Washington, DC –Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will visit Reno, Nevada, March 9-11, 2017. She will speak at the Nevada Arts Council’s 50th Anniversary Awards Dinner, a separate Nevada Arts Council event with national arts leaders, and at Nevada’s Poetry Out Loud State Finals Competition. In addition, Chairman Chu will make stops at Artown, the Sierra Nevada Ballet, the McKinley Arts and Culture Center, the Riverside Artist Lofts, and Sierra Arts Foundation. Chairman Chu begins her visit on Thursday, March 9 by visiting Artown, host of a month-long summer multidisciplinary arts festival, which in FY 2017, received an NEA grant of $25,000 to support the festival. Next, she will visit the Sierra Nevada Ballet (SNB) where she will see demonstrations by company members and Sierra Nevada Ballet Academy students. In FY 2015, SNB received an NEA grant of $10,00 and in 2017, SNB received an NEA grant of $10,000 both to support performances of Peanutcracker--The Story in a Nutshell, to low-income, K-5 students at no cost. That evening, Chairman Chu will participate in the Nevada Arts Council 50th Anniversary Awards Dinner at the Nevada Museum of Art. There, Chairman Chu joins the Nevada arts community as they honor the Nevada State Senate, the Nevada State Assembly, and the Office of the Governor for establishing the Nevada Arts Council in 1967. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Susan Boskoff, Nevada Arts Council Executive Director at susanboskoff@att.net. On Friday, March 10, Chairman Chu will give remarks about the NEA and participate in a conversation with Susan Boskoff at an event hosted by the Nevada Arts Council. Preceding Chairman Chu’s remarks will be a Roundtable discussion with representatives from Americans for the Arts, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and Western States Arts Federation. Following this event will be a workshop led by NEA staff about NEA programs, grants, and resources. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Susan Boskoff, Nevada Arts Council Executive Director at susanboskoff@att.net. Next, Chairman Chu will tour the McKinley Arts and Culture Center, visiting Note-Able Music Therapy Services, the Reno Philharmonic, and Reno Chamber Orchestra.  That afternoon, Chairman Chu will visit the Riverside Artist Lofts and the Sierra Arts Foundation, a local arts agency. Chairman Chu will tour the building’s live/work spaces and meet with artists who reside there, and then visit the Sierra Arts Foundation’s gallery. On Saturday, March 11, 2017, Chairman Chu will give remarks at the Poetry Out Loud Nevada State Finals. A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. High schools students from across the state will compete for the Nevada Poetry Out Loud title; the finalist will advance to the national competition in Washington, DC, in April. Media who wish to attend this event should contact Jackie Shelton at jshelton@jax-marketing.com. The NEA has created a story bank of multimedia content to showcase the impact of the arts. Hundreds of people from across the country, including Nevada, have submitted stories about how the arts and the NEA have impacted their lives. For up to date information, follow the NEA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as check out the Art Works Blog and podcast.

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Thursday, March, 9, 2017 9:30AM- 10:30AM      Artown: Site Visit Location:              528 W 1st St., Reno, NV 89503  Participants:            Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Susan Boskoff, executive director, Nevada Arts Council Beth Macmillian, executive director, Artown Jennifer Mannix, marketing director, Artown

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11:00AM- 12:00PM      Sierra Nevada Ballet: Site Visit Location:              3929 McCarran Blvd, Reno, NV 89502  Participants:            Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Susan Boskoff, executive director, Nevada Arts Council Rosine Bena, director, Sierra Nevada Ballet Steven M. Porter, board president, Sierra Nevada Ballet Laurie Bertero, administrator, Sierra Nevada Ballet Sierra Nevada Ballet company members and academy students  

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    5:15PM – 8:00PM  Nevada Arts Council 50th Anniversary Awards Dinner Location:    Nevada Museum of Art, 255 N Virginia St., Reno, NV 89501 Participants:   Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Shana Tucker, Nevada Artist Fellowship recipient, Cellist

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Friday, March 10, 2017 9:00AM- 10:45AM  Nevada Arts Council Event with National Arts Leaders Location:  McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Dr., Reno, NV 89503 Participants:   Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts  Susan Boskoff, executive director, Nevada Arts Council

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11:00 AM- 11:55AM  McKinley Arts & Culture Center: Site Visit Location:   925 Riverside Dr., Reno, NV 89503 Participants:    Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Manal Toppozada, executive director, Note-Able Music Therapy Services Jodi McLaren, program coordinator/music therapist, Note-Able Music Therapy Services Tim Young, president & ceo, Reno Philharmonic Jane Raley, development director, Reno Philharmonic Chris Morrison, executive director, Reno Chamber Orchestra Bryan Wildman, office and ticket manager, Reno Chamber Orchestra

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1:30PM – 2:30PM  Riverside Artist Lofts and Sierra Foundation: Site Visit  Location:               17 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89501    Participants:              Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Annie Zucker, executive director, Sierra Arts Foundation Eric Brooks, gallery and PR associate, Sierra arts Foundation Martina Young, artist, Riverside Artist Lofts Steve Pfister, artist, Riverside Artist Lofts

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Saturday, March 11, 2017 12:00 PM- 3:00 PM Nevada Poetry Out Loud State Final Competition  Location:   KNPB Studios, 1670 N Virginia St., Reno, NV 89503 Participants:    Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Julia Arger, chair, Nevada Arts Council Gailmarie Pahmeier, master of ceremonies Shaun Griffin, poet

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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. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.                                                                                                                   # # #

           United States of Art: Nevada