Twenty-two organizations in Hamilton County received a Community Cultural Connections grant from ArtsBuild to make the arts more accessible to underserved populations.
ArtsBuild (formerly Allied Arts) awarded its second round of Community Cultural Connections grants on Tuesday. Twenty-two Hamilton County-based organizations received small grants, up to $3,000, to fund arts and cultural experiences in social service agencies, neighborhoods, faith-based organizations, and municipalities throughout the greater Chattanooga area.
Launched in 2012, the CCC grant program is a direct result of Imagine Chattanooga 20/20, the community’s long-range cultural plan. The primary goal of the initiative is to make arts and cultural programs more accessible to underserved populations including geographic, ethnic, age and individuals with disabilities. Funding for the 2014 CCC grants was provided by Hamilton County Commissioner Tim Boyd, the Maclellan Foundation, Benwood Foundation, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation.
“Through the CCC program, ArtsBuild is able to fund many smaller projects that have big impacts on the people they serve,” said Rodney Van Valkenburg, ArtsBuild’s director of Grants and Initiatives. “These projects connect Chattanooga residents from diverse backgrounds to enjoy quality arts and cultural experiences that might not otherwise happen.”
2014 Grant Recipients:
Chattanooga Kids on the Block to provide two, five-day puppet training workshops for children ages 6 – 11
Chattanooga Resident Service Department to provide transportation and admission to area cultural events for low-income residents
Chattanooga School of Language to host an 8-week language and culture class for approximately 40 children at Northside Neighborhood House
Chattanooga Workspace to provide art instruction for juveniles at the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center
East Lake Neighborhood Association to host Movies in the Park event for residents in the East Lake community
Folk School of Chattanooga to establish a Bluegrass Club at Red Bank Middle school and host a national bluegrass banjo champion for an in-school performance with other local musicians
Girls Inc. to establish an afterschool project that will provide girls with hands-on experiences in the fine arts
Glass House Collective to host a professional musician as an instructor for a beginner violin course at Hardy Elementary School
Greenwood Resident Council to bring fine arts classes to the residents of Greenwood Terrace
H*Art Gallery to create portable, pocket-sized and waterproof art supply packs for transient or homeless artists
Highland Park Neighborhood Association to create a series of murals on McCallie Avenue painted by local artist Kevin Bate
Hixson Community Center to host a series of photography workshops led by a professional photographer
LAUNCH to paint a 10’ x 20’ mural on a newly acquired property in the Alton Park community
North River Civic Center to host a series of classes teaching introductory oil painting to seniors in the community
Northside Neighborhood House to provide afterschool programming related to dance and the arts in partnership with Chattanooga Ballet
Partnership for Families, Children and Adults to provide African drum and dance classes to children in inner-city community centers
Secret Weave to host a multi-media performance series in underserved neighborhoods and communities in the Chattanooga area
Senior Arts Council to sponsor a series of four artistic and cultural programs for seniors, including museum visits, dance, music and theatre performances
Signal Centers to provide movement and music instruction for children and adults with special needs in partnership with two local artists
SPLASH to host weekly painting workshops for children integrating art, literacy and history
Students Taking a Right Stand to facilitate student teams to rehearse and perform a dramatization reflecting the emotional impact of bullying behaviors in partnership with Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga
Therapeutic Recreation Services to host an 8-week community program focusing on arts experiences for individuals with disabilities