Grants for Organizations

A female violinist stands on a grassy path by a green tree line. People in masks pass her by while listening to the music.

Photo: PS:21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century (Chatham, NY) partnered with Artpark in Lewiston, NY to present Alarm Will Sound with support from ArtsCONNECT. Here, Alarm Will Sound performs John Luther Adams’ “Ten Thousand Birds” to a socially-distanced audience in PS21’s open air pavilion theatre. Credit: Elena Siyanko.

Mid Atlantic Arts’ grant programs for organizations strengthen the region’s presenter network, give communities access to high quality artistic experiences, build audiences, and provide opportunities for greater understanding and appreciation of the arts.

ArtsCONNECT
About
Shot from behind the audience, a group of six artists in street clothes sit across the front of a stage, their legs hanging down from the edge. Behind them, two large panels show maps of the world. We can see the backs of the audience member heads as they face the stage.

Photo: The University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts (Richmond, VA) hosted an audience Q&A with Kaneza Schall & Christopher Myers CARTOGRAPHY with support from ArtsCONNECT. Credit: Shannon Hooker.

ARTSCONNECT APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

HOW TO APPLY
Go to midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com and create an account (or login if you have an existing SmartSimple account.) After logging into SmartSimple, click “Funding Opportunities” under “Available Applications.” Then, select “Apply Now” under the program description for ArtsCONNECT to begin your application.

ArtsCONNECT supports touring projects collaboratively developed by presenters working together in the mid-Atlantic region. The tours include performances as well as complementary engagement activities designed to create greater understanding or connections between artists, audiences, and communities. Presenters must be based in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography. Active participation for presenters of all sizes is encouraged.

The program recognizes that offering funding support for a variety of well-coordinated, collective booking efforts increases routing opportunities, leverages access for smaller markets, and benefits the region. Acknowledging that collaborative planning during an ongoing global pandemic is challenging for presenters and artists alike, the FY23 ArtsCONNECT program will reduce the number of required presenters to a minimum of two (previously a minimum of three was required).

ArtsCONNECT projects are supported in two funding tiers: Projects with artist fees at or below $8,000 and projects with artist fees of $8,001 or above.

Presenter participation in the Projects in Development listing is required.  A presenter must submit an artist’s information to the listing by Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Cohort applications proposing artists that have not been submitted to the listing by Tuesday, May 24, 2022 will not be eligible for ArtsCONNECT funding.

Submit to the Projects in Development listing at the link here.

2022-2023 ArtsCONNECT Timeline:

  • April 4, 2022: timeline and program guidelines released
  • Week of April 11, 2022: virtual guidelines video overview posted
  • April 25, 2022: ArtsCONNECT application live
  • May 4, 2022, 3pm: ArtsCONNECT informational webinar. Click here to register for the 2022-2023 ArtsCONNECT webinar.
  • May 24, 2022: ArtsCONNECT projects in development listing closes
  • June 7, 2022: ArtsCONNECT final application deadline

Project period for ArtsCONNECT supported projects: September 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.

For more information about how ArtsCONNECT works, please see program guidelines.

Questions? Contact Sarah Lewitus, Program Officer, Performing Arts, at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org.

ArtsCONNECT is made possible through support from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program.

Guidelines

Please review FY23 ArtsCONNECT guidelines and preview application narrative questions below.

GUIDELINES

Download ArtsCONNECT Guidelines as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download ArtsCONNECT Guidelines as an accessible Word document (click link to download)
Listen and view the virtual guidelines video overview at the link here (click link to open mp4 file)

APPLICATION NARRATIVE PREVIEW QUESTIONS 

Download a preview copy of ArtsCONNECT narrative questions as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download a preview copy of ArtsCONNECT narrative questions as an accessible Word document (click link to download)

An informational webinar for the 2022-2023 ArtsCONNECT program was held on May 4, 2022 at 3pm EST.

HOW TO APPLY

Go to midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com and create an account (or login if you have an existing SmartSimple account.) After logging into SmartSimple, click “Funding Opportunities” under “Available Applications.” Then, select “Apply Now” under the program description for ArtsCONNECT to begin your application.

Projects in Development

PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT LISTING

The Projects in Development listing is a user-generated information hub that includes consortia projects currently in development for ArtsCONNECT.

Presenter participation in the Projects in Development listing is required.  A presenter must submit an artist’s information to the listing by Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Cohort applications proposing artists that have not been submitted to the listing by Tuesday, May 24, 2022 will not be eligible for ArtsCONNECT funding.

Submit to the Projects in Development listing at the link here.

View the Projects in Development listing here. New submissions to the Projects in Development listing will be added each Monday through the submission deadline of May 24, 2022. Check back each Monday to learn about new projects planning to apply for ArtsCONNECT support in 2022-2023.

Current Grantees & Tours

2021-2022

Please check with the performance venue to confirm dates and times, and for ticket information.

7NMS: Marjani Forté-Saunders + Everett Saunders (CA & NY)

A man sits front right reaching toward the camera. The woman behind himlft holds a wooden mask over her face. The backdrop is a rustic wooden fence.

Photo Credit: M62Photography.

Ballet Hispanico (NY)

Members of the Ballet Hispanic company face each other an a long line. Each side leans on each other toward the center. They are brightly dressed against a dark background.
Photo Credit: Paula Lobo.

 Buster Williams & Something More (NJ)

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana (NY)

A male dancer strikes a flamenco pose center. Behind him a man and woman clap and a man stage center plays guitar. h
Photo Credit: Christopher Duggan. 

 Gamelan Cudamani (Canada & NY)

A group of all male musicians wearing traditional dress and head wear, sit on stage behind traditional instruments.
Photo Credit: Hollis Ashby.

Harlem Quartet with Aldo López-Gavilán (USA & Cuba)

The Harlem Quartet stands outside with a blurred city street behind them. The four men and one woman wear heavy dark winter coats.
Photo Credit: Juan Miguel Hernandez.

 Kinetic Light (NY)

A woman with curly red hair balances on the edge of a jagged grey precipice. Stars light the sky behind her.

Photo Credit: BRITT / Jay Newman

Kyle Marshall Choreography (NJ)

A single female dancer poses in the foreground dressed in casual clothing. Behind her in the distance we see a male dancer bending over and string musicians playing.
Photo Credit: Robert Torres.

 Nrityagram Dance (India)

Male and female dancers in brightly colored traditional Indian dress pose in front of a green tiled rooftop.
Photo Credit: Margaret Lawrence.

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company (NY)

A lone female dancer in arabesque wears an elaborate plum dress and head wear. The backdrop is a lighter magenta and a column of white fabric hangs to the left.

Photo Credit: Ernesto Mancebo.

Waves Across Time: Traditional Dance and Music of Okinawa (Japan) 

A dancer in traditional Japanese clothing and makeup, poses on a wooden stage. In the background traditional musicians can be seen seated on the floor.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

William Parker Trio (NY)

William parker stands behind his bass. He wears a black leather jacket and cap. In the background black scrollwork sits over a bright purple wall.

Photo Credit: Peter Gannushkin.

Panelists

Panelists

If you are interested in serving as a panelist for ArtsCONNECT, please email Program Officer Sarah Lewitus at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org with your name and a short bio for consideration.

2021-2022 Program Panelists

Dr. Kreative (Malakhi RL Eason II)
Director of Programming and Community Impact at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas
New Haven, CT

Maria Manuela Goyanes
Artistic Director, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Washington, DC

Isabel Soffer
Co-Founder and Co-Director, globalFEST; Co-Founder and Co-Director, The Generators; Co-Founder and Co-Director, Live Sounds
Malden, NY

Beatrice L. Thomas
Principal, Authentic Arts and Media
Vallejo, CA

Laurie Uprichard
Independent Curator, Producer, and Consultant
New Orleans, LA

2020-2021 Program Panelists

Kristy Edmunds
Center for the Art of Performance, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

Tamara Loewenthal
Lotus Education and Arts Foundation
Bloomington, IN

Aaron Shackelford, Ph.D.
Georgia Tech Arts
Atlanta, GA

Anonymous
Chicago, IL

Anonymous
NY/CA

2019-2020 Program Panelists

Viviana Benitez
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
New York, NY

Laura Kendall
Omaha Performing Arts
Omaha, NE

Bonnie Schock
Sheldon Theatre of Performing Arts
Red Wing, MN

Sixto Wagan
University of Houston
Houston, TX

2018-2019 Program Panelists

Paul Bonin-Rodriguez
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX

Adam Fong
Center for New Music
San Francisco, CA

Ben Pryor
American Realness
New York, NY

Dayna Martinez
Ordway Center
Saint Paul, MN

Manage Your Grant

COVID-19 Coronavirus: As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we recognize the need to be flexible.  We recognize that out of an abundance of caution, grantees may need to cancel grant-supported engagements or activities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Operations, Phillip Harmon, or the Mid Atlantic Arts program officer handling your specific grant program or activity to discuss your concerns or options. You can find staff contact information here.  Please be assured we will not penalize grantees for canceling grants due to COVID-19 coronavirus considerations and will be as flexible as we can within the limits of our own funder limitations.

Virtual Engagement Guidance

As arts presenting organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies during this time. While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we are also open to adaptive approaches that will ensure continued access to these arts experiences. Therefore, we are glad to announce the following policy for virtual engagements as an option for our grantees to fulfill their public performance and community engagement activity requirements.

Please read the full guidance document to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation. We have also included links to a few resources that may help you guide your decisions around virtual presentation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. Requested changes must be submitted to Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org.

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below. Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report.

Credit and Logo Usage Details

The following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project.

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way.

This engagement of [ARTIST] is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link MUST remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic Arts’ logo.

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions were included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement.

Final reports are to be completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ eGRANT system at https://midatlanticarts.egrant.net. Please read the instructions in the eGRANT system carefully.

The account used to submit the application for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the link on the eGRANT login page to retrieve the information.

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539. 6656 x109.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grants
About

Two men sit in chairs to the far right of the image. The man on the left plays a harmonica while the man on the right plays a guitar. Behind them, a piano and other musical instruments can be seen.

Photo: Blues harp player Phil Wiggins collaborates with guitarist Owen Morrison. Credit: Josh Kohn.

Mid Atlantic Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects designed to support the vitality of traditional arts and cultural communities in the mid-Atlantic region.

Non-profit organizations in DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, USVI or WV which seek to engage folk and traditional artists, practitioners, or culture bearers in community-based projects are eligible for funding in amounts from $1,000 to $7,000. The majority of project activities must take place within the mid-Atlantic region. Eligible project activities include but are not limited to performances, public art collaborations, workshops, trainings, exhibitions, fieldwork, and artistic collaborations. Projects must include some publicly-accessible component, including but not limited to a performance, event, exhibit, video, podcast, Q&A session, public interest meeting, archival collection, website, or report.

Mid Atlantic encourages projects that cross sectors, state or territory borders, or connect organizations, artists, or practitioners within one state or territory. In alignment with Mid Atlantic Arts’ strategic vision to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and access, applications for projects that support or engage underserved or underrepresented artists, practitioners, traditions, or constituents are strongly encouraged.

Questions? Contact Emily Hilliard, Program Officer, Folk and Traditional Arts, at emily@midatlanticarts.org.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Project grants are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Guidelines

GUIDELINES
Download 2022 Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Guidelines as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download 2022 Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Guidelines as an accessible Word document (click link to download)

APPLICATION FORM
Download a preview copy of 2022 Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Application as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download a preview copy of 2022 Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Application as an accessible Word document  (click link to download)

An informational webinar for the 2022-2023 Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grants was held on May 11, 2022 at 11am EST..

Click here to view the video recording.

Click here to view the slide deck from the presentation.

Ready to apply? Go to our online application:  https://midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com/ 

Manage Your Grant

COVID-19 Coronavirus

As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we recognize the need to be flexible.  We recognize that out of an abundance of caution, grantees may need to cancel grant-supported engagements or activities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Operations, Phillip Harmon, or the Mid Atlantic Arts program officer handling your specific grant program or activity to discuss your concerns or options. You can find staff contact information here.  Please be assured we will not penalize grantees for canceling grants due to COVID-19 coronavirus considerations and will be as flexible as we can within the limits of our own funder limitations.

Virtual Engagement Guidance

As arts organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies during this time. While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we are also open to adaptive approaches that will ensure continued access to these arts experiences. Therefore, we are glad to announce the following policy for virtual engagements as an option for our grantees to fulfill their public performance and community engagement activity requirements.

Please read the full guidance document to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation. We have also included links to a few resources that may help you guide your decisions around virtual presentation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. Requested changes must be submitted to Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org.

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below. Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report.

Credit and Logo Usage Details

The following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project.

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way.

This program is made possible through the Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link MUST remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic Arts’ logo.

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions were included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement.

Final reports are to be completed online at https://midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com/

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539. 6656 x109.

Jazz Touring Network
About
Shot from the back of the performance space, a group of four musicians stand on the stage in a row taking their final bow. They are surrounded by their instruments on a deep blue lit stage and framed with red curtains. The audience stands and claps

Photo: Dayramir Gonzalez & Habana enTRANCe take a bow on stage at Flushing Town Hall (Flushing, NY). Flushing Town Hall is a member of the Jazz Touring Network. Credit: Shawn Choi.

The Jazz Touring Network is a presenter-based membership program that supports professional development, building partnerships, and working together to curate tours that reflect the richness of the field of jazz. Welcoming both those organizations with little to no experience presenting jazz and seasoned jazz presenters seeking to strengthen programming, application occurs annually through an open, competitive process. Once selected, membership is ongoing upon meeting annual requirements.

Questions regarding the Jazz Touring Network should be directed to Adam “Bo” Plantz at adam@midatlanticarts.org.

The Jazz Touring Network is made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program.

Guidelines

New guidelines for the Jazz Touring Network will be posted in fall 2022. The guidelines below are for information purposes only.

Download the 2020 – 2021 Jazz Touring Network Membership Guidelines as a PDF (link opens in a new window)

Download the 2020 – 2021 Jazz Touring Network Membership Guidelines as an accessible Word document (click link to download)

Deadlines

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mid Atlantic Arts has prioritized supporting current JTN members as they navigate difficult programming and presenting transitions. New program guidelines will be posted in the fall of 2022.

Current Tours

2019-2020 Jazz Touring Network Engagements

All schedules are subject to change. Please check with the performance venue to confirm dates and times, and for ticket information.

Anat Cohen is photographed against a white background. She wears jeans and a white buttoned shirt.
Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

Anat Cohen Quartetinho, New York, NY

“Cohen has emerged as one of the brightest, most original young instrumentalists in jazz.” — The Washington Post

Anat Cohen has always felt a deep connection to the joy, inventiveness, and deep grooves of jazz’s rich and eclectic musical traditions. The prolific clarinetist-saxophonist’s latest musical project, The Anat Cohen Quartetinho, was birthed from her GRAMMY-nominated Tentet and explores a myriad of musical influences, both acoustic and electronic, from Israel, the US, and Brazil. Quartetinho features Anat (clarinet & bass clarinet), Vitor Gonçalves (accordion & piano), Tal Mashiach (bass & 7-string guitar), and James Shipp (percussion, vibraphone, and electronics). 

Three women, in black formal wear, stand on stage in front of a grand piano. They all hold microphones and are singing.
Photo Credit: Frank Stewart

Ladies Sing the Blues, featuring vocalists Catherine Russell, Charenee Wade, and Brianna Thomas, New York, NY

Ladies Sing The Blues features vocalists Catherine Russell, Charenee Wade, and Brianna Thomas channeling 1920s blues divas Bessie Smith (the “Empress of the Blues”); Mamie Smith (the “Queen of the Blues”); Ma Rainey (the “Mother of the Blues”); stage and screen icon, Ethel Waters, and legends like Billie Holiday, Alberta Hunter, and Ida Cox. Originally presented at Jazz At Lincoln Center, this concert features an amazing 7-piece band including horn charts adapted from the original recordings.  Come swing with us!

Christie Dashiell head shot. Christie is shot against a wite background. She wears a dark leather jacket and tan patterned scarf.
Photo Credit: Colville Heskey

Christie Dashiell Washington, DC

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, Christie Dashiell is a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. As a member of Afro-Blue, Howard’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, Dashiell appeared on NBC’s “The Sing Off.” She has twice received recognition in DownBeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards as Outstanding Soloist and Best Vocalist in the Graduate College division. Dashiell tours with her own quartet, and has performed with Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, Smokey Robinson, Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hammond. She has appeared at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival and Winter Jazzfest in New York City.

 

Dayramir Gonzalez sits in right profile while playing a grand piano on stage. He wears a light colored suit and in the background, two females musicians can be seen playing the violin.
Photo Credit: Rob Klein

Dayramir Gonzales Los Angeles, CA

Dayramir Gonzalez is a three-time Cubadisco award-winner and the first Cuban national to receive Berklee College of Music’s “Presidential Scholarship” and the 2013 Wayne Shorter Award for most outstanding jazz composer. 

