USArtists International 2021 Awards Over $528,000 in Round Two

Over $528,000 Awarded through
USArtists International for
Virtual and In-Person Engagements

Baltimore, MD – July 6, 2021 – Mid Atlantic Arts has announced over $528,000 in grant support to 49 ensembles and solo performers who will represent the United States at 57 different festivals around the globe through the second round of USArtists International’s (USAI) 2021 program year. USAI grantees include 25 music, 14 dance, and 10 theater companies and solo performers from 15 U.S. states. The grantee pool is composed of 49% first-time grantees and also marks the inclusion of supported engagements in Bahrain and Monaco for the first time. USAI round two engagements comprise both virtual and in-person events and will take place between July 2021 and June 2022.

USAI supports performances by American artists invited to important cultural festivals and arts marketplaces around the globe. Committed to the presence of U.S.-based artists on world stages, USAI provides grants to ensembles and individual performers in dance, music, and theater invited to perform at significant international festivals.

USAI supports a diverse range of American artists and creative expression by expanding exposure to international audiences and encouraging international cultural exchange. The program also enhances creative and professional development of U.S. artists, especially those dependent on touring, through connections with presenters, curators, and artists around the world. Since its inception in 2006, USAI has awarded over $8.6 million in support.

USAI is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, and the Howard Gilman Foundation for support of New York City-based organizations.

In an effort to remain flexible to the needs in the field as they navigate COVID-19, USAI accepts applications for funding to support virtual performances as well as eligible in-person engagements at international festivals. Support for postponed engagement dates is also being offered.

The next deadline for USAI is Thursday, September 9, 2021 for projects taking place between December 15, 2021 – December 14, 2022. Guidelines for the 2021 – 2022 funding cycle will be posted later this month, and potential applicants are encouraged to carefully read through them for changes put in place since the pandemic.

USAI 2021 round two grantees are a mix of emerging and established companies that showcase a diversity of styles within their artistic disciplines. Grantees include:

Supported under the USAI 2021 virtual track, Stephen Petronio Company (SPC) of New York City was supported in an engagement with the CAMBIO International Festival in Brazil. As described in their final report, the company filmed a full-stage performance of a new duet created by Petronio, “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, that had its first public showing at the virtual festival in Rio de Janeiro streaming from February 23 to March 7, 2021. The stream also included the exhibition of a Petronio archive work, American Landscapes (2019), and a conversation with Brazilian film director and curator, Monique Gardenberg, framing the works and SPC in a historical context of exchange with Brazil. The online festival provided free access and Portuguese translating and subtitling services to the streaming of SPC’s event. SPC also taught a two-day live, virtual workshop for free via Zoom. SPC taught in English and a translator offered students the option to listen in Portuguese. Focused on Petronio’s newest work, New Prayer for Now, which had its first public showing in Spring 2021, participants in the workshop had the chance of being a part of the work’s creation process.

USAI grantees are selected through a panel process. Mid Atlantic Arts convened two panels via video conference on May 25 and 26 – one for dance and theater applications and the other for music. The panels consisted of experienced artists and arts professionals as well as a lay-panelist. For a complete list of panelists, please click here.

About Mid Atlantic Arts 
Mid Atlantic Arts nurtures and funds the creation and presentation of diverse artistic expression and connects people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts 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 Mid Atlantic Arts, its programs and services, visit our website at www.midatlanticarts.org.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. www.arts.gov

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Additional information is available at www.mellon.org.

About the Howard Gilman Foundation
Howard Gilman believed in the power of the arts to transform lives. The Howard Gilman Foundation honors his legacy by supporting the most robust, innovative, and promising performing arts organizations in New York City. howardgilmanfoundation.org

About the Trust for Mutual Understanding
The Trust for Mutual Understanding awards grants to American nonprofit organizations to support direct exchange in the arts and the environment between professionals from the United States and TMU’s geographic region: the Baltic States; Central Asia; Central, East, Southeast Europe; Mongolia; and Russia. www.tmuny.org

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