Washington, DC—Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will visit St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri, February 8–10, 2016. On Monday, February 8, Chairman Chu will be in St. Louis where she and Senator Claire McCaskill will visit COCA - Center of Creative Arts and Chairman Chu will tour the Grand Center Arts & Entertainment District. On Wednesday, February 10, Chairman Chu will take part in the Missouri Arts Awards Ceremony in Jefferson City. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to Missouri. Chairman Chu’s visit to Missouri will begin in St. Louis on February 8. Senator Claire McCaskill will join Chairman Chu in a visit to COCA, an NEA grantee. The Senator and Chairman will tour the gallery and hear an overview of the organization and its dance programs. They will then have the opportunity to observe a COCA dance rehearsal. That afternoon, Chairman Chu will tour the Grand Center Arts & Entertainment District. In 2012 and 2014, Grand Center received an NEA Our Town grant to support projects in the district: the design and planning of an ArtWalk and the design of the Art and Music Promenade (AMP) Connector. This tour will begin at the Kranzberg Arts Center to see the model of the ArtWalk and will include stops to see sites for the ArtWalk and AMP Connector, ending at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Galleries. On Wednesday, February 10, Chairman Chu will speak at the Missouri Arts Awards in Jefferson City. The Missouri Arts Council, like the National Endowment for the Arts, is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. In 1983 the Missouri Arts Council initiated the Missouri Arts Awards to recognize and honor those whose contributions to the arts industry of Missouri have produced lasting and profoundly positive effects upon the cultural climate of their state. This event is open to the public and will be preceded by a performance of the St. Joseph Community Chorus at 12pm. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Barbara MacRobie with the Missouri Arts Council at 314-340-6852 or barbara.macrobie@ded.mo.gov. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50^th anniversary celebration, the NEA is creating a story bank of multimedia content that showcases the impact of the arts. To date, hundreds of people from across the country, including Missouri, have submitted stories about how the arts and the National Endowment for the Arts have impacted their lives. In addition, the NEA, in partnership with the Missouri Arts Council, developed a video about the arts in Missouri. The following events are closed to the public, except where noted, but open to media. Media should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744 if they would like to attend any of the site visits in St. Louis or request an interview with Chairman Chu in St. Louis or Jefferson City. Monday, February 8, 2016 9:00–10:15am Visit to COCA - Center of Creative Arts Location: 524 Trinity Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator for Missouri Kelly Pollock, executive director, COCA Michael Donovan, executive director, Missouri Arts Council Antonio Douthit-Boyd, co-artistic director of Dance, COCA Kirven Douthit-Boyd, co-artistic director of Dance, COCA COCA dance students

---

10:15–10:30am Media availability with Chairman Chu Location: COCA, 524 Trinity Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130

---

2:00–2:50pm Tour of the Grand Center Arts & Entertainment District Location: Tour will begin at Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Karin Hagaman, president & CEO, Grand Center, Inc. Michelle Stevens, vice president, Grand Center, Inc. Michael Donovan, executive director, Missouri Arts Council Felicia Shaw, executive director, Regional Arts Commission Roseann Weiss, director of Artist & Community Initiatives, Regional Arts Commission

---

Wednesday, February 10, 2016 2:00–3:30pm  Remarks by Chairman Chu at the 2016 Missouri Arts Awards. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Barbara MacRobie with the Missouri Arts Council at 314-340-6852 or barbara.macrobie@ded.mo.gov. Location: Capitol Building Rotunda, 201 W Capitol Ave, Jefferson City, MO 65101 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 50^th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016. Go to the 50^th section at arts.gov to enjoy art stories from around the nation, peruse the Facts & Figures section, and check out the anniversary timeline.

# # #

United States of Arts: Missouri

Strengthening Our Creative Capacity and America's Future: A motion graphic about the NEA