Dayramir began his professional career as a pianist and composer with former Irakere member, Oscar Valdes’ Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Diákara at the age of 16. Since winning Havana’s JoJazz festival in 2004 and 2005, Dayramir has gone from winning three Cubadisco awards for his 2007 debut album “Dayramir & Habana enTRANCé” to becoming Berklee College of Music’s first Cuban national “Presidential Scholarship” recipient to performing in 15,000-seat stadiums with legends like Chucho and Bebo Valdes and headlining Carnegie Hall’s,“Voices of Latin America Series,” invited by Chucho Valdes representing the young generation of Afro-Cuban jazz.

During this tour, Dayramir will share the music of his journey as a young Havana-native who brings the Afro-Cuban music legacy infused with the vanguard sounds of New York to the United States. His music reflects his ancestral heritage of pulsating West African motifs to his contemporary take on the classical Cuban tradition of the late 19th century as well as a modern approach to the large orchestral ballads inspired by the artistry of jazz legends like Billy Strayhorn and Gil Evans. Dayramir continues his role as a leading composer, orchestrator, bandleader and pianist in the international jazz community.

Jennifer Hartswick and Nick Cassarino are photographed in black and white in a park. Jennifer is on the right side of the photo with her right arm around Nick's neck They both wear black leather jackets and clothing in shades of black.
Photo Credit: Michelle Stancil

Jennifer Hartswick & Nick Cassarino Duo, Nashville, TN & Brooklyn, NY

Trumpeter and vocalist Jennifer Hartswick and guitarist Nick Cassarino have been playing music, writing, laughing, and storytelling together since meeting in their native Vermont almost two decades ago. Now based in Nashville, TN, Hartswick is best known as a founding member of the Trey Anastasio Band, and has recorded and shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Phish, Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, Christian McBride and many others. Cassarino, who resides in Brooklyn, NY, performed as a member of hip-hop collective Lifted Crew and toured alongside rap icons Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane before forming internationally renowned The Nth Power onstage at a late-night Jazz Fest jam session in 2013.

Hartswick and Cassarino have each made names for themselves, touring tirelessly, but together their powerful jazz-fusion originals are delivered with passion, dedication and sophistication that is evident in their joyous, soulful performances, providing audiences with a truly special musical experience.

Joel Ross photographed against a bubblegum pink background. He ears a short sleeve pink button up shirt and is placing a baseball cap with the words "Good Vibes" embroidered on the front.
Photo Credit: Lauren Desberg

Joel Ross – Good Vibes, Brooklyn, NY

Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based vibraphonist and composer Joel Ross has a way of being everywhere interesting at once: from deeply innovative albums (Makaya McCraven’s Universal Beings, Walter Smith III & Matthew Stevens’ In Common) to reliably revolutionary combos (Marquis Hill’s Blacktet, Peter Evans’ Being & Becoming) to an ever-present force on the New York jazz stage. In 2019 he joined the Blue Note Records roster; adding his name to an illustrious jazz vibraphone legacy on the label that extends from Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson to Stefon Harris. His debut record Kingmaker was one of the exceptional releases of the year and while it was a great recording, live, along with his band, is where his vision truly rises to astounding heights.

Marc Cary sits center and wears a yellow graphic tee and black patterned bucket hat. A man walks out of the left side of the image and another is visible silhouetted to the left.
Photo Credit: Vikram Valluri

Marc Cary, Baltimore, MD

In a jazz world brimming with brilliant and adventurous pianists, musician and composer Marc Cary stands apart by way of pedigree and design as one of New York’s best jazz pianists. None of his prestigious peer group ever set the groove behind the drums in Washington DC go-go bands nor are any others graduates of both Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln’s daunting bandstand academies.  On top of his expansive recording catalog and international touring,  he is currently teaching the Undergraduate and Graduate improvisation programs at Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School, and with this — alongside his long-standing acclaimed performance based jam sessions The Harlem Sessions — Cary is an indisputable connector between the jazz generations.

Victor Provost is photographed against a white wall. He wears dark suit slacks and a vest over a white button up shirt and red patterned tie. A deep blue scarf is draped around his neck.
Photo Credit: Chris Drukker

Victor Provost, Crofton, MD

Victor Provost is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading voices on the unique, and often misunderstood, steel pan (or steel drum). Through appearances at concert halls, clubs, and stages around the world, he has been meticulously developing a reputation as a “dazzling” soloist, crafting an impressive improvisational voice and style. With a strong foundation in Bebop, a contemporary sensibility, and deep roots in Caribbean music, he seamlessly melds and mixes genres. The Washington D.C. City Paper’s “Jazz Percussionist of the Year” six years running, his 2017 recording Bright Eyes (Sunnyside) debuted at #5 on the iTunes Top 40 Jazz Charts and has been met with praise from The Washington Post, Downbeat Magazine, Hot House Magazine, and numerous artists and presenters.

In addition to leading his own group, Victor has performed and recorded with luminaries such as NEA Jazz Master Paquito D’Rivera, Hugh Masakela, Joe Locke, Nicholas Payton, Terell Stafford, Dave Samuels, Steve Nelson, Ron Blake, and Wycliffe Gordon, among many others.

As an educator, Victor conducts residencies throughout the United States and the Caribbean and is an Arts Ambassador to his home, the U.S. Virgin Islands, which honored him with a Special Congressional Recognition in 2014.

Members

Arden Gild Hall
Ron Ozer, President
2126 The Highway
Arden, DE 19810
Phone: 302.898.9308
E-mail: concerts@ardenclub.org
http://ardenclub.org/

Ars Nova Workshop
Mark Christman, Executive and Artistic Director
Bok Room 509
1901 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 20002
Phone: 215.805.3376
E-mail: mark@arsnovaworkshop.org
https://www.arsnovaworkshop.org

Artvolution Cultural Innovation Project, Inc.- Modern Renaissance Jazz
Vena Jefferson, Executive Director
1911 Ironwood Lane
Bensalem, PA 19020
Phone: 267.777.9553
E-mail: vena@artvolution.org
https://www.artvolution.org/

Atlas Performing Arts Center
Doug Yeuell, Executive Director
1333 H Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202.399.7993 ext. 116
E-mail: dyeuell@atlasarts.org
http://www.atlasarts.org

BlackRock Center for the Arts
Keelyn Mitchell, Senior Coordinator of Programs & Projects
12901 Town Commons Drive
Germantown, MD 20874
Phone: 240.912.1059
E-mail: kmitchell@blackrockcenter.org
http://www.blackrockcenter.org/

Binghamton University – Anderson Center for the Performing Arts
Annette Burnett, Operations Director
P.O. Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902
Phone: 607.777.2311
E-mail: aburnet@binghamton.edu
http://www2.binghamton.edu/anderson-center/

CapitalBop
Jamie Sandal, Managing Director
2853 Ontario Road, NW #501
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 301.943.2683
E-mail: jamie@capitalbop.com
https://www.capitalbop.com/

Carnegie Hall
Allan Sizemore, Artistic Director
105 Church Street
Lewisburg, WV 24901
Phone: 304.645.7917 ext. 114
E-mail: artistic@carnegiehallwv.org
http://www.carnegiehallwv.org/

Christina Cultural Arts Center
James Raye Rhodes, Executive Director
705 N. Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: 302.851.1633
E-mail: jrhodes@ccacde.org
https://www.ccac-de.org/

Cornell University – Cornell Concert Series
Dr. Deborah Justice, Manager
101 Lincoln Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607.255.4363
E-mail: drj46@cornell.edu
www.cornellconcertseries.com

Creative Alliance
Josh Kohn, Performance Director
3134 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 410.276.1651
E-mail: josh@creativealliance.org
http://www.creativealliance.org/

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Ariana Hellerman, Director of Programming
1 MetroTech Center North, Suite 1003
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 718-403-1641
E-mail: ahellerman@downtownbrooklyn.com
http://www.downtownbrooklyn.com

Flushing Town Hall
Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director
137-35 Northern Boulevard
Flushing, NY 11354
Phone: 718.463.7700 ext. 225
E-mail: ekodadek@flushingtownhall.org
http://www.flushingtownhall.org

Frostburg State University – Cultural Events Series
Melanie Moore, Associate Director – CES
101 Braddock Road
Frostburg, MD 21532
Phone: 301.687.4151
E-mail: mamoore@frostburg.edu
https://www.frostburg.edu/cultural-events-series/

Hamilton College – Performing Arts
Michelle Reiser-Memmer, Performing Arts Administrator
198 College Hill Road
Clinton, NY 13323
Phone: 315.859.4305
E-mail: mreiserm@hamilton.edu
https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/arts-at-hamilton/performingarts

