South Arts awards literary arts grants to three SC organizations
South Arts, a Regional Arts Organization serving nine states in the Southeast, has announced $20,586 in grants to 14 literary arts presenting organizations throughout the region. These grants, made possible through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, support organizations presenting out-of-state writers for public readings and educational activities.
Three South Carolina organizations received funding:
- The Poetry Society of South Carolina in Charleston received a $445 Literary Arts grant to present Dr. Bruce Weigl.
- Peace Center Foundation of Greenville received a $1,963 Literary Arts grant to present Project Voice featuring Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye.
- The Watering Hole Poetry Organization of York received a $2,044 Literary Arts grant to present E. Shockley, L. Wilson, B. Judd and S. Strange.
“Thriving arts and culture are crucial to our region’s quality of life and competitiveness across multiple sectors,” explained South Arts executive director Susie Surkamer. “The events we help fund impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents, exposing audiences to diverse artists and artforms.”
The grants cover the nine states in the South Arts region: including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Organizations applied in the spring, and were recently notified of their status; grants are matched at least dollar for dollar by the recipient organization.
“Literature has always been such an important part of the South,” continued Surkamer. “South Arts is proud to be able to facilitate audiences being able to experience the spoken word. Our literary arts grants will introduce audiences to southern writers and poets such as Jamie Quatro, Clare Beams, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry recipient Natasha Trethewey.”
A full list of South Arts’ grant recipients and programs is available at www.southarts.org. Organizations interested in applying for the next grant cycle are recommended to sign up for South Arts’ email list and continue to visit the website.
About South Arts
South Arts, a nonprofit regional arts organization, was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to address the role of the arts in impacting the issues important to our region, and to link the South with the nation and the world through the arts. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.