West Valley Arts Council Receives $20,000 Grant From National Endowment For The Arts

West Valley Arts Council has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support its Imprints series, an ongoing program recognizing and celebrating the cultural impact and contributions of Arizona's diverse communities and populations.

Imprints is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million in grants that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.

"As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as West Valley Arts reengage fully with partners and audiences," said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. "Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure."

West Valley Arts President and CEO Sandra Bassett said the support of the National Endowment of the Arts "for this important project will enable us to take it to the next level in terms of impact and outreach. We are very grateful."

Imprints launched in December with African Americans in the Arts, coinciding with Black History Month, featuring the works of local artists Floyd Galloway, John Neville, Joe Willie Smith, Phalen Booker and Wanda King at Arts HQ Gallery. That was followed by Viva La Cultura, which included an exhibition running through June 4 featuring artwork by Hugo Medina, Edgar Fernandez, Adriana Martinez, Cell 13, Diego Perez, Sam Gomez, Sam Fresquez and Zarco Guerrero. In March, Imprints: The Cultural Sounds of America debuted with six bands performing music reflecting different and diverse musical genres.

More exhibitions as well as community-based dialogues and other programming are being scheduled throughout 2021 and into 2022.

For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

For more information about West Valley Arts, visit www.westvalleyarts.org.

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