NEFA Grants Strengthen New England’s Artists and Cultural Organizations

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts has made 83 grants totaling $371,995 to artists and nonprofit organizations to support public presentations and engagement activities in communities of all sizes and reach all six New England states. The grants are made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

Projects range from live radio plays addressing poverty in America (Dan Froot & Co), a festival of movement, discussions, and performances by LGTBQ artists (Toby MacNutt at the Dancing Queerly Festival), and performances that highlight the environmental challenges affecting the Ugandan forests (Samite).

“These grants enable New England cultural organizations from all corners of the region to bring artists - international, national, or New England based - into their communities, both rural and urban,” said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards. “These artists are exploring timely and challenging issues, bringing communities together for important conversations around the topics. We are so grateful for the state and federal funding for the arts to support this critical work.”

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. This year the panel awarded 43 grants to tour 12 projects and four grants for tour planning.

2019 Expeditions Touring Grants:

1. Dan Froot and Company of Los Angeles, CA, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at MCLA's Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (North Adams, MA), University of Saint Joseph, Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities (West Hartford, CT), and The Yard (Chilmark, MA).
2. a canary torsi I yanira castro of Brooklyn, NY will conduct presentation and engagement activities at the Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, ME), Amherst College Department of Theater and Dance (Amherst, MA) SPACE (Portland, ME), and The Yard (Chilmark, MA).
3. Circa, of Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia will conduct presentation and engagement activities at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas (New Haven, CT), Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington, VT), Dartmouth College, Hopkins Center for the Arts (Hanover, NH), and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (Becket, MA).
4. Damien Sneed of New York, NY, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at the University of Massachusetts, Fine Arts Center (Amherst, MA), The Colonial Theater, (Keene, NH), the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington, VT), and the Zeiterion Theatre (New Bedford, MA).
5. International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) of Brooklyn, NY, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at Portland Ovations (Portland, ME), Dartmouth College, Hopkins Center for the Arts (Hanover, NH), and the Wellesley College Concert Series (Wellesley, MA).
6. Ice Dance International of Kittery, ME, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at Strawbery Banke Museum (Portsmouth, NH), the Skating Club of Boston (Brighton, MA), and the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center (Stowe, VT).
7. Joanna Kotze, of Brooklyn, NY, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at The Yard (Chilmark, MA), Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, ME), and Opera House Arts (Stonington, ME).
8. Mocean Dance with Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at the Chandler Center for the Arts (Randolph, VT), Highland Center for the Arts (Greensboro, VT), and the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy (Derry, NH).
9. New England Dance on Tour, of Boston, MA, Somerville, MA, and Middletown, CT , will conduct presentation and engagement activities at Williams College, '62 Center for Theatre and Dance (Williamstown, MA), the Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, ME), the Dance Complex (Cambridge, MA), Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (Becket, MA), and Wesleyan University Center for the Arts (Middletown, CT).
10. nora chipaumire , of Brooklyn, NY, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at the Quick Center for the Arts (Fairfield, CT), Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, ME), and the Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, MA).
11. Samite, of Tully, NY, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at the University of Saint Joseph, Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities (West Hartford, CT), Blues to Green (Huntington, MA), FirstWorks, (Providence, RI), and the Ko Festival of Performance (Belchertown, MA).
12. Taylor  Mac, of New York, NY, will conduct presentation and engagement activities at FirstWorks (Providence, RI), Arts Transcending Borders at the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA), Portland Ovations (Portland, ME), and Wesleyan University Center for the Arts (Middletown, CT).

2019 Expeditions Tour Planning Grants

1. Double Edge Theatre, Ashfield, MA, including production support to develop their new works Leonora’s World and Leonora y Alejandro
2. Bates Dance Festival, Lewiston, ME, for The Era Footwork Crew
3. West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, Claremont, NH, for The Bach Tree
4. Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College, Keene, NH, for David Dorfman Dance

The New England States Touring program provides support for performances and activities by New England artists in New England states, with grants ranging from $400 to $4,000. In fiscal year 2019, the NEST program supported 31 organizations presenting 29 artists through 36 grants. Application deadlines are the first business days of August, December, and April; learn more about the artists and the cultural organizations presenting them on NEFA's CreativeGround directory of artists, cultural organizations and creative businesses.

New England Artists Benefitting from 2019 NEST grants:

• A2VT, Burlington, VT
• Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Somerville, MA
• Akwaaba Ensemble, Manchester, NH
• Alexander Davis Dance, Boston, MA
• ANIKAYA Dance Theater, Somerville, MA
• Avery Sharpe, Plainville, MA
• Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, VT
• Burlington Taiko, Burlington, VT
• Castle of our Skins, Dorchester, MA
• Circus Smirkus, Greensboro, VT
• cordis, Needham, MA
• Crabgrass Puppet Theatre, West Brattleboro, VT
• DBR | Daniel Bernard Roumain, Norwood, MA
• Donal Fox, Boston, MA
• Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti, East Hartford, CT
• History At Play, Boston, MA
• Ice Dance International, Kittery, ME
• Lorelei Ensemble, Cambridge, MA
• Mark Erelli, Somerville, MA
• Michael Figueroa/Ruckus Dance, Boston, MA
• MOMIX, Washington, CT
• New Inca Son, Jamaica Plain, MA
• Samara Piano Quartet, Keene, NH
• Sandglass Theater, Putney, VT
• Sara Juli, Falmouth, ME
• Sarah Nolen, Brookline, MA
• The Afro-Semitic Experience, Hamden, CT
• Toby MacNutt, Burlington, VT
• Wondertwins, Boston, MA

New England Organizations receiving NEST grants in 2019: 

• The Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities at the University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, CT
• 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH
• Arts Council of Tamworth, Tamworth, NH
• Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Boston, MA
• Bread & Roses Heritage Committee, Lawrence, MA
• Brown University, Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Providence, RI
• Burke Town School, West Burke, VT
• Capitol Center for the Arts, Concord, NH
• Common Fence Music, Middletown, RI
• Dancing Queerly Festival, Boston, MA
• FirstWorks, Providence, RI
• Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
• Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, VT
• Hillsborough Historical Society, Hillsborough, NH
• Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket, MA
• Laumeister Art Center at Southern Vermont College, Bennington, VT
• Litchfield Jazz Festival/Camp, Litchfield, CT
• Maine Coast Waldorf School, Freeport, ME
• New Hampshire Telephone Museum, Warner, NH
• Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, VT
• onStage at Connecticut College, New London, CT
• Portland Ovations, Portland, ME
• Puppet Showplace Theater, Brookline, MA
• Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College, Keene, NH
• Saint-Gaudens Summer Concert Series, Cornish, NH
• Sandglass Theater, Putney, VT
• SPACE, Portland, ME
• Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, VT
• Stone Soup, Worcester, MA
• Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, NH
• West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, Claremont, NH

About NEFA
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation.  NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to networks and knowledge-building opportunities; 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. Learn more at www.nefa.org.

Contact: Ann Wicks, 617-951-0010x534