Tennessee legislators announced Friday that seven arts grants worth $72,190 have been awarded to six organizations in Anderson County.
The recipients include the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Community Playhouse, Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Oak Ridge Community Art Center, Tennessee Mountain Writers, and Appalachian Arts Craft Center.
The grants include two grants with a combined total of $20,800 for the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge in the categories of Arts Education-Community Learning and Partnership Support.
The other grants include:
- $20,700 to the Oak Ridge Community Playhouse in the category of Partnership Support,
- $15,750 to the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association in the category of Partnership Support,
- $11,270 to the Oak Ridge Community Art Center in the category of Partnership Support,
- $2,860 to the Tennessee Mountain Writers in the category of Art Project Support, and
- $810 to the Appalachian Arts Craft Center in the category of Art Project Support.
The grants are from the Tennessee Arts Commission. They are made possible through an appropriation of state funds by the Tennessee General Assembly, federal dollars from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by Tennesseans who buy specialty license plates, a press release said.
The grants were announced Friday by Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican; Senator Ken Yager, a Kingston Republican; Representative John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican; Representative Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican; and Representative Kent Calfee, a Kingston Republican.
Here are comments by the legislators:
“This is great news for these arts organizations,” McNally said. “I am very pleased these funds will be available to them.”
“The grants recognize Oak Ridge’s long history in support of the arts,” Yager said. “These organizations are important to many citizens in our area.”
“The arts are an important part of our cultural heritage,” Ragan said. “I hope these funds will help them in providing their services to area citizens during the coming year.”
“These grants will strengthen our community by helping fund projects that encourage artists to flourish,” Powers said. “We have a wonderful artistic community in Anderson County, and this grant will assist those artists and organizations who live here in growing, improving, and displaying their artistic skills for all to enjoy.”
“The arts do have a positive impact on our community and the effects certainly trickle down: the creative thinking skills of students are improved, our local culture is communicated through various mediums, and the community’s beauty is enhanced for our residents and visitors,” Calfee said.
According to Tennessee Art Commission Executive Director Anne Pope, the Arts Commission will award approximately 1,000 community grants in both urban and rural areas through the 2016 fiscal year, totaling $5.3 million. The allocation process involves a review by citizen advisory panels made up of Tennesseans with expertise in appropriate disciplines and a final review by the full 15-member Commission.
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