Baltimore, MD – May 23, 2019 -Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF) is pleased to partner with our sister Regional Arts Organizations to present Jazz Road, a national program funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Jazz Road is led by South Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, and Western Arts Alliance/WESTAF.

South Arts is now accepting applications for Jazz Road Tours. The program offers grants of up to $15,000 to support tours by emerging and mid-career jazz artists. Artists can apply for funds to build tours that include three to six sites, with an emphasis on bringing jazz to rural, isolated, and underserved parts of the country.

“We aim to make jazz touring possible for many artists and bands to reach hundreds of new communities per year,” said Sara Donnelly, director of jazz with South Arts. “For many artists, building a financially viable tour can be nearly impossible, especially if they want to reach audiences in locations that rarely experience live jazz. With Jazz Road, we are able to help artists bridge that financial gap, and bring live jazz to new audiences.”

The first cycle of Jazz Road funding will support tours occurring between October 2019 and September 2020, with additional cycles to be announced later this year. Supported artists will use the funds to pay for necessary aspects of touring, including travel, lodging, meals, and artist fees. “Ensuring that artists are paid adequately for their work, as are other professionals, is a key component of Jazz Road,” continued Donnelly.

To apply, artists must submit information about themselves and any other artists in their ensemble, samples of their work, the structure of the tour, and letters of intent countersigned by the performance venues. Eligible artists living anywhere in the U.S. may apply. A peer panel will review all of the applicants using the criteria of artistic excellence and merit of the proposed tour to recommend funding.

MAAF’s Executive Director Theresa Colvin said “We are thrilled to be a part of the Jazz Road partnership. Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation has a long history of jazz support and programming and our region is the birthplace of many jazz traditions. We look forward giving artists control of their own creative process and seeing the change that drives in the field.”

Want to learn more? South Arts is hosting a webinar on May 30 at 3:00pm ET to review program guidelines and the application process. You can join the webinar here: https://zoom.us/j/840427707

Applications for the first round of Jazz Road Tours are due by August 1, 2019. Artists selected for funding will be informed in September. Full guidelines, program information, and additional details are available on www.jazzroad.org and www.southarts.org.

Image: Charlton Singleton. Credit: Bruce France. 

About Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation develops partnerships and programs that reinforce artists’ capacity to create and present work and advance access to and participation in the arts. The Foundation was created in 1979 and is a private non-profit organization that is closely allied with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. It combines funding from state and federal resources with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to address needs in the arts from a regional, national, and international perspective. To learn more about MAAF, its programs and services, visit our website at www.midatlanticarts.org.

Contact:
Karen Newell
Director, External Affairs
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
karen@midatlanticarts.org