National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced 64 awards totaling $4.3 million supporting projects across the nation through the NEA’s Our Town program. Epicenter and the City of Green River’s partnership is one of the recommended projects for an award of $50,000 to support the “Rural and Proud Initiative” to assist and support revitalization projects in downtown Green River, Utah.
The Our Town grant program supports creative placemaking projects that help to transform communities into more lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core. The NEA received 240 applications for Our Town this year and will make awards ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
“For six years, Our Town has made a difference for people and the places where they live, work, and play,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Projects such as the one led by Epicenter and the City of Green River, Utah, help residents engage the arts to spark vitality in their communities.”
“Often called ‘the Crossroads of the West,’ Green River is at a crossroads of another kind. This small desert community is in the process of choosing its next phase. Like many rural towns, this desert community can passively accept the economic conditions it was given, or we can choose to commit to strengthening our roots, embracing our people and history, and finding creative ways to empower the community. Green River has chosen the latter. The Rural and Proud Initiative will remind residents of Green River’s history and traditions, invigorate us to creatively voice our desires for the future, transform downtown into a more vibrant destination, and involve designers in making those desires a reality.” –Epicenter principal of Arts & Culture, Maria Sykes
To begin the project, Epicenter and the City of Green River will invite selected designers to support local ongoing revitalization efforts through small scale arts/design projects. Projects will reveal and reinforce the distinct character and quality of Green River and reimagine and activate locations downtown, especially forgotten spaces. Proposed projects will support and shape the ongoing local effort to enhance quality of life and opportunity for local residents, increase creative activity, and discern and celebrate this place.
Projects will foster interaction between community members and discover new ways to engage existing resources, spaces, and cultures. Participation is by invitation only. A local selection committee will select four projects.
For a complete list of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, please visit the NEA web site at arts.gov. The NEA’s online resource, Exploring Our Town, features case studies of more than 70 Our Town projects along with lessons learned and other resources.
To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEAOurTown16.
