Washington, DC – On August 11, Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will travel to Arizona to visit organizations actively engaging, serving, and promoting the arts in Arizona.  Chairman Chu’s visits will include the Heard Museum, Rosie’s House, Mesa Arts Center, Childsplay Theater, Arizona State University’s Grant Street Studios, and Xico, Inc. She will also address the public in a town hall meeting hosted by the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Arizona. On Thursday, August 11, Chairman Chu will begin her visit in Phoenix by touring the Heard Museum, which highlights, preserves, and educates the public about the art and culture of indigenous peoples of the Americas, focusing on American Indian tribes and other cultures of the Southwest. In FY 2015, the Heard Museum received an NEA grant to support Free Summer Sundays in July, a multidisciplinary program featuring Latino and Native American musicians, dancers, and storytellers.  Next, Chairman Chu will visit Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children. Rosie’s House is a free music academy focused on using music education to foster change in the lives of children in Phoenix.  Chairman Chu’s visit will culminate with a brief student performance.  In FY 2013, Rosie’s House received an NEA grant to support the Afterschool Music Program which allowed professional music educators to give free weekly music lessons to students. On Friday, August 12, Chairman Chu travels to Mesa, where she will tour the Mesa Arts Center and participate in a town hall meeting. Chairman Chu will take questions from the audience, giving her an opportunity to learn more about how the arts play an important role in the Arizona art’s community. This event is open to the public. Chairman Chu will then tour the Childsplay Theater in Tempe, Arizona.  Childsplay uses the theater arts to create innovative stories cultivating the imaginations of children.  In FY 2016, Childsplay received an NEA grant to support the premiere of The Smartest Girl in the World by Miriam Gonzalez.  The play recounts a family's power in the face of serious illness and tackles the layers of complexity surrounding the experiences of working families. Next, the tour heads to Arizona State University’s (ASU) Herberger Institute School of Art Grant Street Studios.  These studios are utilized by both graduate and undergraduate students to hone their skills and produce high quality work. ASU received an FY 2016 grant to support a study that will examine factors accounting for key transitions in the careers of arts graduates.  Finally, Chairman Chu will visit Xico Inc., a multi-disciplinary nonprofit organization whose arts programs are dedicated to promoting, preserving, and enhancing Latino and indigenous arts and culture throughout the Arizona community. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration, the NEA created a story bank of multimedia content to showcase the impact of the arts. To date, hundreds of people from across the country, including Arizona, have submitted stories about how the arts and the National Endowment for the Arts have impacted their lives. The following events are closed to the public, except where noted, but open to media. Media should contact Judith Kargbo at kargboj@arts.gov if they would like to attend any of the site visits or request an interview with Chairman Chu.

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Thursday, August 11, 2016 10:30AM- 11:15AM          Heard Museum Site Visit    Location:   2301 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004 Participants:  Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts

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2:45PM- 3:45PM               Rosie’s House Site Visit Location:  1875 North Central Ave, Phoenix AZ 85004 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts Becky Bell Ballard, executive director, Rosie’s House                                                

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Friday, August 12, 2016 9:30AM- 10:15AM            Mesa Arts Center Tour  Location:  One East Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201  Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts   Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts

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10:30AM – 11:30AM       Arts Community Town Hall, open to the public Location:   Mesa Arts Center, One East Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201 Participants:                 Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts Cindy Ornstein, executive director, Mesa Arts Center

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11:30AM -11:45AM        Media availability Location:  Mesa Arts Center, One East Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201       

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1:40PM – 2:25PM             Childsplay Theater Site Visit Location:  900 S Mitchell Dr., Tempe, AZ 85281 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts Dwayne Hartford, Artistic Director, Childsplay Theater Susan Wissink, Board President, Childsplay Theater

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2:50PM – 3:35PM             Arizona State University Herberger Institute School of Art Grant Street Studios Location: 605 E Grant St., Phoenix, AZ 85004 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts

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4:00PM- 4:45PM               Xico, Inc. Site Visit Location: 1008 East Buckele Road, Suite 202, Box A West-2, Phoenix, AZ 85034 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Robert Booker, executive director, Arizona Commission on the Arts

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About the National Endowment for the Arts Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016.

United States of Arts: Arizona