Jefferson Center
Jamie Cheatwood, Programming Assistant
541 Luck Avenue, SW, Suite 221
Roanoke, VA 24016
Phone: 540.343.2624 ext. 215
E-mail: jcheatwood@jeffcenter.org
http://www.jeffcenter.org/

Kente Arts Alliance
Mensah Wali, Artistic Director
1212 Manhattan Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Phone: 412.322.0292
E-mail: mensah@kentearts.org
http://kentearts.com

Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College
Jon Yanofsky, Director, Kupferberg Center for the Arts
65-30 Kissena Blvd
Flushing, NY 11367
Phone: 718.570.0924
E-mail: jon.yanofsky@qc.cuny.edu
http://kupferbergcenter.org/

Lake Placid Center for the Arts
James Lemons, Executive Director
17 Algonquin Drive
Lake Placid, NY 12946
Phone: 518.523.2512
E-mail: james@lakeplacidarts.org
https://www.lakeplacidarts.org/

Light Up The Queen
Sarah Koon, Executive Director
500 N. Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: 302.504.9574
E-mail: sarah.koon@lightupthequeen.org
http://www.lightupthequeen.org/

Montgomery County Community College – Lively Arts
Brent Woods, Senior Director of Cultural Affairs
340 DeKalb Pike
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Phone: 215.641.6439
E-mail: BWoods@mc3.edu
http://www.mc3.edu/arts/lively-arts

MCG Jazz
Natalie Larsen, Executive Assistant
1815 Metropolitan Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Phone: 412.322.1773 ext. 121
E-mail: nlarsen@manchesterbidwell.org
http://mcgjazz.org

On Stage At Kingsborough
Anna Becker, Executive Director
2001 Oriental Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11235
Phone: 718.368.5148
E-mail: ABecker@kbcc.cuny.edu
http://www.onstageatkingsborough.org/

RiverviewJazz.Org
Bryan Beninghove, Executive Director
P.O. Box 17291
Jersey City, NJ, 07307
Phone: 201.920.7209
E-mail: riverviewjazz.org@gmail.com
https://www.riverviewjazz.org/

Salisbury University – Cultural Affairs
June Krell-Salgado, Director of Cultural Affairs
1101 Camden Avenue
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone: 410.543.6271
E-mail: JEKRELL-SALGADO@salisbury.edu
https://www.salisbury.edu/culturalaffairs

University of Richmond – Modlin Center for the Arts
Shannon Hooker, Assistant Director
T-107A 28 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
Phone: 804.287.6559
E-mail: shooker@richmond.edu
http://modlin.richmond.edu/

Virginia Arts Festival
Kimberly Schuette, Artistic Administrator
440 Bank Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: 757.282.2811
E-mail: kschuette@vafest.org
http://www.vafest.com/

Manage Your Grant

COVID-19 Coronavirus: As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we recognize the need to be flexible.  We recognize that out of an abundance of caution, grantees may need to cancel grant-supported engagements or activities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Operations, Phillip Harmon, or the Mid Atlantic Arts program officer handling your specific grant program or activity to discuss your concerns or options. You can find staff contact information here.  Please be assured we will not penalize grantees for canceling grants due to COVID-19 coronavirus considerations and will be as flexible as we can within the limits of our own funder limitations.

Virtual Engagement Guidance

As arts presenting organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies during this time. While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we are also open to adaptive approaches that will ensure continued access to these arts experiences. Therefore, we are glad to announce the following policy for virtual engagements as an option for our grantees to fulfill their public performance and community engagement activity requirements.

Please read the full guidance document to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation. We have also included links to a few resources that may help you guide your decisions around virtual presentation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. Requested changes must be submitted to Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org.

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below.  Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report.

Credit and Logo Usage Details

The following statement, and where space permits, the Mid Atlantic Arts logo MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project.

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way.

This engagement of [ARTIST] is made possible through the Jazz Touring Network program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link MUST remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic Arts’ logo.

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions were included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement.

Final reports are to be completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ eGRANT system at https://midatlanticarts.egrant.net.  Please read the instructions in the eGRANT system carefully.

The account used to submit the Common Information Form for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the link on the eGRANT login page to retrieve the information.

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539.6656 x109.

Mid Atlantic Tours
About
Three Korean women in vibrant, updated traditional dress and hats, perform on stage in from of a bright purple and pink background. The women stand in a line close-up, and the artist in the center holds a microphone.

Photo: Ak Dan Gwang Chil in performance at Frostburg State University (Frostburg, MD) with support from the Mid Atlantic Tours program. Credit: Missy Russell Martz.

Mid Atlantic Tours brings the best of the performing arts to communities across the mid-Atlantic region. Presenters select from a curated roster of artists that changes annually but maintains a programmatic commitment to a diversity of performance genres, regional artist representation, and engaging with communities underserved by the arts. No lengthy application process – presenters work directly with agents and eligible organizations receive support for their project.

The annual artist roster is selected through a staff-curated process led by Mid Atlantic Arts, with input from mid-Atlantic presenters through an annual survey. Criteria considered in the selection process include artists or ensembles that appeal to a wide-range of presenters within the mid-Atlantic region, artist affordability, technical requirements, and strong artist representation.

Presenters interested in learning more about the booking and funding process should refer to the Artist Roster and Booking Guidelines tabs under this program.

Questions regarding Mid Atlantic Tours should be directed to Sarah Lewitus, Program Officer, Performing Arts and Accessibility Coordinator at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org.

Mid Atlantic Tours is made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program with additional funding provided by  the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Artist Roster

Mid Atlantic Arts will not release a new Mid Atlantic Tours roster for 2022-2023.

Presenters interested in engaging a performing artist/ensemble with support from Mid Atlantic Arts for the 2022-2023 season may wish to apply for funding with an ArtsCONNECT cohort; more information about that opportunity can be found at this link.

Mid Atlantic Tours will resume in 2023-2024 with an updated booking timeline responsive to presenters’ feedback. Presenters: please look out for a Mid Atlantic Tours interest survey in summer 2022 for the 2023-2024 season.

For any questions or feedback regarding Mid Atlantic Tours, to suggest an artist/ensemble for the 2023-2024 roster, or to be added to the presenter interest survey mailing list, please email Sarah Lewitus, Program Officer, Performing Arts and Accessibility Coordinator, at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org.

Booking Guidelines

The booking deadline for the 2021-2022 artist roster was May 7, 2021. Information below is for information purposes only.

Download 2021-2022 Mid Atlantic Tours Booking Guidelines as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download 2021-2022 Mid Atlantic Tours Booking Guidelines as an accessible Word document (right click link to download in new tab)

Current Grantees & Tours

2021-2022 Mid Atlantic Tours Grantees

Please check with the performance venue to confirm dates and times, and for ticket information.

Charlotte Blake Alston, PA

Charlotte Blake Austen stands on a sandy beach with the ocean behind her. She holds a Kora in front of her and is wearing blue and black African print pants and tunic.
Image: Charlotte Blake Alston. Credit: Annie Cameron Photography.

Charlotte Blake Alston is a nationally acclaimed storyteller and narrator who has performed throughout North America and abroad for over 30 years. She is committed to the preservation of African and African American oral storytelling traditions. Her stories include folktales, historical stories and songs that highlight the richness of those traditions.

Charlotte Blake Alston will be presented by:

Garba360, NJ

Colorful image of an artist leading community members through the steps of a dance. A large festival stage is lit in the background.
Image: Garba360. Credit: Kevin Yatarola.

Anchored by a live band and dance instructors, Garba360 reimagines a beloved Gujarati social folk dance experience (garba) and brings it to new spaces and places for all to participate. Garba360 is a joyous event with dance lessons, a dance performance, and community dancing with live music that can be done in open indoor or outdoor spaces.

Garba360 will be presented by:

Lakecia Benjamin and Pursuance, NY

Musician Lakecia Benjamin sits in left profile. She wears all shits and holds a saxophone in her left hand.
Image: Lakecia Benjamin. Credit: Elizabeth Leitzell

Named by the Downbeat Magazine Critics’ Poll as Rising Star in 2020, Lakecia Benjamin’s latest album Pursuance is an intergenerational masterpiece that takes the listener on a journey through the lineage of music with the works of John and Alice Coltrane. She pays homage to those who have come before by featuring innovative bandleaders of her generation.

Lakecia Benjamin and Pursuance will be presented by:

Resistance Revival Chorus, NY

Black and white image of a group of diverse women all dressed in white. They stand on a city street with building in the background holding microphones and singing.
Image: Resistance Revival Chorus. Credit: Ginny Suss.

