sweet Fancy where he also received his MFA Breathe Underwater. Moses, and Pindeldyboz. in Fiction Writing. His novel, The Color Midnight Made, was published Michael Parker is a professor at Scott Russell Sanders has won in 2002. UNC-Greensboro. His most recent fellowships from the Guggenheim novel is Towns Without Rivers, Foundation and the Lilly published in 2001. Endowment, and received one TRANSLATION prior NEA Literature Fellowship. His FELLOWSHIPS––PROSE: A teacher at William Paterson books include The Force of Spirit, University, John Parras’s fiction has Alison Anderson $10,000 Hunting for Hope, and Staying Put. appeared in Gulf Stream Magazine, To support the translation from Oasis, and Hanging Loose. He earned Dashka Slater’s first novel, The French of the work of Christian his PhD from Columbia University. Wishing Box, was published by Bobin. Anderson will translate Chronicle Books in 2000. She lives several works, including Une petite Alexander Parsons is an assistant and writes in Oakland, California. robe de fête, a collection of short professor at The University of New pieces ranging in themes from Hampshire. His novel, Leaving Lauren Slater has a master’s nostalgia for lost love to the Disneyland, was published by degree in psychology from Harvard experience of readers and St. Martin’s Press in 2001. University and a doctorate from unpublished writers. Boston University. Her work was Roy Parvin lives and writes in chosen for The Best American Essays Alison Anderson’s translations California. His most recent novel of 1994 and 1997. Her most recent include Let Me Survive by Louise is In The Snow Forest. book, published by Random House, Longo, Onitsha by JMG Le Clézio, J. Mark Powell’s first novel, is Love Works Like This. and History of the Surrealist Prodigals, was published by the Movement by Gérard Durozoi. Dao Strom lives and writes in University of Tennessee Press in Danuta Borchardt $20,000 Austin, Texas. She received her 2002. He is a visiting professor at To support the retranslation from MFA from the University of Iowa. the University of South Carolina. Polish of the novel Cosmos by Witold Her first novel, Grass Roof, Tin Gombrowicz. Born in Poland in John Price received his MFA in Roof, was published in 2003. Nonfiction Writing from the 1904, Gombrowicz is the author University of Iowa. His work has Jonathan Waterman is the author of six books of fiction and three appeared in Creative Nonfiction, of two books, Arctic Crossing and plays, which use classical models of Orion, and The Florida Review. A Most Hostile Mountain. He lives farce and the grotesque to convey in Colorado. larger ideas of the times. Previous
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 131 LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS
translations of Cosmos were STANBUL, AUGUST 1939– MÜMTAZ HADN’T done from French and German “ been out on the streets of the city properly since his cousin translations, and this will be the IIhsan, whom he called his “older brother,” had taken ill. Aside first taken directly into English from Polish. from errands like calling for the doctor, having prescriptions filled at Danuta Borchardt was born in the pharmacist’s, and making phone calls from the neighbor’s house, Poland and lived in England and he’d spent almost the entire week either at his sick cousin’s bedside, Ireland before she moved to Boston in his own room reading and reflecting, or attempting to comfort in 1959 to work as a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. his niece and nephew. For about two days, Ihsan had complained of She won the 2001 National fever, back aches, and fatigue before pneumonia suddenly announced Translation Award from the American itself in the house in all its eminence, establishing its sultanate, a Literary Translators Association for psychology of devastation through worry, anguish, sorrow, and the her translation of Gombrowicz’s novel Ferdydurke. good wishes that never left one’s lips or glances. Everyone slept and woke with the angst that came with Ihsan’s illness. Peter Constantine $20,000 To support the translation from In the morning Mümtaz again awoke to this dread from a sleep that Greek of selected works by train whistles had bloodied with altogether different fears. It was Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greece’s foremost 19th-century approaching nine. He sat at the edge of his bed and thought for a prose writer. Papadiamantis while. He had a host of things to do today. The doctor had said he (1851-1911) wrote more than would come at ten – but Mümtaz wasn’t obliged to wait for him. 200 novellas and short stories, First of all, he needed to hire a nurse. Given that neither Ihsan’s and numerous novels including his most famous work, The Murderess. wife, Majideh, nor his mother, Sabireh Hanım, ever stepped away Peter Constantine is the translator from the sickbed, the two children were a shambles. of Six Early Stories by Thomas The old servant Arifeh Hanım could more or less occupy Ahmet. But Mann, The Undiscovered Chekhov - Thirty-Eight New Stories, and The someone had to fully engage his younger sister Sabiha. More than Complete Works of Isaac Babel. anything else, she needed someone to talk to. As Mümtaz thought He currently is a senior editor about this, he smiled inside at the antics of his little niece. It dawned for the journal Conjunctions. on him that his affections for his young relative had taken on new
