10 Maine arts organizations land $1M in NEA funding

Photo / Molly Haley Photography The Telling Room, a nonprofit writing center based in Portland that empowers youth through writing, is a spring 2019 beneficiary of a $15,000 National Endowment of the Arts grant to support the Young Writers and Leaders Program.

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By Staff

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded 10 grants totaling $981,800 to Maine arts-and-cultural organizations.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-District 1, announced the awards on Thursday. She is the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus and also serves as the vice chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, which oversees the NEA and arts funding.

“Rural communities across the country benefit from arts grants like those awarded today in my district. A nearly $1 million investment in these 10 creative organizations will go a long way to spur economic growth, draw tourists to our state, and ensure artists want to live and create in Maine," Pingree said in a news release, adding that NEA funding has continued despite political wrangling.

Here are the fiscal year 2019 NEA spring grant recipients in Maine’s 1st District:

Maine Arts Commission, Augusta: $756,800 to support arts programs, services and activities associated with carrying out the agency's National Endowment for the Arts-approved strategic plan.
Engine Inc., Biddeford: $45,000 to support architectural designs for the reuse of the Marble Block, an iconic historic building as a community cultural center.
Points North Institute (Camden International Film Festival), Camden: $25,000 to support professional development services and educational programs for media artists, including the Points North Forum.
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle: $15,000 to support craft workshops for Maine high school students.
Ogunquit Playhouse Foundation, Ogunquit: $10,000 to support the development of new musicals through the New Works Program.
Creative Portland Corp., Portland: $25,000 to support artist fees and public art installations at bus shelters throughout Portland.
Portland Ovations, Portland: $20,000 to support a multidisciplinary performing arts series.
The Telling Room, Portland: $15,000 to support the Young Writers and Leaders Program.
Cultural Resources Inc., Rockport: $20,000 to support the Wabanaki Arts Mentorship Program.
Terra Moto Inc. (aka Art At Work), South Portland: $50,000 to support artist fees for a public theatrical performance by Art at Work that will celebrate the history of Maine.