Resistance Revival Chorus is a collective of more than 60 women and non-binary singers who join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, and to uplift and center women’s voices. The Chorus’s touring ensemble of 12-15 people will be focused on sharing the music from their debut album, which was released on Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records in October 2020.

Resistance Revival Chorus will be presented by:

  SQUONK, PA

Color photo shot from the back of the audience during on outdoor performance in an open space with trees in the background. The stage has multiple levels with artists playing instruments and two huge blue puppet hands move on either side of the stage.
Image: SQUONK. Credit: John Altdorfer.

Hailed as “a multi-media troupe of infinite jest with an imagination to match” by The New York Times, Squonk creates outdoor music spectacles and has performed on 3 continents and in 35 states. Squonk’s newest show, Hand to Hand, has puppeteered hands, each as big as a house, welcoming audiences back to safe, flexible, and joyful celebrations that can happen anywhere outdoors!

SQUONK will be presented by:

  Tom Paxton & The DonJuans, VA

Black and white image of three musicians dressed casually all sitting on a couch in a living room. The musicians hold a guitar and a ukelele. A medium dog sits with one of the musicians.
Image: Tom Paxton & The DonJuans. Credit: Alan Messer.

Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture and celebrating the tenderest bonds of family, friends, and community. He is joined by award-winning songwriters Don Henry and Jon Vezner (The DonJuans) on this tour.

Tom Paxton & The DonJuans will be presented by:

Manage Your Grant

COVID-19 Coronavirus: As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we recognize the need to be flexible.  We recognize that out of an abundance of caution, grantees may need to cancel grant-supported engagements or activities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Operations, Phillip Harmon, or the Mid Atlantic Arts program officer handling your specific grant program or activity to discuss your concerns or options. You can find staff contact information here.  Please be assured we will not penalize grantees for canceling grants due to COVID-19 coronavirus considerations and will be as flexible as we can within the limits of our own funder limitations.

Virtual Engagement Guidance

As arts presenting organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies during this time. While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we are also open to adaptive approaches that will ensure continued access to these arts experiences. Therefore, we are glad to announce the following policy for virtual engagements as an option for our grantees to fulfill their public performance and community engagement activity requirements.

Please read the full guidance document to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation. We have also included links to a few resources that may help you guide your decisions around virtual presentation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. Requested changes must be submitted to Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org.

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below.  Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report.

Credit and Logo Usage Details

The following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project.

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way.

This engagement of [ARTIST] is funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.*

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link MUST remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic Arts’ logo.

*Some projects are also supported by our State partners. Please refer to the specific crediting requirements and language in your Grant Award Agreement to ensure you provide proper crediting for your project.

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions were included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement.

Final reports are to be completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts eGRANT system at http://midatlanticarts.egrant.net.  Please read the instructions in the eGRANT system carefully.

The account used to submit the Common Information Form for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the link on the eGRANT login page to retrieve the information.

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539.6656 x109.

Performing Arts Global Exchange
About

The bodies of multiple Atamira Dance Company dancers are edited to form the infinity symbol with their bodies on a black background.

Grant support is available for presenting Atamira Dance Company’s Te Wheke through the 2022-2023 Performing Arts Global Exchange program. Credit: Courtesy of Atamira Dance Company.

About

Open to presenters nationwide, the Performing Arts Global Exchange (PAGE) is an annually curated roster of international performing artists selected to tour to communities across the United States. Each year, two countries are featured with a selection of artists across multiple disciplines. The program provides fee support directly to nonprofit presenters programming artists from the roster, and presenters host both public performances and community engagements in achieving the program’s goals of cultural exchange and understanding.

Working in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts, the current PAGE cycle will present U.S. tours in 2022 – 2023. Artists on the roster have not widely toured in the United States and reside in a selected region. This year’s roster features artists based in Australia and New Zealand.

Why Performing Arts Global Exchange?

Presenting international artists offers an opportunity to engage in the rich diversity of cultural expression throughout the world, but it also requires resources that aren’t always available. Travel expenses, visas, and routing are often barriers to presenting international artists, especially in the U.S.’s more remote communities. PAGE seeks to ease some of those burdens for U.S. presenters by working with international curators to identify a region’s most exciting, tour-ready artists and provide grant support to bring them to the U.S. PAGE especially seeks to support performances in communities with reduced access to international performing arts due to geography or other features.

PAGE presents: Australia and New Zealand

This year, Performing Arts Global Exchange will feature a roster of artists based in Australia and New Zealand. Featuring music, dance and theater ensembles, this roster offers presenters the opportunity to affordably feature international artists in their programming and community engagement activities.

Performing Arts Global Exchange is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts. The 2022-2023 program has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

In developing the 2022-2023 PAGE program, Mid Atlantic Arts gratefully acknowledges the collaboration of:

Australia Council for the Arts
Boat Rocker Entertainment
Creative New Zealand
CoveyLaw
CWA Management
Indigenous Performance Productions
Norman Armour, Australia Council for the Arts
Wesley Enoch
Leah Flanagan, National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Music Office at APRA AMCOS
Leah Harrison
Larry Heath, Sounds Australia

 

Artist Selection

The Mexico and Canada grants have been awarded, however due to circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, some funding remains available to U.S. presenters who wish to join existing tours (dates vary; most are in 2022). Visit the “Current Grantees & Tours” tab to see the Mexican and Canadian roster artists and their existing tours, and to contact the artist’s agent for details.

How artists are selected for the PAGE roster:

The 2022 – 2023 curation of the Performing Arts Global Exchange roster involves many voices.

  1. Curators living and working in the region of focus are selected each cycle by Mid Atlantic Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to provide artist roster suggestions. The curators have expertise in the performing arts specifically in the selected region.
  2. Then, Mid Atlantic Arts staff and the NEA review these nominations and select a reduced pool of nominated artists that best fit the program objectives. Consideration is given to broad geographic appeal, aesthetic variety, affordability, diversity, and inclusivity.
  3. Next, feedback on these potential roster artists is gathered via an online survey of U.S. presenters.
  4. Mid Atlantic Arts and the NEA select the final roster, weighing presenter feedback and program goals. (Approximately October 2021)

Presenters who would like to provide feedback on the roster artists under consideration via survey should contact robyn@midatlanticarts.org.

The Curators:

Alethea Beetson | Australia

Headshot of Althea Beetson. She is outside with tropical plants in the background. She wears a dark black t-shirt with the Aboriginal flag.

Alethea Beetson is a Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi + Wiradjuri artist and producer who has worked extensively with Indigenous communities across multiple art forms to inspire new works responding to societal issues, cultural heritage, and colonization. She is currently the First Nations Producer at BIGSOUND, First Nations Curator (Music) of Brisbane Festival, and Artistic Director of Digi Youth Arts. Her research explores the function of insurgence and resurgence in the creative development and production of Indigenous performance. In 2020, Alethea founded Blak Social, a multi-arts company that will hold a residency at The Tivoli from 2021 to 2022.

Merindah Donnelley | Meanjin | Queensland, Australia

Headshot of Meridah Donnelly. Merinda is shot against a dark blue background and wears a dark top and traditional collar necklace.

Merindah Donnelly is a mother, partner, and proud Wiradjuri woman living in Meanjin, Queensland as a guest on Turrbul and Yuggera homelands; she is currently the Executive Producer at BlakDance. Merindah has worked in market development at the Australia Council for the Arts and as producer for major Australian Indigenous performance gatherings. Merindah sits on the First Nations advisory group for Australian Performing Arts Market, is part of Global First Nations networks internationally, and recently completed a Masters in Cultural Leadership at NIDA. Merindah is also a curator at Brisbane Festival.

 

Shona McCullagh | New Zealand

Shona McCullagh headshot. Shone is shot against a blurred outdoor backdrop. She wears a black blouse and bright green jacket.

As an Arts Laureate, Member of the NZ Order of Merit, creative entrepreneur, and the Artistic Director of Auckland Arts Festival (AAF), Shona McCullagh has a background as a dancer, choreographer, writer, director, filmmaker, collaborator, and installation artist. She co-founded The New Zealand Dance Company and has a long history of collaboration with other art forms, creating extensive work for theater, television, and film, including internationally acclaimed short dance films as a writer, choreographer, and director. She was a co-founder of the Watershed Theatre, founder and Director of The Human Agency and Human Garden Productions, and was Head Choreographer of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony. Shona won the Westpac Women of Influence Arts Award (2014) and the Hynds Creative Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2015). Shona’s artistic vision leads the 2021 – 2024 Festivals and since her arrival, a new dedicated position has been created, Kaihautū Māori, who leads the Māori programming and language development plan of AAF.

