Photo: Architectural plan/collage and site context by designer Kenny Fallon, Jr. (Canal Commons Project Manager).
Epicenter has been approved for a $100,000 Our Town award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support Epicenter’s forthcoming “Come to Green River” initiative from 2023-24. This is one of 57 grants nationwide, totaling $4,175,000, that the NEA has approved in the Our Town category. These creative placemaking grants support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into local efforts to strengthen and authentically engage communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including Epicenter’s work in Green River, Utah, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”
“’Come Home to Green River’ is a creative placemaking project that builds on recent downtown planning efforts in Green River with a focus on affordable housing,” says Epicenter executive Director Maria Sykes. “It’s a tremendous boost when we receive support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and this is their largest commitment to our work to date.”
Epicenter will use creative placemaking techniques such as design charrettes, community events, and temporary installations to bring new life to vacant and overlooked sites in downtown Green River, with a specific focus on the Canal Commons affordable housing site including our Pearl Baker Park. This project will pair local expertise with the fresh perspective of visiting and returning artists/designers in order to build a more resilient economy, increase housing options, beautify the built environment, and increase downtown vibrancy.
To match the NEA’s historic commitment to Epicenter, please make a tax-deductible donation here. Any amount is welcome!
For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, go here.
