Press Releases

USArtists International Announces 2007 Second Round Grants
Program Supports U.S. Performing Artists at International Festival

Baltimore, MD - Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation joined The National Endowment for the Arts in announcing the second round grantees for the 2007/2008 cycle of USArtists International (USAI), a program designed to support performing artists from the United States at international festivals. 

The grants will support 28 music and dance ensembles at festivals in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, the U.K.  Supported groups reflect the geographic and aesthetic diversity of the United States ranging from the Hot 8 Brass Band based in Louisiana to Shen Wei Dance Arts in New York and from the Kronos Quartet in California to PHILADANCO in Pennsylvania.  A complete list of funded ensembles and the festivals at which they are performing can be found here.

USAI provides support for American dance and music ensembles that have been invited to participate in international festivals in the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine.  Eligible countries include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.  Applicants must be designated by the I.R.S. as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, or have fiscal agents that are designated as such.

USAI is committed to ensuring that the impressive range of expression and creativity of American dance and music is represented internationally. The program works to strengthen the creative and professional development of American artists by providing support for their performances at significant festivals abroad. Through the participation of exemplary artists in international festivals, USAI helps develop audiences for, and appreciation of, the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the performing arts in the United States.

USArtists International is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and is managed by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.  Additional support is provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for New York City-based ensembles and by the Trust for Mutual Understanding for engagements in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation supports the richness and diversity of the region's arts resources and promotes wider access to the art and artists of the region, nation and world. The region includes nine states and jurisdictions that are closely related by geography or culture: District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia.