MacDowell Colony Receives $30,000 NEA Grant

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter 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 The MacDowell Colony. 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.

"This grant means we will be able to bring 10 artists of diverse backgrounds from all over the country to experience their first MacDowell residencies," said MacDowell Executive Director Cheryl A. Young. "The NEA's funding is critical in giving those artists who have never been to MacDowell before the opportunity to create new work in our supportive environment, share experiences and philosophies with peers in seven disciplines, and interact with local students and the public in programs like MacDowell in the Schools and MacDowell Downtown."

"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 NEA Acting Chairman Carter.

Fellowship recipients will be selected to reflect a diversity of artistic disciplines, geographic regions, race, ethnicity, cultural backgrounds, gender, and age. To attract qualified applicants who would otherwise not be able to afford time off for a residency, MacDowell will providefinancial aid and travel support of up to $2,000 per artist in addition to the Fellowships supported by this grant. Stipends may be used to help cover lost income and ongoing expenses during the residency. MacDowell distributes nearly $150,000 annually in direct aid to artists of need.

For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visitarts.gov/news.