Erdag Göknar $20,000 proportions since he’d returned home: “I wonder, is it always a matter To support the translation from of habit? Do we always end up loving those closest to us?” he thought. Turkish of the novel A Mind at Peace by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar ” (1901-1962). A noted novelist, AHMET HAMDI TANPINAR poet, and essayist, Tanpinar is Excerpt from A Mind at Peace considered the founder of modernist Turkish literature. Translated from Turkish by ERDA G GÖKNAR
Used by permission of author
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LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS
Erdag Göknar currently is Visiting Clifford E. Landers has translated Laima Sruoginis $10,000 Assistant Professor of Turkish 14 novels, including two novels by To support the translation from Language and Culture at Duke Fonseca, Bufo & Spallanzani and The Lithuanian of personal essays, University. His translations Lost Manuscript, as well as Marcos a memoir, and fiction by Vanda include Orhan Pamuk’s Earth Rey’s Memoirs of a Gigolo, Jorge Juknaite. Born in 1949 in a remote and Ashes and My Name is Red. Amado’s The Golden Harvest, and village along the Lithuanian/Latvian Paulo Coelho’s The Fifth Mountain. border, Juknaite received the Howard C. Goldblatt $20,000 Lithuanian National Prize for To support the translation from Tiina K. Nunnally $20,000 Literature in 2002. Chinese of the novel My Life as To support the translation Laima Sruoginis published the Emperor by Su Tong. Born in 1963, from Norwegian of Sigrid anthology, The Earth Remains: Su Tong is the author of six novels, Undset’s first novel, Mrs. Marta An Anthology of Contemporary short stories, and a novella, Raise Oulie, and a selection of short Lithuanian Prose, in 2003. the Red Lantern. stories written prior to 1918. She currently teaches at the Winner of the Nobel Prize for Howard Goldblatt currently is a University of Southern Maine. research professor at University Literature in 1928, Sigrid Undset is best known for her medieval of Notre Dame. He has translated Alyson Waters $20,000 trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter. more than 25 books of Chinese To support the translation from literature, including Liu Heng’s Tiina Nunnally is executive editor French of Vassilis Alexakis’s most Black Snow and Chu Tien-wen’s of Fjord Press. She has translated recent novel, Foreign Words. Born Notes of a Decadent Man. such works as Undset’s novel Jenny and raised in Greece, Alexakis writes and the trilogy of novels comprising much of his work in French, having Prasenjit Gupta $10,000 Kristin Lavransdatter, and Peter moved to Paris in his twenties. To support the translation of a Høeg’s Smilla’s Sense of Snow. His fiction employs elements of selection of short stories of Bengali his life to explore the relationship writer Ashapurna Debi. Widely Robert Rudder $10,000 between identity and language, regarded as one of India’s leading To support the translation from memory and the self, and exile, literary figures, Ashapurna Debi Spanish of the novel Lo prohibido loss, love, and death. (1909-1995) explored the lives by Benito Pérez Galdós. Robert of Bengali society’s middle class. Rudder will collaborate with Gloria Alyson Waters is currently the managing editor of Yale French Prasenjit Gupta’s translations Arjona. Born in 1843, Galdós wrote Studies and a lecturer in the have appeared in Modern Poetry 77 novels, 21 works for the theater, French Department at Yale in Translation, Exchanges, and and several volumes of literary University. Her translations Indian Literature. He won the criticism and personal essays, include Tzvetan Todorov’s The Katha-British Council Contest placing him second only Morals of History. in Translation in 1997. to Cervantes among Spain’s greatest novelists. Clifford E. Landers $10,000 Robert Rudder’s translations To support the translation from include Galdós’s Nazarin, Rosario Portuguese of a selection of short Castellanos’s City of Kings, Francisco stories by Brazilian writer Rubem Rojas Gonzalez’s Medicine Man, and Fonseca. Often focusing on Cristina Peri Rossi’s Solitaire of Love. alienation and victimization in Brazilian society, Fonseca’s oeuvre includes more than 100 short stories.
