Rhode Island schools, community centers and artists were awarded $113,250 in the December 2012 round of grants from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. The Arts Council's board approved the awarding of these grants on December 10 during its meeting in Providence. These grants will go to support arts in education projects and individual artist fellowships and projects for the remainder of this fiscal year.
Statewide, 47 grants were awarded in response to 172 applications received at RISCA's October 1 deadline.
"We're particularly pleased with this round of grant awards," said Randall Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. "Programs in arts education and projects that support the work of artists contribute to the vitality of life in communities throughout our state."
This year to date the State Arts Council has awarded 247 grants totaling $1,548,818 to non-profit organizations, schools, artists and community groups. RISCA funds are matched by businesses, individuals, and earned income. The council receives its support through an annual appropriation from the Rhode Island General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Examples of projects supported in the current round of grants include:
A $1,295 grant to the Central Falls Junior/Senior High School to support "The Writers in the Schools RI/CF Project", which brings professional writers into Central Falls High School classrooms to help students produce, revise, publish and perform original imaginative writing aligned with their study of History.
A $4,000 grant to artist Melodie Thompson of Cranston to support a series of weekly movement arts classes at the Birch Vocational Center designed to enhance the cognitive and functional performance of students with developmental disabilities, culminating with a public performance piece.
A $2,000 grant to artist Nora Rabins of Middletown, who, with the assistance of community volunteers, will construct four colorful patchwork sails for a colonial-era windmill located at Prescott Farm in Middletown, for unveiling in May of 2013.
A $2,000 grant to the Ocean Tides School in Narragansett, where the local high schools, professional potters and community pottery studios will collaborate to make handmade bowls from clay as part of an "empty bowls" event to raise money for the Rhode Island Food Bank. The project connects the arts, core courses and the service learning curriculum.
For a complete list of December grant recipients, as well as a list of all grants awarded by RISCA this year, go to the Arts Council's web site at www.arts.ri.gov/grants/recent.
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. For more information on RISCA and its programs, please visit http://www.arts.ri.gov.