August 7, 2007

PASADENA ARTS & CULTURE GRANT WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Pasadena’s Arts & Culture Commission has awarded grants totaling $108,000 to 15 Pasadena cultural organizations and artists, and $40,000 to support arts festivals.
The grants program is designed to support the work of artists, bring the creative process into classrooms, support the sustained growth of Pasadena’s cultural institutions and further art’s reach.

The commission elected to fund the top applicants in each of five categories for individual artists, small organizations, large organizations, arts education partnerships, and festivals and parades.

Individual Artists grants of up to $5,000 each were awarded for artist career development through support of exhibitions, performances or special projects. Recipients are David Lovejoy for his clay assemblage project Circular Logic; Michael Markowsky for Arts in Store showcasing his paintings in alternative venues through business partnerships; and Magnus Stark for his project creating fine art photographs of the historic Castle Green.

For organizations with budgets less than $500,000, grants of up to $10,000 each were awarded. Funded programs include exhibitions, performances, education and audience development. This year’s recipients are African Heritage Foundation for its African Village Celebration featuring Lazare Houetin’s Djo-Gbe African Dance Ensemble with 18 master dancers, drummers and stilt-walkers to be presented at Levitt Pavilion; Crown City Chamber Players for expansion and outreach of its community concert series that will feature Pasadena composers, local opera singer Ella Lee and 12-year-old conductor William Hurtado; Friends of the Levitt Pavilion for its summer concert series of 50 diverse music offerings; and New Town Foundation for its free public art weekend of sonic-based site-specific and performance installations along a recreational trail in the Lower Arroyo Seco.

For organizations with budgets of $500,000 or more, grants of up to $10,000 each were awarded to Pacific Asia Museum for its education outreach initiative, a multiyear program designed to introduce students, teachers and families to the history, culture and arts of Asia; Pasadena Museum of History for stages two and three of its visual arts curriculum-based outreach program Painting the Beautiful: Bringing the Museum to the Classroom; Pasadena Playhouse to support the world-premiere of Ray Charles Live!, a new musical celebrating the life and work of the legendary musician; and Pasadena Symphony Association for Clazzical Notes, a free program that bridges the gap between jazz and classical communities.

Arts Education Partnership grants of up to $10,000 each were awarded to artists or arts organizations in partnership with schools to fund artist-led programming. This year’s recipients are Armory Center for the Arts for Art Central, an art partnership with teachers at Hamilton and Madison elementary schools; Laurie Niles to train young violin students using the Suzuki Method at McKinley School and to provide additional curriculum, materials and training to Pasadena Unified School District schools; Pasadena Conservatory of Music for the Young Musicians Sequential Music Program at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School; and Southwest Chamber Music for its weekly music lessons with professional musicians and performances at John Muir and Pasadena high schools.

Newly formed Festival and Parade grants of up to $10,000 were awarded to Light Bringer Project for the annual Pasadena Chalk Festival in summer 2008; Lineage Dance to produce the Pasadena Dance Festival, a day of workshops, classes and evening performances of local dance companies at Pasadena Civic Auditorium; New Town Foundation for The Hugely Tiny Festival celebrating all things small through visual installations and performances; Pacific Asia Museum for China Stylin’: A Chinese Arts and Cultural Festival; and Pasadena Society of Artists/ Playhouse District for ArtWalk, a multifaceted celebration of the arts in the historic Playhouse District that will include artist demonstrations, musical groups and art activities for all ages.
Grant applications were reviewed and scored by a diverse group of independent panelists made up of art and education professionals.

Applications for the 2008/2009 Arts & Culture Grants Program will be due in spring 2008.