Press Releases
USArtists International Announces 2009 Third Round Grants
Program Supports U.S. Performing Artists at International Engagements
Baltimore, MD - July 8, 2009 - Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is pleased to announce the third round grantees for the 2009 USArtists International ("USAI") program, the only national initiative solely dedicated to ensuring that the impressive range of expression of the performing arts in the United States is represented abroad. The program works to strengthen the creative and professional development of American dance, music and theatre artists by providing grants to support their performances around the world at significant international festivals and engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities.
The latest round of grants will support 24 performing arts ensembles and soloists at festival engagements in Argentina, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. Grantees range from California-based Kronos Quartet to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and from New York experimental theater ensemble the Nature Company of Oklahoma to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. A complete list of funded ensembles can be found here.
Mid Atlantic received 77 applications requesting grant support during the third round of USAI 2009. Third round grantees were recommended after a three-day panel review of experts in the performing arts field including:
Music Panelists
> Anne Gosfield, composer and performer (New York, NY)
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Christopher Hunt, Professor, Arts Administration, Indiana University, (Bloomington, IN)
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Amy Iwano, Executive Director, The Chicago Chamber Musicians, (Chicago, IL)
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Lawrence Simpson, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost, Berklee College of Music, (Boston, MA)
Dance/Theater Panelists
> Lane Czaplinski, Artistic Director, On the Boards, (Seattle, WA)
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Chuck Helm, Director of Performing Arts, Wexner Center for the Arts, (Columbus, OH)
> Angela Mattox, Performing Arts Curator, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, (San Francisco, CA)
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Kay Takeda, Director, Grants & Services, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, (New York, NY)
In the United States, the public and private sectors work collaboratively to support the arts. USAI continues that important tradition with support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding.
About Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ("MAAF") is one of six regional arts organizations in the United States. Created in 1979, the Foundation primarily conducts programs across nine states and jurisdictions, including Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia, the organization also works nationally and internationally. MAAF advances the arts through specialized activities in the following select program areas: Presenting, Touring, and Exhibiting; Artist Support, Projects and Residencies; and Knowledge Building. Each of these areas is designed to support excellence; enhance access to the arts of the region, nation, and world; and broaden the reach of artists and arts organizations. Programs serve a diverse range of artists, organizations and audiences in the literary, performing and visual arts.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
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.
Website: http://www.arts.gov
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