Arts Grants Enrich Communities Across New England

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts has made grants totaling $326,134 to artists and nonprofit organizations that support culture in communities across New England. These grants support public presentations and engagement activities, and reach all six New England states, impacting communities large and small.

NEFA’s Expeditions and New England States Touring (NEST) programs made a total of 85 grants during the most recent fiscal year. These programs are made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

“These grants enhance life in New England by investing in cultural organizations and artists in New England communities,” said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards. “This would not be possible without the leadership support of the National Endowment for the Arts.”

The Expeditions Touring grants support multi-state New England tours of regional, national and international artists to engage with multiple New England communities, encouraging organizations to share resources and information. Grants support up to 50% of the artists’ fees up to $10,000. Expeditions Tour Planning grants provide resources for projects that need additional planning time to build interest among tour partners, leading to an application for Expeditions Touring support.

2017 Expeditions Touring Grants:

• BANDALOOP (Oakland, CA) to tour to:
  • Arts Transcending Boarders, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
  • Mahaney Center for the Arts, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
  • Portland Ovations, Portland, ME
  • University of Saint Joseph, The Autorino Center, West Hartford, CT
  • Wellesley College Concert Series, Wellesley, MA
• Cie Hervé Koubi (Cannes, France) to tour to:
  • Arts Transcending Boarders, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
  • Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
  • Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
  • Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College, Keene, NH
  • World Music/CRASHarts, Cambridge, MA
  • The Yard, Chilmark, MA
• DBR | Daniel Bernard Roumain (New York, NY) to tour to:
  • FirstWorks, Providence, RI
  • International Festival of Arts & Ideas, New Haven, CT
  • Portland Ovations, Portland, ME
  • Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
• Kinan Azmeh & Dinuk Wijeratne (Brooklyn, NY) to tour to:
  • Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, Littleton, NH
  • Seven Stars Arts Center, Sharon, VT
  • West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, Claremont, NH
• Le Patin Libre (Montréal, Québec, Canada) to tour to:
  • Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket, MA
  • The Yard, Chilmark, MA
  • Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, Middletown, CT
• Manual Cinema (Chicago, IL) to tour to:
  • ArtsEmerson, Boston, MA
  • FirstWorks, Providence, RI
  • Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
  • International Festival of Arts & Ideas, New Haven, CT
  • Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, Middletown, CT
• Moonfish Theatre (Galway City, Ireland) to tour to:
  • Pinkerton Academy, Derry, NH
  • Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College, Keene, NH
  • UMASS Fine Arts Center, Amherst, MA
  • University of Saint Joseph, The Autorino Center, West Hartford, CT
• Roomful of Teeth (Williamstown, MA) to tour to:
  • Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
  • Portland Ovations, Portland, ME
  • Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, Middletown, CT

2017 Expeditions Tour Planning grants:

• Vermont Performance Lab (Guilford, VT) for Sara Smith, Greenfield, MA
• University of Saint Joseph, The Autorino Center, West Hartford, CT for Amirah Sackett, Chicago, IL

The New England States Touring program provides support for performances and activities by New England artists in the New England states, with grants ranging from $400 to $4,000. In fiscal year 2017, the NEST program supported 33 organizations presenting 40 artists. The next deadline for the New England States Touring grant is June 1, 2017, to support projects taking place in September and October 2017. After that point, the program will move to three deadlines every four months per year to streamline administration; deadlines will take place in August, September, and April. Details at www.nefa.org. 

New England Organizations receiving NEST grants in 2017: 

• 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH
• Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, Littleton, NH
• Arts Council of Tamworth, Tamworth, NH
• Bar Harbor Music Festival, Bar Harbor, ME
• Bates Dance Festival, Lewiston, ME
• Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, North Adams, MA
• Camp Kinderland, Tolland, MA
• Clark University, Worcester, MA
• Colby College Department of Theater and Dance, Waterville, ME
• Common Fence Music, Middletown, RI
• Community Art Center, Cambridge, MA
• First Night North, St. Johnsbury, VT
• Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
• Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket, MA
• Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, Portland,ME
• KCP Presents Performing Arts Series, Saint Johnsbury, VT
• Ko Festival of Performance, Belchertown, MA
• Litchfield Jazz Festival, Litchfield, CT
• Maine Coast Waldorf School, Freeport, ME
• Mayo Street Arts, Portland, ME
• Music Worcester, Worcester, MA
• Portland Ovations, Portland, ME
• Puppet Showplace Theater, Brookline , MA
• Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College, Keene, NH
• Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, NH
• Sandglass Theater, Putney, VT
• The 1932 Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor, ME
• The Dance Complex, Cambridge, MA
• The Yard, Chilmark, MA
• University of Saint Joseph, The Autorino Center, West Hartford, CT
• Vermont Performance Lab, Guilford, VT
• Veronica Robles Cultural Center, East Boston, MA
• West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, Claremont, NH

New England Artists Benefitting from 2017 NEST grants:

• A Far Cry, Jamaica Plain, MA
• Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Somerville, MA
• Aaron Jafferis, New Haven, CT
• Aine Minogue, Arlington, MA
• ARABIQA, Boston, MA
• Avery Sharpe, Plainville, MA
• Betsy Miller, Salem, MA
• Bonnie Duncan, Jamaica Plain, MA
• Brad Shur, Brookline, MA
• Burlington Taiko, Burlington, VT
• Christal Brown INSPIRIT, Middlebury, VT
• Circus Smirkus, Greensboro, VT
• CONCORA, Hartford, CT
• Crabgrass Puppet Theater, West Brattleboro, VT
• Dan Butterworth and His Marionettes, Pascoag, RI
• Delaney McDonough, Denmark, ME
• Doppelgänger Dance Collective, Providence, RI
• Ellis Smith, Richmond, VT
• Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers, Bar Harbor, ME
• Guy Mendilow Ensemble, Boston, MA
• Handel & Haydn Society, Boston, MA
• Hawk Henries, Sullivan, ME
• HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford, CT
• Jessie Jeanne & Dancers, Somerville, MA
• Lida Winfield, Shelburne, VT
• Lydia Perez Yoruba 2, Warwick, RI
• MOMIX, Washington, CT
• N. Griffin, Cambridge, MA
• Nappy's Puppets, Hamden, CT
• Nimble Arts, Brattleboro, VT
• Perry Alley Theatre, Strafford, NH
• Pilobolus, Washington Depot, CT
• Puppetkabob, Milton, VT
• Roosevelt Dime, New Haven, CT
• Sandglass Theater, Putney, VT
• Sokeo Ros, Providence, RI
• Tim Van Egmond, Montague, MA
• Wolverine Jazz Band, Norwood, MA
• Women of the World, Boston, MA
• Zili Misik, Jamaica Plain, MA

About New England Foundation for the Arts
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in the arts to enrich communities in New England and beyond. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Visit nefa.org for more information.

CONTACT: Ann Wicks | 617.236.0010 x534