Over 15,000 artists will be employed in the coming year through grant support from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, according to an announcement by the State Arts Council about its first round of grant awards for the 2010-2011 season. These grants support projects by individual artists, arts organizations, schools and educational organizations in communities throughout the state.
The State Arts Council awarded a total of $859,599 to 129 applicants in this latest round of grants. It received 340 applications from artists, organizations and schools throughout the state, with requests totaling $2,556,452. Grants ranged in size from $108,804 to Trinity Repertory Company for general operating support, to $1,000 to support music programming at the Cross Mills Public Library in Charlestown.
In announcing the awards, State Arts Council director Randall Rosenbaum underscored the impact of these grants on the Rhode Island economy. “Our grantees tell us that over 15,000 artists will be employed with support from these grants, and that over 1 million Rhode Islanders and visitors to our state will benefit from these projects. These preliminary figures are significant, and demonstrate a great return on a very tiny investment from state and federal resources.” Rosenbaum went on to express his appreciation to the Rhode Island General Assembly for their support of these programs, and for their investment in “the quality of life, the education of our young, and the vitality of our economy" that these arts programs provide.
[See link below for a list of grants awarded, organized by city or town]
About the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency, supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.