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NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
Senator Bob Bennett (Utah) enjoys blues artists Phil Wiggins (shown) and NEA National Heritage Fellow John Cephas at a special Capitol Hill tour for the National Council on the Arts in September 2004. Photo by Christy Crytzer
134 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
National Council on the Arts
he National Council on the Arts advises the Chairman of the TNational Endowment for the Arts on agency policies and programs. It reviews and makes recommendations on applications for grants, funding guidelines, leadership initiatives, and nominations for the National Medal of Arts. The Council meets three times a year.
Fourteen voting members of the Council—all private citizens—are Senator Lamar Alexander (Tennessee) with appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for six-year National Council on the Arts (NCA) member Mary Costa during a special Capitol Hill tour terms, and are selected for their distinguished service or achieved for the NCA in September 2004. eminence in the arts. In 1997, Congress enacted legislation that Photo by Christy Crytzer required the appointment of six members of Congress, three from the House of Representatives and three from the Senate, to serve in an ex officio, non-voting capacity for two-year terms. Current Council members can be found on the NEA Web site at www.arts.gov.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 135 NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
The following Council members served in FY 2004: Don V. Cogman David Gelernter Jerry Pinkney Patron/Trustee Author/Critic/Educator Artist/Illustrator Scottsdale, Arizona Woodbridge, Connecticut Croton-on-Hudson, New York Mary Costa Nathan Leventhal* Cleo Parker Robinson* Opera Singer Patron/Trustee Dance Company Knoxville, Tennessee New York, New York Director/Choreographer Denver, Colorado Gordon Davidson* Teresa Lozano Long Theater Center Director/Producer Patron/Trustee Deedie Potter Rose Los Angeles, California Austin, Texas Patron/Trustee Dallas, Texas Katharine Cramer DeWitt James McBride Patron/Trustee Author/Musician/Composer Karen Lias Wolff Cincinnati, Ohio Carversville, Pennsylvania Music Educator Ann Arbor, Michigan Makoto Fujimura Maribeth Walton McGinley Visual Artist Art Director/Designer New York, New York Glendale, California
Ex officio members Cass Ballenger Betty McCollum U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives (R-North Carolina) (D-Minnesota) Robert Bennett Howard “Buck” McKeon U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives (R-Utah) (R-California) Mike DeWine Harry Reid U.S. Senate U.S. Senate (R-Ohio) (D-Nevada)
* End of term in FY 2004
136 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Financial Summary
SUMMARY OF PROGRAMMATIC FUNDS AVAILABLE1 FY 2004 Appropriated Program and State/Regional Grant Funds $99,296,219 Appropriated Balance, Prior Year2 1,907,550 Nonfederal Gifts2 1,473,928 Interagency Transfers2 2,865,000
TOTAL FUNDS AVAILABLE $105,542,697
1 Excludes salaries and expenses of $23,826,356, including nonfederal gifts and interagency transfers held on behalf of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and program support funds of $1,930,025. 2 Includes FY 2003 unobligated funds brought forward into FY 2004 and prior year deobligations carried forward into FY 2004.
