In the News: Chairman Gioia Visits Connecticut

On May 30, NEA Chairman Dana Gioia toured arts facilities in southwestern Connecticut after speaking at a press conference that kicked off an Arts Endowment grants workshop for local arts organizations. U.S. Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut's 4th District hosted the event at Silvermine Guild Arts Center, an historic gallery, artists' guild, performance venue, and school in New Canaan.More than 40 representatives from the local arts community attended the press event and workshop, led by the NEA's Director of State and Regional Programs, John Ostrout.

Chairman Gioia tours the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum with Harry Philbrick, the museum's director, and U.S. Representative Christopher Shays. Photo: Terri Garneau

At the press conference Chairman Gioia explained the purpose of the workshop. "The National Endowment for the Arts is committed to supporting the arts in communities throughout the country," said Chairman Gioia. "I am delighted to be here in New Canaan today to encourage local arts organizations to apply for federal grants."

In addition to remarks from Chairman Gioia and Congressman Shays, Elaine Carroll of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Donald Rainone of the Music and Arts Center for Humanity in Bridgeport (a 2005 Coming Up Taller award recipient), and Jennifer Aniskovich, Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts each offered their perspectives on the value of the NEA's work and the importance of the arts to the individual spirit and well-being of a community.

Following a docent-led tour of Silvermine, Chairman Gioia, Congressman Shays, and Aniskovich visited the Westport Country Playhouse, which had been transformed from a leather factory into a theater in 1931. The group's next stop was Ridgefield's Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, where they viewed Anselm Kiefer's Velimir Chlebnikov, a series of 30 large-scale paintings housed in a Kiefer-designed steel pavilion.

Congressman Shays and Chairman Gioia rejoined the workshop attendees for lunch and shared poems, bringing the day full circle.

NEA Grants Workshops in New York and Illinois

On May 15, U.S. Representative Randy Kuhl of New York's 29th District hosted an NEA grants workshop in Elmira, New York. Held at Elmira College, approximately 60 representatives from local arts organizations participated in the workshop, led by NEA Senior Deputy Chairman Eileen Mason.

Congressman Kuhl also announced that the Corning Museum of Glass was awarded an NEA Challenge America grant of $10,000 to support the translation of the museum's audio guides into Spanish and Mandarin.

Mason also traveled to Peoria, Illinois, for a July 7 grants workshop in Illinois's 18th District, hosted by U.S. Representative Ray LaHood. More than 150 participants from local arts agencies convened at the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences for the workshop, led by Mason and Patrice Walker Powell, NEA Director of Local Arts Agencies and Challenge America.

Congressman LaHood cited the importance of the arts as a way of drawing people to a community and creating more opportunities within that community.

At each workshop, participants learned the process of applying for an Arts Endowment grant, including eligibility requirements and deadlines, and opportunities for future participation in NEA initiatives.

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