Tama Waipara | Ruapani/ Rongowhakaata/ Ngāti Porou | New Zealand 

Headhshot of Tama Waipara. Tama is shot outside and leans on his right elbow. He wears a t-shirt and gray cardigan.

Tama Waipara is an award-winning composer, singer/songwriter, musician, and performer. He is the Chief Executive/Artistic Director of Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival and board member of SOUNZ – Centre for NZ Music, and a Masters graduate of the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York. Tama was signed by New York label ObliqSound as a singer/songwriter and released his debut album “Triumph of Time” to high critical acclaim at Central Park Summerstage in New York. Returning to New Zealand in 2006, Tama has become a leading practitioner in the arts and highly respected performer and cultural advocate. As a singer/songwriter, Tama has collaborated and performed alongside the likes of drummer Kim Thompson (Beyoncé), Grammy-nominated American artist Emily King, New Zealand jazz giant Nathan Haines, and Annie Crummer. He has recorded and released several albums, the latest of which—”FILL UP THE SILENCE”—won Best Roots Album at the New Zealand Music Awards. He has performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington, and Auckland Chamber Orchestra. Tama has worked across multiple art forms as a composer, actor, musical director, and producer. Along with Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper, he recently won the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll for Best Original Music in a Feature Film for “MAHANA” and has more recently done music for the documentary, “Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen”—a film about iconic filmmaker Merata Mita.

For Presenters

Booking Guidelines

The Mexico and Canada grants have been awarded, however due to circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, some funding remains available to U.S. presenters who wish to join existing tours (dates vary; all are in 2022). Visit the “Current Grantees & Tours” tab to see the Mexican and Canadian roster artists and their existing tours, and to contact the artist’s agent.

To learn more about the Australia and New Zealand cycle of this program and how to receive a grant, please review the Program Guidelines.

Program Guidelines as a Word doc
Program Guidelines as a PDF

Want to learn more? 

Performing Arts Global Exchange Intro WebinarWatch this webinar to learn how easy it can be for presenters to secure a PAGE grant.
View a Recording (hyperlink opens new tab to YouTube video)

2022-2023 Artist Roster

Atamira Dance Company | “Te Wheke”

The bodies of multiple Atamira Dance Company dancers are edited to form the infinity symbol with their bodies on a black background.

Atamira Dance Company was formed as a collective in 2000 by Māōri contemporary dance graduates Jack Gray, Dolina Wehipeihana, Louise Potiki Bryant and Justine Hohaia as a platform to bring young Māori perspectives and experiences to the stage.

Atamira is currently celebrating their 21st year of indigenous dance making and is regarded as one of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance companies renowned for highly artistic and inventive work. Over two decades Atamira has created and toured a large body of dance works driven by choreographic and design excellence maintaining their position at the forefront of cultural and technical innovation.

Their collective of Māori choreographers and dance artists shape and share Matauranga Māori (knowledge) with national and global audiences inspired by historical events, personal whakapapa (genealogy) and their unique cultural landscape. Atamira has toured extensively within Aotearoa and internationally to Australia, Noumea, the USA, Taiwan, Korea and China.

“Te Wheke” is a Māōri Contemporary Dance work of legacy and succession commemorating the 21 years of creative existence of Atamira Dance Company. Te Wheke is the Octopus, a symbol of strength, resilience and aroha/love and a powerful tohu for many Oceanic peoples, appearing in different mythologies.

Created in collaboration by eight leading Māori choreographic practitioners & embodied by eight dancers, Te Wheke speaks to the different dimensions of human experience, each symbolized by one tentacle of this mighty guardian. Explored through a Māōri knowledge base these are life essence, the physical body, the emotions, the mind, the ancestors and human dignity/ value. Solo and ensemble expressions of darkness and light occur within shape shifting worlds of floating black silk. Layers of symbolism emanate through AV patterning and mesmeric soundscapes with subtle lighting both revealing and hiding.

Watch: Te Wheke trailer
Traveling: 9 artists + 3 crew + 2 staff
Technical specifications: 3 x props bags (under 22kg each) • 3 x set boxes ( under 22kgs) • 2 x suitcases containing costumes and hand props ( under 22kg each) • 1 x suitcase containing production items ( under 22kg) | Tech rider
Web: Website | Facebook | Twitter
To book, contact: Andre Bouchard | andre@indigenousperformance.org

Bangarra Dance Theatre | Waru – journey of the small turtle

Logo for WARU - Journey of the small turtle. The title text appears in yellow on a blue sky background at night. Blue waves sparkle against a small tropical island with a single palm tree.Bangarra Dance Theatre is a company of professional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers. Contemporary dancers drawing on 65,000 years of culture, they create powerful works of theatre with dance, music, poetry, and design. Telling the stories of their Elders, Bangarra Dance Theatre creates works on Country and returns the works they create to the place they were made. Each dancer is a professionally trained, dynamic artist with a proud Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. Together, Bangarra Dance Theatre represents the best of Australian talent. As one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies, they share their culture with Communities and audiences across Australia and the world.

Waru – journey of the small turtle takes place under the star-illuminated skies of the Torres Strait as a green turtle navigates her way back to the beach where she was born. The season has started, the turtles are returning to nest, and soon the island will welcome a new generation of hatchlings – amongst them, our small turtle friend, Migi!

A contemporary saltwater Lagaw Kazil (Island Children) story inspired by the totemic system of the green turtle, Waru – journey of the small turtle is an interactive and immersive introduction to Torres Strait Islander culture and dance for families.

Created by Bangarra’s Artistic Director and multi award-winning choreographer Stephen Page, together with Hunter Page-Lochard (ABC TV’s Playschool, Spear, ABC TV’s Cleverman), and Bangarra alumni Dancers and Choreographers Sani Townson and Elma Kris, Waru provides teachers, parents and care-givers with a unique opportunity to open up conversations about climate change, caring for the environment and the traditional cultural values of respect and reciprocity. Waru is inspired in part by the highly successful Turtle (Corroboree) 2001, choreographed by Stephen Page, Peggy Misi and Elma Kris.

Waru has been generously supported by the Girgensohn Foundation and the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, an Australian Government Initiative.

Watch: Waru – journey of the small turtle trailer
Traveling: 2 artists + 3 crew + 2 staff
Technical specifications: Tech rider available. A single 20-foot shipping container will need to be freighted. Scenery and equipment will fit in a 5-tonne truck for touring.
Web: Website | Facebook | Twitter
To book, contact: Andre Bouchard | andre@indigenousperformance.org

Trick of the Light | The Griegol

An actor stands with their left hand raised against a black background. An aurora of smoke and light seems to pour from their fingertips.

Trick of the Light is an award-winning theatre company from Aotearoa/New Zealand, founded by Hannah Smith and Ralph McCubbin Howell. They are renowned for their engaging, nuanced stories and inventive design, with shows for a cross-over audience of adults and older children. Previous works include “The Road That Wasn’t There” (Production of the Year – Wellington Theatre Awards 2013; Children’s Event Award – Fringe World, Perth 2016; Best Children’s Event – Adelaide Fringe 2016); “Tröll” (Outstanding Theatre Award – Fringe Review, Edinburgh, 2019); and “The Bookbinder” (Best of the Fringe – NZ Fringe 2014, International Excellence Award – Sydney Fringe Festival 2014, BDO Children’s Theatre Award – Fringe World, Perth 2015)—a solo show which has toured across NZ, Australia, Canada, the UK, USA, and South Africa, from sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe to the attic of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s oldest bookbindery.

The Griegol is a show without words about death, love, and monsters. After their grandmother passes away, a child suspects they are being pursued by the smoke demon shapeshifter of the old woman’s stories. In the tradition of Spirited Away and Coraline, The Griegol is a gorgeously rendered dark fantasy for older children and adults. Drawing from the techniques of early cinema, it conjures magic from silhouettes, smoke, puppetry, live music, and live animation. With the operation kept in sight, audiences see both the stage effects and how they are made. Just as the staging combines hi-fi with lo-fi technology, the story combines the mythic and magic with the domestic and every day, and a through line of light and love that carries through the darkness.

Watch: The Griegol trailer | The Bookbinder trailer
Traveling: 5 artists + 2 crew + 1 staff
Technical specifications: The set travels in one box truck. Tech rider
Web: Website | Facebook | Twitter
To book, contact: Jim Weiner | jim@boatrockerentertainment.com

Emma Donovan & The Putbacks

Six people stand in front of a bright blue wall in two lines of three. Emma Donovan stands center front surrounded by the five members of the Putbacks.

Acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and rhythm combo The Putbacks first burst on to the Australian scene with their album, Dawn in 2014, announcing a new voice in Australian soul music. After six years, the band reunited launching the ARIA-nominated Crossover in 2020 to great acclaim and then the top-selling knockout Under These Streets in 2021.

