Baltimore, MD - July 15, 2009 The National Endowment for the Arts and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation announce the availability of guidelines for the 2009/2010 cycle of USArtists International("USAI"), a program designed to support American performing artists at international festivals.

USAI provides support for American dance, music, and theatre artists who have been invited to participate in international festivals anywhere in the world outside of the United States. Applicants must be designated by the I.R.S. as a 501(c)(3) organization, or have a fiscal agent that is designated as a 501(c)(3) organization.

Guidelines for USAI are available online here. The deadlines for the program are September 8, 2009 for projects taking place between November 1, 2009 and October 21, 2010; January 8, 2010 for projects taking place between March 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011; and May 3, 2010 for projects taking place between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.

USAI is committed to ensuring that the impressive range of creative expression of American performing artists is presented before a broad international audience. The program works to strengthen the creative and professional development of American artists by providing support for their performances at significant international festivals and engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities. Through their participation, USAI will help develop audiences for, and appreciation of, the excellence, diversity and vitality of the American performing arts.

In 2008-2009, USAI supported eighty ensembles performing at festivals throughout the world. Companies have participated in the Edinburgh International Festival, United Kingdom; Ethiopian Music Festival, Ethiopia; Festival Musiques Metisses, France; Harare International Festival of the Arts, Zimbabwe; International Blind and Visually Impaired Theatre Festival, Croatia; Lucerne Festival, Switzerland; Montpellier Dance Festival, France; New Dance International Festival of Lima, Peru; North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands; Open Look Summer Festival, Russia; Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Palestine; Singapore Fringe Festival, Singapore; Verona Jazz Festival, Italy; and others. Artists have included a wide range of dance, music and theatre artists - from Meredith Monk in New York to Ragamala Music and Dance in Minnesota and from the Rova Saxophone Quartet in California to Feufollet in Louisiana. A complete listing of artists and festivals can be found at www.midatlanticarts.org.

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 and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

About Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
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.

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://arts.endow.gov/