Special Presenter Initiatives Bringing
Performing Artists to Communities in
DC, DE, PR, USVI and WV
Display caption
Image: Kanawha Valley Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance (FOOTMAD) engaged Dance of Hope with support from the 2023 Special Presenter Initiatives. For the FOOTMAD public performance Saturday evening, West Side Middle students joined Dance of Hope on stage, shown here dancing in Ugandan traditions. Credit: Jennifer Bauman.
Baltimore – July 25, 2023 – Mid Atlantic Arts, in partnership with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Delaware Division of the Arts, The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (ICP), the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, and the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, has announced over $102,000 in grants through the 2023-2024 Special Presenter Initiatives program.
The Special Presenter Initiatives program provides funding to small and mid-size presenting organizations in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography. The program supports presenting projects with professional touring artists and ensembles from anywhere worldwide. The supported projects include public performances as well as community engagement activities that enhance the performance experience and offer meaningful exchanges between touring artists and a presenter’s community.
The artistic engagements proposed by applicant presenters are diverse in performance genre and artist identity. Examples of Special Presenter Initiatives engagement and community exchange include:
- Puerto Rican presenter Productora Angels-Del-Fin will present Latinx Performance Ensemble, Inc., a NY-based, Puerto Rican diasporic theater company highlighting queer experiences. During their engagement, they will share a play that brings awareness to—and works to prevent—homophobia and suicide.
- Delaware-based, groundbreaking female Kora player Sona Jobarteh will be presented in her home state by Arden Club, along with her band, to share her evolution of the African musical tradition through performances and an open Q/A and sound-check.
- The Capital Jewish Museum will present the band Minnush at their inaugural block party. Minnush will share Sephardic musical traditions through their performance and will lead a workshop discussing the influence of Ladino (a language that was developed by the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula) and Judeo-Spanish influences on their practiced form.
The 2023-2024 grantees include:
Delaware
- Arden Club, Inc., Wilmington presenting Lankum, Ireland
- Arden Club, Inc., Wilmington presenting Sona Jobarteh, DE
- Christina Cultural Arts Center, Inc., Wilmington presenting Stacey Harcum, DE
- Cityfest, Inc., Wilmington presenting Gerald Veasly Electric Mingus Project, PA
- Coastal Concerts, Inc., Lewes presenting JiJi, Guitar and Danbi Um, Violin, NY
- Coastal Concerts, Inc., Lewes presenting Michelle Cann, PA
- Delaware Symphony Association, Wilmington presenting André Raphel, PA
District of Columbia
- Capitalbop, Inc., presenting Kokayi, DC
- Capitalbop, Inc., presenting Malcolm X Drummers + Dancers, DC
- Dance Place presenting Saira Barbaric, WA
- Dance Place presenting Sydnie L. Mosley Dances (SLMDances), NY
- Dumbarton Concerts, Inc., presenting Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Mexico
- Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Inc., presenting Gina Sobel/Minnush, DC
- Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital presenting Global Sounds on the Hill featuring Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band, Burkina Faso
- Washington Performing Arts Society presenting Mahani Teave, Easter Island
Puerto Rico
- Patria Y Cultura, Inc., Ponce presenting Latinx Performance Ensemble, Inc., NY
- Productora Angeles del fin, San Lorenzo presenting Guayacanes de San Anton, PR
United States Virgin Islands
- The Forum, Inc., St. Thomas presenting Imani Winds, NY
- The Forum, Inc., St. Thomas presenting Julian Gargiulo, Belgium
- St. John School of the Arts, St. John presenting Imani Winds, NY
- St. John School of the Arts, St. John presenting Victor Provost and Alex Brown, DC
West Virginia
- ArtsLink, Inc., N. Martinsville presenting Tray Dahl & The Jugtime Ragband, GA
- Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg presenting Artrageous, NM
- Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg presenting Rhythm of the Dance, Ireland
- Charles T. Chuck Mathena II Foundation, Inc., Princeton presenting iLuminate, NV
- Charles T. Chuck Mathena II Foundation, Inc., Princeton presenting Rhythm of the Yuletide Dance, Ireland
- Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Inc., Shepherdstown presenting Appalachian Chamber Music Festival, WV
- Kanawha Valley Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance, Charleston presenting Daimh, Scotland
- Pocahontas County Opera House Foundation, Marlinton presenting Ceara Conway, Ireland
- River House, Inc., Capon Bridge presenting Dunlap and Mabe, VA
- River House, Inc., Capon Bridge presenting Funk in the Mountains: Cold Chocolate, MA
For more program information, please click here.
Special Presenter Initiatives grants are made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program and with the support of the Delaware Division of the Arts for Delaware-based organizations.
About Mid Atlantic Arts
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. We combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.
Contact:
Karen Newell
Director, External Affairs
Mid Atlantic Arts
karen@midatlanticarts.org
410.539.6656 x104