Emma’s songwriting is optimistic, impassioned, and bruisingly honest; The Putbacks’ music is fluid, live, and raw, and the collaboration has won friends and admirers all over the world.

Emma Donovan grew up singing church songs with her grandparents on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, and her first secular gigs were singing in the family band, The Donovans, with her mother and five uncles. Throughout her career, she has toured and recorded with many of the mainstays of Indigenous music, from Archie Roach to Dan Sultan, and was a member of the Black Arm Band project. It was in this group that Emma met members of The Putbacks and their journey together began. The Putbacks are stone-cold pros, grizzled veterans of all the tours and all the studios. When they come together, they’re one of the tightest, sharpest, slickest, most dynamic musical units ever to exist. Their collaboration with Emma elevates their music and Emma’s songs to another level.

Sharing traditional Indigenous language and storytelling is important to Emma Donovan & The Putbacks. The “Crossover” tour, where the band perform music from their critically acclaimed 2020 album, will unveil new ways to tell these stories so audiences can learn and discover a part of Australia’s history. Throughout the Emma Donovan & The Putbacks performance of this album, Emma tells stories, explaining the lyrics and words of the songs providing an understanding of traditional Indigenous language. Emma Donovan & The Putbacks aim to collaborate with artists—both local and international—to continue this sharing of music and preservation of language into the future. By touring across the United States, Emma Donovan and The Putbacks will grow their audiences and continue the discussion around the history and traditional culture of Australia and how it is defined for future generations.

Watch: A Live Performance  |  Yarian Mitiji and Warrell Creek Song
Traveling: 6 artists + 1 crew + 1 staff
Technical specifications: Tech Rider | Supertitles are required to ensure education and awareness is shared of traditional Indigenous Australian language.
Web: Website | Facebook
To book, contact: Andre Bouchard | andre@indigenousperformance.org

Ngaiire

Close up of a woman singing on a darkened stage. She stands in right profile, head back, singing into a microphone.

Hailing from the Eastern Highlands and New Ireland provinces of Papua New Guinea, though now Sydney Australia-based, Ngaiire (pronounced NYE-ree) has a career that crosses genre and artform. The recipient of 4 ARIA Award (Australia’s Grammys) nominations, an fbi Radio SMAC Award for best live act, and the inaugural Australian Women in Music Award for Artistic Excellence, Ngaiire’s albums have been celebrated around the world. Her work has seen her grace the stages of Glastonbury to Splendour in the Grass; go on national tours alongside the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Alicia Keys, Flume, and Leon Bridges; compose for dance companies; and have her work exhibited in art spaces. With 2020 rendering the live touring circuit dormant, Ngaiire has surprisingly still been able to kick some significant goals. This year, she became the first musician to play in front of the National Press Club in Canberra, became the first Papua New Guinean to appear on ABC’s “Play School” (Australia’s “Sesame Street”), the first Papua New Guinean to be painted for the historical Archibald prize, as well as have her first ever piece as an artist exhibited at the iconic Art Gallery of NSW.

A performance from Ngaiire and her full touring band melds electronic neo-soul, gospel, and big pop sounds, strained through the lens of a first nations Papuan New Guinean songwriter. As one of the premiere touring live artists in Australia, Ngaiire is often lauded as the finest voice in the country. This voice has seen her release three critically and commercially celebrated albums. It’s also seen her songs be selected for use across multiple USA TV shows, most notably the gospel torch song, “Fall Into My Arms,” being chosen for use in Oprah Winfrey/Ava DuVernay’s TV show “Queen Sugar.” Touring as a 6-piece ensemble, Ngaiire’s shows give the audience the full spectrum of live performance: one moment will be a pop banger, and the next she will break your heart.

Watch: Introduction video and June 2020 Performance
Traveling: 6 artists + 1 crew + 3 staff
Technical specifications: Input List | Stage Plot
Web: Facebook | Website | Twitter
To book, contact: Andre Bouchard | andre@indigenousperformance.org\


This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

Current Grantees & Tours

2020-2021 Performing Arts Global Exchange Grantees

The Mexico and Canada grants have been awarded, however due to circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, some funding remains available to U.S. presenters who wish to join existing tours (dates vary; most are in 2022). Read below to see the Mexican and Canadian roster artists and their existing tours, and to contact the artist’s agent.

DANCE

La Serpiente | Mexico
US Debut

A dancer, dressed all in black, bends backward almost on limbo stance with one arm on the stage while holding a long white ribbon of fabric.

Artist Website | Contact Agent

La Serpiente is an independent contemporary dance company working out of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. Since their first production in 2001, they have created their own style of feeling and communicating with the world, creating a company that is a convergence of movement and the aesthetic vision of the group’s members. Treatise About the Line is a contemporary dance performance that explores the complexity of bodies moving through space and time.

Grantees include:

MUSIC

Lemon Bucket Orkestra | Canada

Eleven men and women stand and sit around a table in an industrial space. The musicians all wear black. There are lemons and lemon peels all over the table.There are lemon

Artist Website | Contact Agent

Lemon Bucket Orkestra (LBO) is a Balkan-klezmer-gypsy-punk party. Equal parts high precision and reckless intensity, this magnetic ensemble grew from a quartet of guerilla-folk troubadours busking on the streets of Toronto to a battalion of troops armed with brass, bows, accordions, and drums. As at home in a speakeasy as a concert hall, the Lemon Bucket Orkestra has stormed the international scene with its irresistible brass-band mayhem.

Grantees include:

Vox Sambou | Canada

Vox Sambou stands against a bright blue shipping container. He wears a black jacket, white shirt, sunglasses, and fedora.

Artist Website | Agent Contact

Vox Sambou is an MC, poet, and multilingual performer who writes and performs in Creole, French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He is a founding member of Montreal-based hip-hop collective, Nomadic Massive. A Haitian-Canadian, his music focuses on the traditional rhythms of Haiti mixed with elements of Afrobeat, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop. His message is one of great positivity that not only reflects the realities of life in Montreal as a Caribbean immigrant, but also the relationship between artists in the Americas. Photo by: Luz Vermelha.

Grantees include:

William Prince | Canada

William Page is dressed all in black. He stands in a field of yellow and brown foliage. The sky is full of white clouds behind him.

Artist Website | Contact Agent

From ruminations on life and love’s treasures to tales of everyday heroes, the music of William Prince unfurls like a classic campfire story, midnight road-trip conversation, or dog-eared novel passed down through generations. This Juno Award-winning singer and songwriter evokes a journeyman spirit while delivering emotional heft with his dusky baritone.

Grantees include:

Silvana Estrada | Mexico
US Debut

Silvana Estrada sits on stage in a wooden chair with a small wooden table beside her. She wears a plaid dress and has a Cuatro across her lap as she sings into a boom microphone.

Artist Website | Contact Agent

Xalapa’s Silvana Estrada has created a jazz-tinged species of indie folk that has quickly flown onto international radar. The explosive success of her first releases, paired with frequent collaborations with the likes of Natalia LaFourcade, Mon Laferte, David Aguilar, and beyond, have the young artist staged for greatness. Accompanying herself on the Venezuelan cuatro, Silvana combines jazz, folk music from her Veracruz homelands, and smatterings of guapango, cumbia, and other Latin genres.

Grantees include:

THEATER

Seña y Verbo: Teatro de Sordos | Mexico
Music for Your Eyes

Three Actors stand onstage facing the audience. The one in the middle holds a drawing of a sheep. In the foreground, a conductor raises his baton.

Artist Website | Contact Agent

For more than 25 years, Seña y Verbo: Teatro de Sordos (Sign and Verb: Theatre of the Deaf) of Mexico City has produced and internationally toured theater featuring deaf and hearing actors for audiences of all ages. Using a mix of Mexican sign language, pantomime, imagery, and puppetry, their work is grounded in cultural inclusion. Music for Your Eyes is born from the dialogue between two worlds: the world of silent images of the deaf and the seemingly intangible world of music—joined in a common language of theater.

Grantees include:

Manage Your Grant

COVID-19 Coronavirus: As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we recognize the need to be flexible.  We recognize that out of an abundance of caution, grantees may need to cancel grant-supported engagements or activities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Operations, Phillip Harmon, or the Mid Atlantic Arts program officer handling your specific grant program or activity to discuss your concerns or options. You can find staff contact information here.  Please be assured we will not penalize grantees for canceling grants due to COVID-19 coronavirus considerations and will be as flexible as we can within the limits of our own funder limitations.

