U.S. Artists International (USAI) recently awarded 28 grants totaling $152,600 to music and dance ensembles throughout the United States to perform at international festivals in Russia and 13 member states of the European Union.

Of the 28 ensembles funded, 17 are music ensembles and 12 are dance ensembles and collectively represent the broad diversity in U.S. dance and music today. The dance companies encompass modern, baroque, and tap. Music ensembles include vocal and instrumental groups ranging from early chamber music to jazz, zydeco, and new music idioms.

Collectively, the ensembles will travel to more than 30 different festivals in 14 countries. Festivals include the Moscow Autumn Festival (Russia), the Stimmen Festival (Germany), Budapest Spring Festival (Hungary), the Ravenna Festival (Italy), and the Dance Umbrella Festival (U.K.).

USAI is managed by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, for New York City-based ensembles; and by the Trust for Mutual Understanding, for engagements in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.

Photo: Jose Limon Dance Company in Psalm. Credit: Douglas Cody

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, offers small and midsized presenting organizations an opportunity to apply for grants to broaden their programming and expand audiences. The Special Presenter Initiative programs support the presentation of touring performing artists at venues within Delaware, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Foundation recently awarded four grants totaling $7,470 in Delaware and 11 grants totaling $22,000 in DC under this program. U.S. Virgin Islands' Presenter Initiative grant applications will be reviewed over the summer.


Photo: Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

Applications for participation in the next cycle of the Jazz Touring Network are available through the Foundation's website. The application deadline is August 17, 2007. This multi-year program features three components in an effort to increase jazz presenting and audiences throughout the region: education and information exchange, infrastructure development and fee support for jazz touring.

MAAF typically selects four-six presenting organizations each year that have experience in programming the performing arts, but have less experience in presenting jazz. All members convene at least twice a year to strengthen their capacities for jazz presenting and share jazz programming decisions for tours supported through the network. Our website includes information on all JTN participants and tours generated by the program.

Photo: Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Credit: Rick Olivier

Individual artist fellowship application deadlines are right around the corner. If you are applying for funding, please note the following deadlines for the eGrant application:

New Jersey residents: applications are no longer being accepted
Maryland residents: July 26, 2007
Pennsylvania residents: August 1, 2007
Delaware residents: August 15, 2007

If you have questions, please contact Joanna Raczynska at 410/539-6656 ext 101, or email joanna@midatlanticarts.org

PennPAT Showcase at the Midwest Arts Conference

PennPAT Performs! Leon Bates and the Dixie Hummingbirds
Thursday, September 6, 2007
5:30- 6:15pm, with complimentary dinner buffet and open bar
9:45 - 11:00pm, with complimentary dessert and open bar
Franklin D Room of the Hyatt Regency Columbus, Columbus, Ohio

One of America's leading pianists, Leon Bates has been described as "a poet at the piano," by The New York Times. He has performed on major concert stages around the world, and is also known for his insightful residencies and work with young people.
(Leon Bates, photo credit: Wendy Stulberg)

Legendary performers of gospel music, the Dixie Hummingbirds have a history that spans 79 years and numerous awards, including a Grammy Award for Loves Me Like A Rock, written by Paul Simon.

Position Opening

PennPAT Program Associate - Marketing and Artist Services. Click here for a copy of the job description.

PennPAT Fee-Support and New Directions Grants deadlines

October 15, 2007: For projects scheduled between February 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009.

February 15, 2008: For projects scheduled between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2010.

For more info and to apply, click here .

During the June Annual Meeting held in Baltimore, Mid Atlantic Board Members got the chance to tour sculptor Rodney Carroll's studio and sculpture park. Carroll is well known for his large scale free- form sculpture, benches and bronze castings. Carroll and his wife live over his work space and hosted a reception in their adjacent three-story studio. The sculpture park sits behind the studio on a once-abandoned lot in Baltimore's Pigtown neighborhood and hosts hundreds of schoolchildren each year.