The City of Ringgold announced it has been awarded a Vibrant Communities grant by the Georgia Council for the Arts, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Fifty-seven entities in 43 counties statewide received grants through the 2022 program. The funding will be used for mural arts through the City of Ringgold’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
“Arts events supported by Vibrant Communities grants will help jumpstart tourism and bring communities together in all parts of Georgia,” said Georgia Council for the Arts Executive Director Tina Lilly.
“As the effects of a worldwide pandemic are still being felt, we are especially happy to announce this funding to help support the work of our grantees as they reconnect and engage with Georgians of all ages.”
Georgia Council for the Arts received Vibrant Communities grant applications from schools, libraries, cities, historical societies, community theatres, Boys & Girls Clubs and arts and other related organizations from across the state.
"The City of Ringgold, Mainstreet Program and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau understand the importance of the Arts in daily life," officials said. "It is the intentions of all these organizations to provide the opportunity of enjoyment of the Arts to our residents, businesses and tourist’s. The funding received from Georgia Council for the Arts will be utilized to express arts within the community through visual representation of history with an emphasis to increase tourism in our downtown area."
Funding for Vibrant Communities grants is provided through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. Grant applications were reviewed by Peer Review Panels, which included fellow professionals who are experienced in the arts discipline or type of grant being reviewed or are Georgia citizens with a record of involvement in arts activities, experience and knowledge.
Georgia’s creative industries have a reported $62.5 billion impact on the economy, generating roughly $37 billion in revenue and accounting for about 200,000 jobs in the state.