Virtual Engagement Guidance

As arts presenting organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies during this time. While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we are also open to adaptive approaches that will ensure continued access to these arts experiences. Therefore, we are glad to announce the following policy for virtual engagements as an option for our grantees to fulfill their public performance and community engagement activity requirements.

Please read the full guidance document to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation. We have also included links to a few resources that may help you guide your decisions around virtual presentation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. Requested changes must be submitted to Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org.

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below. Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report.

Credit and Logo Usage Details

The following statement, and where space permits, the logos of Mid Atlantic Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project.

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way:

This engagement of [ARTIST] is funded through Performing Arts Global Exchange a program of Mid Atlantic Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Website Link

Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at https://www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link must remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic’s logo.

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions are included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement.

Final reports are completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ eGRANT system at https://midatlanticarts.egrant.net.  Please read the instructions in the eGRANT system carefully.

The account used to submit the Common Information Form for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the link on the eGRANT login page to retrieve the information.

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539.6656 x109.

Special Presenter Initiatives
About
Shot from the stage left wing, musicians stand on a small stage playing traditional instruments and singing into standing microphones. An orange light bathes the stage and monitors line the front edge of the stage.

Photo: The Delaware Friends of Folk (Dover, DE) presented ILYAIMY at the Delmarva Folk Festival with support from the Special Presenter Initiatives. Credit: John Kidd.

SPECIAL PRESENTER INITIATIVES APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

HOW TO APPLY
Go to midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com and create an account (or login if you have an existing SmartSimple account.) After logging into SmartSimple, click “Funding Opportunities” under “Available Applications.” Then, select “Apply Now” under the program description for Special Presenter Initiatives to begin your application.

The Special Presenter Initiatives program provides funding to small and mid-size presenting organizations in Delaware, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography. The program supports presenting projects with professional touring artists and ensembles from anywhere worldwide. The supported projects include performances as well as community engagement activities that enhance the performance experience and offer meaningful exchanges between touring artists and a presenter’s community.

Nonprofit presenters can request matching grants for up to two projects per annual cycle. Presenters in DC, DE, and WV can request up to $2,000 per project, and up to $5,000 per project for presenters in the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus additional support to cover project expenses.

2022-2023 Special Presenter Initiatives Timeline:

  • April 4, 2022: timeline and program guidelines released
  • April 25, 2022: Special Presenter Initiatives application live
  • May 3, 2022, 12pm: Special Presenter Initiatives informational webinar. Click here to register for the 2022-2023 Special Presenter Initiatives webinar.
  • May 24, 2022: Special Presenter Initiatives final application deadline

Project period for Special Presenter Initiatives supported projects: September 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.

For more information about Special Presenter Initiatives, please see program guidelines.

Questions? Contact Sarah Lewitus, Program Officer, Performing Arts, at slewitus@midatlanticarts.org.

The Special Presenter Initiatives program is made possible through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program. Additional support for Delaware organizations is provided by the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Guidelines

Please review FY23 Special Presenter Initiatives guidelines and preview application narrative questions below.

For presenters based in Delaware, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography:

GUIDELINES

Download 2022-2023 Special Presenter Initiatives Guidelines as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download 2022-2023 Special Presenter Initiatives Guidelines as an accessible Word document (click link to download)

APPLICATION NARRATIVE PREVIEW QUESTIONS 

Download a preview copy of Special Presenter Initiatives Narrative Preview Questions as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Download a preview copy of Special Presenter Initiatives Narrative Preview Questions as an accessible Word document (click link to download)

An informational webinar for the 2022-2023 Special Presenter Initiatives program was held on May 3, 2022 at 12pm EST.
*Clarifying note from the Special Presenter Initiative webinar Q/A: confirming that applicants may not use in-kind contributions, in part or in whole, to meet the 1:1 match to granted funds. Applicants may, however, include in-kind contributions in the budget section of the application to share the actual costs and income of the proposed project. 

HOW TO APPLY

Go to midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com and create an account (or login if you have an existing SmartSimple account.) After logging into SmartSimple, click “Funding Opportunities” under “Available Applications.” Then, select “Apply Now” under the program description for Special Presenter Initiatives to begin your application.

Current Grantees

2021-2022

Please check with the performance venue to confirm dates and times, and for ticket information.

Delaware

District of Columbia

U.S. Virgin Islands

West Virginia

Manage Your Grant

COVID-19 Coronavirus: As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we recognize the need to be flexible.  We recognize that out of an abundance of caution, grantees may need to cancel grant-supported engagements or activities. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Operations, Phillip Harmon, or the Mid Atlantic Arts program officer handling your specific grant program or activity to discuss your concerns or options. You can find staff contact information here.  Please be assured we will not penalize grantees for canceling grants due to COVID-19 coronavirus considerations and will be as flexible as we can within the limits of our own funder limitations.

Virtual Engagement Guidance

As arts presenting organizations evolve in response to a changing landscape, Mid Atlantic Arts will continue to take a flexible approach to our program policies during this time. While we believe that live, in-person performances are hard to replace, we are also open to adaptive approaches that will ensure continued access to these arts experiences. Therefore, we are glad to announce the following policy for virtual engagements as an option for our grantees to fulfill their public performance and community engagement activity requirements.

Please read the full guidance document to understand the requirements of presenting your funded engagement as a virtual presentation. We have also included links to a few resources that may help you guide your decisions around virtual presentation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as a PDF (link opens in a new window)
Mid Atlantic Arts Virtual Engagement Guide as an accessible Word document (Click link to download)

Changes in Project Proposal

Any changes in the content, schedule, or budget of your project as proposed must be submitted in writing for approval prior to being implemented. Requested changes must be submitted to Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org.

Funding Acknowledgement and Crediting

Acknowledgement and Crediting requirements were included as Exhibit A of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from Mid Atlantic Arts through use of both the credit language and logo as outlined below. Use of the Mid Atlantic Arts logo does not replace the credit language. Copies of the required crediting materials must be submitted as part of the final report.

Credit and Logo Usage Details
The following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo MUST appear in all programs, websites and press releases produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project. In addition, the following statement and the Mid Atlantic Arts logo should be included whenever possible, either jointly or separately as necessary, in all flyers and postcards, email communications, season brochures, social media posts and calendars, and any other print or electronic promotional and publicity materials produced by the funded organization or its agents in relation to the funded project.

  • This statement must be used in its entirety and cannot be altered in any way.

This engagement of [ARTIST] is made possible through the Special Presenters Initiative program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Website Link
Grantees are required to include a link to the Mid Atlantic Arts website at https://www.midatlanticarts.org when crediting Mid Atlantic Arts on their website. This link MUST remain active during the entire length of your grant period with Mid Atlantic Arts. You are requested, but not required, to embed the link in Mid Atlantic Arts’ logo.

*Delaware Grantees: Projects are also supported by the Delaware Division of the Arts. Please refer to the specific crediting requirements and language in your Grant Award Agreement to ensure you provide proper crediting for your project.

Final Reports

Final report requirements and instructions were included as Exhibit B of the Grant Award Agreement.

Grantees are required to submit a final report which is due thirty (30) days after the end of the grant period on record as listed in the Grant Award Agreement.

Final reports are to be completed online using the Mid Atlantic Arts’ eGRANT system at https://midatlanticarts.egrant.net.  Please read the instructions in the eGRANT system carefully.

The account used to submit the application for the grant must be used to complete the final report. If you do not remember your login and/or password, please use the link on the eGRANT login page to retrieve the information.

For questions about your grant and the crediting or final reporting requirements, contact Phillip Harmon, Director of Operations, at phillip@midatlanticarts.org or 410.539.6656 x109.

Deadlines

ArtsCONNECT

OPEN: The application deadline for 2022-2023 ArtsCONNECT is Tuesday June 7, 2022, for projects taking place between September 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. 

Go to ArtsCONNECT…

Jazz Touring Network

CLOSED: Not currently accepting member applications.

Go to Jazz Touring Network…

Mid Atlantic Tours

CLOSED; The next Mid Atlantic Tours roster will be posted in fall 2022.

Go to Mid Atlantic Tours…

Performing Arts Global Exchange

OPEN: The deadline for engagements to be confirmed has been extended to May 18, 2022  for engagements taking place between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

Go to Performing Arts Global Exchange…

Special Presenter Initiatives

OPEN: The application deadline for 2022-2023 Special Presenter Initiatives is Tuesday, May 24, 2022  for projects taking place between September 1, 2022 and  June 30, 2023. 

Go to Special Presenter Initiatives…

USArtists International

CLOSED: The next USArtists International deadline will be in early fall 2022.  Look for guidelines in summer 2022.

Go to USArtists International…