Editor’s Note: This story was previously posted with an incorrect photo and title. Apologies for any confusion.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced 64 awards totaling $4.3 million supporting projects across the nation through the NEA’s Our Town program.
The Dallas Chamber Symphony (DCS), in partnership with the City of Dallas, will be “Taking It to the Streets” as one of the organizations recommended for an award of $50,000 to engage citizens in our community through live music in downtown spaces between fall of 2016 and spring of 2018.
The Our Town grant program supports creative placemaking projects that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core. The NEA received 240 applications for Our Town this year and will make awards ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
“Taking It to the Streets” will feature the Dallas Chamber Symphony’s chamber ensembles in a series of 20+ outreach concerts. The project includes Musical “Moments,” slated to be hour-long, free public concerts featuring an array of music styles and ensembles presented around Downtown Dallas and adjacent neighborhoods, as well as “Seeds” outreach events through which the DCS will bring music into area hospitals, homeless shelters, and other facilities whose population might not be able to partake of the public events.
“Taking It to the streets” will culminate in a performance at Dallas City Performance Hall in spring of 2018. Local businesses, individuals and organizations interested in co-sponsoring concerts through matching contributions can contact DCS Development Associate Robin Korevaar for more information at (214) 449-1294 x 20. The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, The Wayman Center and Dallas Area Rapid Transit are among the organizations participating at this time.
“For six years, Our Town has made a difference for people and the places where they live, work, and play,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Projects such as the one led by the Dallas Chamber Symphony help residents engage the arts to spark vitality in their communities.”
“This award is the Dallas Chamber Symphony’s first from the National Endowment of the Arts, and serves as a testament to the Orchestra’s extraordinary accomplishments in its first four years,” said DCS Artistic Director and Conductor Richard McKay. “The support provided by this grant will enable us to deploy new kinds of high-quality community outreach programming, while enhancing our creative impact on the Dallas Arts scene.”
“The Dallas Chamber Symphony has become an indispensable member of the vibrant Dallas Arts District by creating and performing entertaining concert events which excite our patrons and inspire follow members of the artistic community to innovate and collaborate,” said DCS Board President Jim Langham. “We are thrilled to be forging new partnerships with local neighborhoods and community service providers to enrich our City and engage new audiences.”
For a complete list of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, please visit the NEA web site at arts.gov. The NEA’s online resource, Exploring Our Town, features case studies of more than 70 Our Town projects along with lessons learned and other resources.
To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEAOurTown16.
