In its first 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded more than $5 billion in grants to recipients in every state and U.S. jurisdiction, the only arts funder in the nation to do so. Today, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $20,000 to the International Storytelling Center to support Storytelling Live!, our seasonal teller-in-residence program.
The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.
NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “The arts are part of our everyday lives – no matter who you are or where you live – they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from the International Storytelling Center offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”
“We’re honored to receive this recognition from the nation’s leading arts agency,” said ISC’s President, Kiran Singh Sirah. “Our Storytelling Live! series now attracts thousands of attendees from across the country and includes programs for more than 1,400 classroom and college students in the region. This award will help us strengthen our program of learning and cultural enrichment for both our region and the nation.”