The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently announced the first round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2022, with 1,498 awards totaling nearly $33.2 million, a press release stated.
Grants for Arts Projects funding spans 15 artistic disciplines and reaches communities in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
"These National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants underscore the resilience of our nation's artists and arts organizations, will support efforts to provide access to the arts, and rebuild the creative economy," said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. "The supported projects demonstrate how the arts are a source of strength and well-being for communities and individuals, and can open doors to conversations that address complex issues of our time."
Illinois arts organizations received 88 grants totaling more than $1.7 million. Some of the Chicago recipients include 3Arts, Inc. ($20,000); Africa International House USA, Inc. ($20,000); Art Institute of Chicago, on behalf of Gene Siskel Film Center ($20,000); Cerqua Rivera Art Experience (aka Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre) ($10,000); Chicago Architecture Foundation ($30,000); Chicago Opera Theater ($30,000); CircEsteem Inc. ($20,000); Facets Multimedia Incorporated ($20,000); Haymarket Opera Company NFP ($20,000); Instituto Cervantes of Chicago, Inc. ($10,000); Joffrey Ballet ($10,000); Kuumba Lynx ($20,000); Lyric Opera of Chicago ($40,000); National Museum of Mexican Art ($35,000); Puerto Rican Arts Alliance ($15,000); Snow City Arts Foundation ($50,000); Steppenwolf Theatre Company ($40,000); and Victory Gardens Theater ($20,000).
"We are so grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for recognizing our company and this piece," said Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre co-founder, Artistic Director and CEO Wilfredo Rivera in a statement sent to Windy City Times. "These past two years have been challenging but being quiet was not an option for us. As we forge into the unpredictable year ahead, we are proud to continue developing SOUL REMEDY with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts."
Choreographer Monique Haley is creating SOUL REMEDY with composer Pharez Whitted on the multicultural, multidisciplinary, multigenerational collective of artists at Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. SOUL REMEDY will aim to respect, reflect and represent Black excellence as a central component of U.S. culture.
Outside of Chicago, some recipients include Illinois State University (on behalf of Obsidian) ($25,000); Skokie's Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago ($10,000); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ($80,000); the City of Evanston ($30,000); and Galesburg's Knox College ($10,000). According to an item from Illinois State University, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora received the grant to support the presentation and publication of the upcoming GenderQueer/GenreQueer Playground special issue, guest-edited by interdisciplinary artist, poet and scholar Ronaldo V. Wilson.
To see the full list of grant recipients, visit https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Grant-Announcement-StateListReport-1.10.22-rev.pdf.
