[Sarasota County, FL]—The National Endowment for the Arts has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $30,000 to support the creation of new work by mid-career and established artists from diverse disciplines by providing residencies at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, FL. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,605 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking and will award 972 grants in this category.
“The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
According to Bruce Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage, this is the largest grant the Hermitage has ever received from the NEA. It received NEA grants of $10,000 in 2016; $20,000 in 2017; and $15,000 in 2018.
“We are honored and thrilled that the NEA recognizes the importance the Hermitage’s role in supporting emerging and mid-career artists,” said Rodgers. “The project’s start date is January 1, 2019, and continues until June 15, 2019, encompassing the best time of the year for residencies on our beautiful Gulf coast.” He adds that while Hermitage artists receive six weeks of residency that can be used in weekly increments of their choosing, this NEA grant will serve 15 artists, including composers, poets, playwrights and visual artists, using between one and four weeks of their allotted time during the grant period. While in residency, Hermitage artists are encouraged to share their work with the public through open studios, free community programming, and collaborative activities with other cultural organizations in the greater Sarasota region.
The proposed artists are:
VISUAL
Linda Brooks
Jamin Carter
Amanda Marchand
Anne Patterson
Tenesh Webber
COMPOSERS
Justin Ellington
Adam Gwon
Sid Richardson
Michi Wiancko
PLAYWRIGHTS
Len Jenkin
Boo Killebrew
Max Posner
POETS
Jennifer Foerster
Elizabeth Powell
Natasha Saje
For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. For more information about the Hermitage Artist Retreat, visit www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
About the Hermitage Artist Retreat:
The Hermitage is a nonprofit artist retreat located in Englewood, Sarasota County, Florida. It invites accomplished artists in all disciplines for residencies on its beachfront campus which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its artists, who are asked to interact with the community, touch thousands of Gulf Coast residents and visitors with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage fellows have included Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy, Grammy and MacArthur Fellowship award winners. The Hermitage awards the $30,000 Greenfield Prize for a new work of art, and the Aspen Music Festival awards the annual Hermitage Prize in Composition. For more information about The Hermitage Artist Retreat, visit www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
The Hermitage is supported by:
Hermitage programs are supported, in part, by philanthropist Gerri Aaron; by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues; and by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes).