Presenters in Mid-Atlantic Region
Receive $210,000 in Support

Baltimore, MD – July 25, 2018 – Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is pleased to announce 32 grants through its 2018-2019 ArtsCONNECT program. These grants will provide $210,000 in support of tours by eight performing artists and ensembles, including three commissioning tours, at 27 different performing arts presenters in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Grantees include a mix of independent and university-based presenters from urban, suburban and rural communities across the mid-Atlantic region. The grants, awarded directly to the presenting organizations, will support tours of:

• Ananya Dance Theatre: Presenting Shaatranga, the capstone iteration of choreographer Ananya Chatterjea’s 5-year series Work Women Do
• David Roussève/REALITY: Presenting Halfway to Dawn, a commissioned work by choreographer Roussève celebrating the life of composer Billy Strayhorn
• Koresh Dance Company: Performing Inner Sun and Other Works, a commissioned work and additional pieces from choreographer Roni Koresh
• The Rose Ensemble: Presenting Land of Three Faiths, music embodying the cultural and spiritual exchange and collaboration of medieval Spain
• San Jose Taiko: Performing a repertoire showcasing the company’s unique blend of traditional Japanese dance and drumming with world rhythms
• Theatre Re: London-based ensemble presenting The Nature of Forgetting, a production exploring dementia through mime, theatre and live music
• Tiger Trio: Presenting original jazz compositions and improvisations, including the premiere of three new works
• Urban Bush Women: Presenting Hair & Other Stories, a commissioned work exploring the persevering narrative of the African Diaspora in America

A complete list of ArtsCONNECT grants, including presenters and artists, can be accessed here. For specific performance dates and times, please contact the appropriate presenting organization. Recommendations for support were made to the Foundation by the following panel of arts professionals:

• Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Performance as Public Practice, University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
• Adam Fong, Executive Director, Center for New Music (San Francisco, CA)
• Ben Pryor, Founder, Curator & Producer, American Realness (New York, NY)
• Dayna Martinez, Artistic Director of Community and Education Programming, Ordway Center (Saint Paul, MN)

ArtsCONNECT increases access to live performing arts engagements across the mid-Atlantic region through support for touring projects proposed by presenter consortia. In addition to public performances, each engagement includes complementary activities designed to foster greater appreciation for artists’ work, and offer meaningful exchanges between artists and the public. The program supports tours of exceptional artists involving all performing arts disciplines, including dance, music, theater, multi-disciplinary work, and folk/traditional arts.

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

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
410.539.6656 x104