Press Releases

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Awards Seven Grants to Delaware Presenters as Part of Special Presenting Initiative

Baltimore, MD – Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation has awarded seven grants to Delaware arts presenters through the Delaware Performing Arts Presenters Initiative. The Foundation, in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA), offers this special initiative to help defray costs related to the presentation of touring performing artists in underserved communities. Proposed artists must be located in the mid-Atlantic region but outside of Delaware (DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, and WV). Proposals must demonstrate a commitment to presenting the performing arts and the ongoing development of Delaware’s cultural landscape. Presenters are encouraged to use this funding opportunity to engage performers they have not booked before or to expand their programming options.

The 2006-2007 grantees are:

• Christina Cultural Arts Center (Wilmington) will present Brooklyn-based dance troupe Urban Bush Women, who combine their own contemporary choreography, music, and text, with the historical, cultural, and spiritual traditions of African-Americans and the African Diaspora. The company will hold two public performances at CCAC and conduct six residencies with dance educators, dancers from the local community, and Wilmington area schools.

• Coastal Concerts, Inc. (Lewes) Zephyros Winds, a chamber music ensemble, will perform two free concerts at Rehoboth Elementary School along with one free family concert at Bethel Fellowship Hall in Lewes.

• Corbit-Calloway Memorial Library (Odessa) welcomes Maria Broom and Jali D who will perform their children’s program of stories, song, and dance, Songs and Stories for Little Old Children, using the communicative qualities of drum and dance to promote character, values, and community awareness.

• Delaware Division of Parks & Recreation - Bellevue State Park (Wilmington) The Hillbilly Gypsies will perform authentic bluegrass music in an open air concert at Bellevue State Park.

• Lewes Public Library (Lewes) Performing with traditional Celtic instruments, Mary Kay Mann will explore the heritage of Ireland, Scotland, and America from the Middle Ages to modern day.

• The Smyrna Opera House (Smyrna) will present Beach Jazz in an evening concert, followed the next day by a jazz fundamentals school program.

• Symrna Opera House (Smyrna) Saxophonist John Doughten joins three other musicians to perform the quartets and trios of one of 20th Century Jazz’s most noteworthy figures, Benny Goodman.

* Please contact the venues directly for information on dates, times, and tickets.

Guidelines for the 2007-2008 Delaware Performing Arts Presenters Initiative will be available in early spring 2007. Those wishing to apply should contact the Foundation at 410.539.6656 x100 for guidelines.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation supports the richness and diversity of the region’s arts resources and promotes wider access to the art and artists of the region, nation and world. To learn more about MAAF, its programs and services, visit our Web site at www.midatlanticarts.org.