Six TN Arts Organizations Receive Regional Funding
From Shannon Ford, Director of Community Arts Development –
Congratulations to six cultural organizations based in Tennessee that have been awarded Seed Learning grant awards by the Central Appalachian Assembly.
- The Carpetbag Theater, Knoxville, TN – $10,000
- HoLa Hora Latina, Knoxville, TN – $10,000
- Postmark LaFollette, LaFollette, TN – $10,000
- SPLASH, Chattanooga, TN – $25,000
- The Stay Project, New Market, TN – $23,500
- The Bottom, Knoxville, TN – $20,000
These organizations were among 25 artists and organizations from Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina that were awarded $406,000 in Seed Learning grants from over $2.2 million in requests. This grant program was designed by the Assembly to support artists and organizations engaged in community rooted work in Central Appalachia, particularly those whose work emphasizes:
- shifting narratives
- regional network building
- healing & restoration
- direct support of artists, cultural workers, and community change advocates
- removing barriers
Priority was given to artists, cultural workers, culture bearers, and community organizations led by Black, Indigenous and People of Color, young people, LGBTQ people, Spanish speakers, new immigrants, and individuals, groups, and organizations who have not received regional or national funding. The Assembly hopes to gain a deeper what sustains equity and justice in Central Appalachia from grant recipients.
The Central Appalachian Assembly is a group of artists, cultural workers, community activists, and regional funders convened by ArtPlace America and charged with strengthening and supporting creative placemaking and community arts in the region. ArtPlace America designated $4.5 million for the Central Appalachia Assembly’s work, and the Assembly is currently assessing additional strategies for achieving its aims.
ArtPlace America, a collaboration among a number of foundations, federal agencies, and financial institutions that was started in 2011 to support and strengthen a field of creative placemaking, will sunset at the end of 2020.
