In partnership with the National Endowment, the Foundation's American Masterpieces Artistry & Influence tour celebrates the legacies of three women founders of seminal performing arts companies with deep ties to the region: Joan Myers Brown, Martha Graham, and Bernice Johnson Reagon. MAAF will provide fee support for tours of PHILADANCO, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and Sweet Honey in the Rock in the 2007-2008 season for a total of 42 engagements. Funding partnerships with state arts agencies in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and West Virginia have enabled specific tour engagements in these states.

Engagements with all three companies on the American Masterpieces Artistry & Influence tour will take place in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia during the 2007-08 season. Additional engagements in the District of Columbia are still pending so check the MAAF website for additional dates in DC.

As part of the Artistry & Influence Tour, the companies will present works from their repertoire that exemplify and celebrate the rich evolution of modern dance and choral music. This repertoire will represent works that are artistically, historically and culturally significant.

Mid Atlantic Tours ("MAT") offers support to presenters interested in engaging MAAF-identified artists from within the region and internationally. The program places special consideration for touring contemporary dance, folk/traditional, jazz, and theater and providing presenters with affordable performance fees. In the 2007-2008 season, the Foundation will support tours by The Aquila Theater Company, Irish music impresario Mick Moloney and Friends, jazz pianist Jason Moran and The Bandwagon, the acclaimed Morgan State University Choir and the popular dance company, Taylor 2 of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. A total of 52 engagements will take place under this program.

PennPAT Roster Application Deadlines

PennPAT is accepting applications from eligible Pennsylvania artists for the 2008 PennPAT Artist Roster. The deadline for the 2008 PennPAT Artist Roster is June 1, 2007. The application is available by clicking here.

PennPAT Showcases at the PA Presenters Conference

PennPAT will be hosting two days of showcases at the PA Presenters Conference May 31 - June 2, 2007 in Bethlehem, PA. PA Presenters is a membership organization that provides networking and block booking opportunities for Pennsylvania presenters (and presenters from many neighboring states). The showcases provide a valuable way to link touring artists and presenters and encourage the development of more in-depth artist/presenter relationships. Scholarships may be available for Pennsylvania and New Jersey presenters. To apply for a scholarship and/or register for the conference click here.

The following PennPAT Roster Artists were selected to showcase at the PA Presenters Conference:

(Artists listed in alphabetical order, program subject to change.)

Friday, June 1, 2007 from 2:45 - 4:45pm Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College

Charlotte Blake Alston, MC, ASH Contemporary Dance, Sherry Wilson Butler, Eleone Dance Theatre, Miro Dance Theatre, Tatsuya Nakatani, Shtreiml, The Half of It, and Two Part Invention.

Saturday, June 2, 2007 from 2:45-4:45pm Diamond Theater at the Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University

Matthew Bengtson, Ferla-Marcinizyn Guitar Duo, Hua Hua's Visual Expressions, Kenia, Shafaatullah Khan, Philadelphia Chinese Opera Society, Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble, and Resonance Percussion.

Upcoming PennPAT Presenter Deadlines

Fee-Support and New Directions Grants
June 15, 2007: For projects requesting $1,500 or less, scheduled between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008.

October 15, 2007: For projects scheduled between February 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009.

The Foundation's Mid Atlantic Folk Arts Outreach Project fosters the exchange of traditional arts practices among the region's fertile folk communities. The fourth and final project for 2007, entitled "Go Tell It on the Mountain: A Musical Journey Across Cultural Divides," brought together two of the varied gospel traditions of Appalachia. Ethel Caffie- Austin, West Virginia's "First Lady of Gospel Music" and Quandora Hornbuckle traveled to Clintwood, Virginia on April 13-15, 2007 to exchange musical styles with the Mullins Family of Virginia. Over three days, the artists met to share their experiences, conduct a community workshop, hold a public performance along with local gospel musicians, and attend a Sunday church service together. The project was coordinated by West Virginia-based folklorists Carrie and Michael Kline and Jon Lohman of the Virginia Folklife Program at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy.