Visual Arts Center Of New Jersey Will Receive a Grant From The National Endowment For The Arts

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $84 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment's second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2020. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $30,000 to the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VACNJ) to support the exhibition, I Carry a River: Land, Body, and Indigeneity in Contemporary Art, and the accompanying catalogue. This is one of 1,015 grants nationwide that the agency has approved in this category.

"These awards demonstrate the resilience of the arts in America, showcasing not only the creativity of their arts projects but the organizations' agility in the face of a national health crisis," said Mary Anne Carter. "We celebrate organizations like the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey for providing opportunities for learning and engagement through the arts in these times."

VACNJ Curator Mary Birmingham added, "We are honored to empower Native female voices and grateful to the NEA for their support. Bringing increased visibility to their vital, creative work will also help raise awareness about the importance of social and environmental activism, cultural survival, and the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls."

I Carry A River: Land, Body, and Indigeneity in Contemporary Art is an exhibition by women artists from North American Native nations whose work explores the connection between Indigenous bodies and Indigenous land, both historically and metaphorically. The museum-wide project, scheduled for fall 2021, will also include, poetry, performance, music, and dance. For more information on this NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.