National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced today that The Susquehanna Folk Music Society is one of 919 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant.
The Susquehanna Folk Music Society is recommended for a $15,000 grant to support a series of concerts, workshops, films, lectures and school residencies that will explore the significance of the banjo in American folk culture.
The project will follow the banjo as it journeyed from the slave quarters to the minstrel shows, from the mill towns to the parlor, and from the front porch to the concert hall. It will involve some of the best practitioners of the banjo currently touring today. Through this project our community will become more familiar with this important, uniquely American instrument.
“We are very excited to be receiving these funds and to have the opportunity to present a project of such depth,” said Jess Hayden, the Susquehanna Folk Music Society’s Executive Director. “We are confident that there will be something for everyone among its many programs.”
The Susquehanna Folk Music Society will present the project’s first events on March 8th when they welcome the Irish group We Banjo 3 to the Appalachian Brewery in Harrisburg for two afternoon workshops and a concert at 7:30 PM. To learn about these and other Susquehanna Folk events visit http://www.sfmsfolk.org.
NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “I’m pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Art Works including the award to the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives.”
Art Works grants support the creation of art, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,474 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 919 are recommended for grants for a total of $26.6 million.
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