Arts Center Wins NEA Grant
Summer Spree camp coordinator Catherine Brewer with visiting artist Ibiyinka Alao. Photo courtesy of Community Arts Center
The Community Arts Center in Wallingford has won a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Announcing the grant, CAC Executive Director Paul Downie said it is awarded to support “multidisciplinary community arts programs,” and will enable the organization to bring visiting artists to its Summer Spree camp sessions in 2021. Approximately 100 kids participate in each one-week session.
“The visiting artists facilitate special collaborative projects that all campers participate in,” Downie said. “It really enriches the experiences in terms of creativity and community building.”
Previous visiting artists have brought mosaics, sculpture, music, theater, and garden installations to CAC. For example, when Nigerian artist Ibiyinka Alao visited, he offered a program for campers that interwove music, storytelling, and painting, as well as a program for all ages that included guest dancers and special lighting, and featured one of his large-scale paintings.
The NEA funds will also help bring guest performers to CAC’s annual summer Tie Dye Festival, a free event that often draws 400 visitors, Downie said.
NEA Chair Mary Anne Carter said of the grant, “We are proud to support organizations such as the Community Arts Center that are providing opportunities for more people to experience and engage in the arts in their communities.”
