Arts Council ‘Open For Business’ Despite Possible Budget Cuts
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts announced it will hold a series of grant workshops throughout the state for individual artists, non-profit organizations and schools interested in submitting grant applications for the Council's April 1 application deadline. These grant workshops are free and open to the public, and are being held despite concern over significant cuts proposed to the Arts Council in the coming year’s state budget.
“The arts are too important to our state’s economy and to the jobs of thousands of people who depend on an active arts community,” explained Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Executive Director Randall Rosenbaum. “The only message we can send to the many organizations, schools and individuals who depend on these small grants from the state is that the State Arts Council is ‘open for business’ and ready to support important programs throughout Rhode Island.” Rosenbaum reported that the arts contribute an estimated $750 million annually to the Rhode Island economy, and employ over 11,500 people in our state, according to industry analysts at Dun & Bradstreet. The arts are a major contributor to the state’s economy, and thousands of other businesses and individuals depend on an active arts community for their livelihood. Grant workshops for the April 1 deadline will be held in seven locations throughout the state:- Thursday, March 11 from 3pm to 5pm at Woonsocket City Hall, Woonsocket
- Monday, March 15 from 4pm to 6pm at One Capitol Hill in Providence, as part of a workshop for individual artists on opportunities with Fractured Atlas, an artist service organization based in New York City
- Monday, March 15 from 5pm to 7pm at the Artist Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, in Westerly RI
- Tuesday, March 16 from 5pm to 6pm at the East Greenwich Free Library in East Greenwich
- Tuesday, March 16 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Craftland in downtown Providence
- Wednesday, March 17 from 5pm to 7pm at the International Institute of Rhode Island in Providence
- Monday, March 22 from 5pm to 6pm at the Old Colony House in Newport