SUMMARY OF FUNDS OBLIGATED Challenge America
Access to the Arts $7,815,574
Reaching Every Community Grants 1,280,000
State and Regional Partnership Agreements 8,721,000
Leadership Initiatives Shakespeare in American Communities 2,953,975 Mayors’ Institute on City Design 400,000 AccessAbility Initiatives 420,800 Other Initiatives 1,234,000
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 137
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
SUMMARY OF FUNDS OBLIGATED (cont.) FY 2004 Access to Artistic Excellence
Grants to Organizations Creativity 19,960,000 Heritage/Preservation 4,231,000 Arts on Radio & Television 3,860,000 Services to Arts Organizations and Artists 2,525,000 Literature Fellowships 1,000,000 NEA Jazz Masters & NEA National Heritage Fellowships 325,000
Leadership Initiatives Folk & Traditional Arts Infrastructure Initiative 380,000 Arts Journalism Institute 485,395 NEA Jazz Masters National Initiative 574,709 Public Partnerships (including international programs) 1,285,860 Other Initiatives 1,565,655 Learning in the Arts Learning in the Arts Grants to Organizations3 39,672,680
Leadership Initiatives Shakespeare in American Communities 210,000 Arts Education Partnership 638,500 NEA Summer Institutes 250,000 Other Initiatives 77,500
State & Regional Partnership Agreements 31,380,000
Save America’s Treasures 1,362,000 TOTAL FUNDS OBLIGATED $102,608,648
3Includes $1,950,000 of NEA direct grantmaking funds obligated under State & Regional Partnership Agreements for arts learning activities.
138 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
APPROPRIATIONS HISTORY
Appropriations History Fiscal Years 1966 – 2004
Fiscal Year Total Funds Fiscal Year Total Funds Fiscal Year Total Funds 1966 $ 2,898,308 1979 $ 149,585,000 1993 $ 174,459,382 1967 $ 8,475,692 1980 $ 154,610,000 1994 $ 170,228,000 1968 $ 7,774,291 1981 $ 158,795,000 1995 $ 162,311,000 1969 $ 8,456,875 1982 $ 143,456,000 1996 $ 99,470,000 1970 $ 9,055,000 1983 $ 143,875,000 1997 $ 99,494,000 1971 $ 16,420,000 1984 $ 162,223,000 1998 $ 98,000,000 1972 $ 31,480,000 1985 $ 163,660,000 1999 $ 97,966,000 1973 $ 40,857,000 1986 $ 158,822,240 2000 $ 97,627,600 1974 $ 64,025,000 1987 $ 165,281,000 2001 $104,769,000 1975 $ 80,142,000 1988 $ 167,731,000 2002 $115,220,000 1976 $ 87,455,000 1989 $ 169,090,000 2003 $115,731,000 1976T* $ 35,301,000 1990 $ 171,255,000 2004 $120,970,815 1977 $ 99,872,000 1991 $ 174,080,737 * In 1976, the Federal government changed the beginning of the fiscal year from July 1 to 1978 $ 123,850,000 1992 $ 175,954,680 October 1, hence the 1976 Transition (T) Quarter.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT 139
2004 Annual Report published by: CREDITS National Endowment for the Arts Office of Communications Felicia K. Knight, Director Don Ball, Publications Manager September 2005 Researched and written by Don Ball and Paulette Beete. With thanks to NEA staff for their assistance, and to grantees for their photographs and information.
This annual report, as well as all grant and panel information for FY 2004, can be ordered and accessed electronically at the NEA Web site: www.arts.gov.
National Endowment for the Arts 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20506-0001 (202) 682-5400
2004 Annual Report designed by: Fletcher Design, Inc. Washington, DC
Cover Photo: Guest artist Jeff Thayer plays Brahms’s Violin Concerto with Pennsylvania’s Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robin Fountain, for its opening concert in 2004, supported by an NEA Challenge America grant. Photo by Ralph Wilson/Street Light Photography
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140 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS National Endowment for the Arts NA TIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR A Great Nation Deserves Great Art. THE AR TS • 2004 ANNUAL REPOR T
2004 Annual Report
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506-0001 (202) 682-5400 www.arts.gov
The National Endowment for the Arts is the largest annual funder of the arts in the United States. An independent federal agency,the NEA is the official arts organization of the United States government, dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education.
Thomasville, Georgia by Grant Reynard, part of the Museum of Nebraska Art’s exhibition Afro Psalms, which is available for touring through the museum’s ARTreach program, supported by an NEA Challenge America grant. Photo courtesy of Museum of Nebraska Art