McColl Center NEA Release 1-13-23
MEDIA RELEASE - January 13 2023 - for immediate release Contact: Tracy Russ; tracy@solid.today | 704.579.0042
McColl Center Awarded Grant by National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
from 2023 Grants for Arts Project program
Support to strengthen educator and care-giver access to Artist-in-Residence program
Charlotte, NC – McColl Center is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000 to support the participation of four artists who are also educators and/or caregivers as Summer 2023 McColl Center Artists-in-Residence. The NEA grant to McColl Center is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA in its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “Projects such as this one with McColl Center strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy”, she continued.
About Grants for Arts Projects
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For many creatives who serve as educators or caretakers, summer is the only time they can participate in artist-in-residence programs such as McColl Center’s.
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The NEA Grants for Arts Project grant to McColl Center will support the participation of two such creatives as Summer 2023 Artists-in-Residence.
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The grant also makes it possible for all school-aged children of the Summer 2023 Artists-in-Residence to participate in local summer programs at no cost to their families.
“We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for this generous grant, providing the residency experience to talented creatives who might not otherwise have the opportunity,” said Laura Smith, McColl Center Board Chair. “The NEA funding will allow these artists, who give so much of themselves to others, dedicated time to focus on their art, connect with other creatives and share their talents with our community.”
The McColl Center Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program holds three residency terms per year and hosts a total of 14 artists annually who connect with the community through events, open studio hours, artist talks, and other public engagement programs. McColl Center provides AIRs with large-scale studio space, private housing, a stipend, and access to McColl Center’s equipment and shared labs in uptown Charlotte. The shared-use studios include a media lab with a large-scale printer, a 3D printing and laser cutting lab, a printmaking lab, a ceramics + sculpture studio, a woodshop, and a darkroom.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.