Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants, Webinar - Navigating Virginia's Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program for Artists
June 22, 2021
Virginia's Own Tom Davenport Named by National Endowment for the Arts to be a 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts has honored the rich, artistic heritage of America through the NEA National Heritage Fellowships since 1982. The nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts includes an award of $25,000 to each of the nine recipients, who will be featured in a film that will debut on November 17, 2021 on arts.gov.
“The diverse art forms of the National Heritage Fellows allow us to experience and appreciate the rich cultural traditions that make up America,” said Ann Eilers, acting chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts. “It is inspiring how these artistic practices continue the legacy of generations past, while blending contemporary elements as they continue into the future.”
We congratulate Delaplane's own Tom Davenport on receiving this high honor, and thank him for his significant contributions to preserving and documenting many of Virginia's traditional cultures. It's critical to preserving our state's rich artistic and cultural traditions," said Janet Starke, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
The 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows are:
Cedric Burnside, Hill Country Blues Musician from Ashland, Mississippi
A blues guitarist, drummer, singer, and songwriter, Burnside tells the story of the Black American experience fromthe heart of the North Mississippi Hill Country.
A master teacher and performer of rondalla, the traditional Spanish-influenced music from the Philippines, De Leon promotes the tradition to uplift the heritage of the Filipinx diasporic community.
A multidisciplinary artist who maintains longstanding Osage ribbon work practices while creating her own contemporary designs, Fields aims to dispel myths and stereotypes surrounding Native people through her work with clay and textiles.
A Mexican-American music band influenced by the deep and soulful Mexican and Latin American sounds they grew up with, Los Lobos also integrated the American vernacular traditions of blues, rock-n-roll, conjunto, and jazz into their own unique sound.
One of the great Irish flute and whistle players of her generation, Madden has led the all-female group, Cherish the Ladies, since its inception more than 35 years ago and passionately champions the advancement of traditional Irish music.
A master of tap dance known for his distinctive “hoofing” style, McLaughlin has tapped his way from the Chicago subways to a worldwide stage. He preserves the tradition through educational programs that continue to energize the artform.
A tradition bearer of mundillo, the intricate bobbin lace tradition that is centered in the western Puerto Rican municipality of Moca, Sánchez was influential in establishing the Museo del Mundillo and describes the art form as “her way of life.”
The Winnsboro Easter Rock Ensemble maintains a rare women-led African-American traditional spiritual ritual first practiced by enslaved Africans in the antebellum period, Easter Rock, which combines music and food with Christian and West African influences.
Tom Davenport, Filmmaker, Documentarian, and Media Curator from Delaplane, Virginia
Founder and director of Folkstreams, a nonprofit dedicated to finding, preserving, contextualizing, and showcasing documentary films on American traditional cultures, Davenport is the 2021 recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, presented in recognition of an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage.
For the second year, the National Endowment for the Arts will commemorate the NEA National Heritage Fellows with a film that visits with the fellows where they live and practice these traditional art forms. On November 17, 2021, the virtual presentation will be webcast free to the public at arts.gov. More information will follow.
About the National Heritage Fellowships
The National Heritage Fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Including the 2021 class, the Arts Endowment has awarded 458 National Heritage Fellowships, recognizing artists working in more than 200 distinct art forms, including Japanese classical dancer Gertrude Yukie Tsutsumi, Tejano musician and singer Manuel "Cowboy" Donley, Passamaquoddy basketmaker Molly Neptune Parker, leatherworker James F. Jackson, oud player and composer Rahim AlHaj, and quilting community advocate Carolyn Mazloomi. More information about the National Heritage Fellows is available on the Arts Endowment’s website.
Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public, often by members of their own communities, and then judged by a panel of experts in the folk and traditional arts. The panel’s recommendations are reviewed by the National Council on the Arts, which sends its recommendations to the Arts Endowment chairman, who makes the final decision. The deadline to submit a nomination for the 2022 class of National Heritage Fellows is July 30, 2021. Visit the National Endowment for the Artswebsitefor more information and to submit a nomination.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
The Commission Board held its year-end meeting on June 16 - 17, approving nearly 400 grants recommended for funding. Award Letters will be mailed before the end of the month. Stay tuned for more details!
JUST ANNOUNCED: Town Hall on the ARP, June 29, 2 PM
Join the VCA's Town Hall to discuss the most current needs of the field as it continues to more fully reopen, and ideas for the disbursement of the funds awarded to the VCA by the National Endowment for the Arts through the American Rescue Plan (ARP).
The Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for unexpected medical/dental/mental health emergencies to individual artists in need. Emergencies are defined as taking place within the last six months (November 1, 2020 or later). The New York Foundation for the Arts has partnered with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation to administer these grants, available to visual and media artists and choreographers who live anywhere in the U.S., its Territories, and the District of Columbia. Artists of color, artists with disabilities, and those living outside of the East and West coasts are particularly encouraged to apply. The program does not cover lost wages/income. The current application cycle closes Tuesday, June 29. Full details on eligibility and the application, including an on-demand webinar, are online here.
Webinar - July 13: Navigating Virginia's Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program for Artists
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic created a need for expanded unemployment insurance benefits. The CARES Act includes a provision that extends temporary benefits to individuals who are not eligible for traditional Virginia state benefits.
Join presenter Renee Chalmers on Tuesday, July 13 at 9 AM, as she provides a general overview of the PUA program and answers frequently asked questions.
Our Town is the National Endowment for the Arts’ creative placemaking grants program. These grants support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes.
Our Town grant guidelines are now available here, with a deadline of August 5, 2021. There is an increased focus in the guidelines on systems change.
The Arts Endowment is hosting a webinar on June 15, here.
The 90 minute webinar will cover the “how to apply mechanics,” trends from the past year, and helpful resources for the various grant application sections (examples of strong community engagement, local government partnerships, artist selection processes, etc.).
Photo: "Cribs" by Brenda Baker was a featured stop on the 2012 Farm/Art DTour as part of Fermentation Fest. Photo courtesy of Wormfarm Institute
English: Need vaccine? Learn how to get your shot at Vaccinate.Virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN VA. Language translation and TTY services available
Spanish:¿Necesita vacunarse? Infórmese de cómo obtener su vacuna visitando Vaccinate.Virginia.gov o llamando 1-877-829-4682. Servicios de traducción y teléfonos de texto (TTY) están disponibles.
