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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2006

Schumer Announces $73,000 For Arts Programs In Rochester

National Endowment for the Arts Grants will Provide Support for Arts Programs in Rochester

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced four federal grants totaling $73,000 for four cultural programs in Rochester from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Garth Fagan Dance, Inc. will receive $10,000 to host a dance performance. Geva Theatre Center, Inc. will receive $18,000 to produce a theatrical performance. Visual Studies Workshop, Inc. will receive $20,000 to provide residency for artists. BOA Editions, Ltd. will receive $25,000 to create new volumes of poetry. New York State received 28 NEA Grants, totaling $446,000 in federal dollars for arts programs.

"This is great news for Rochester,” Schumer said. AThe arts enrich the region’s quality of life and revitalize the local economy by boosting tourism. These local shows, concerts and art programs foster creativity and give our entire community more opportunities to experience the arts in a diverse number of ways.”

Garth Fagan Dance, Inc. will use federal funds to support the creation and presentation of a new work by artistic director and choreographer Garth Fagan. The work will premiere in Rochester and later tour across the United States. The Geva Theatre Center, Inc. will use federal funds to support a production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. The project is designed to be a springboard for community discussions and will offer free education materials, artist-in-the-classroom visits, teacher workshops, and other adult enrichment opportunities. Visual Studies Workshop, Inc. will use federal funds to support a residency program in photography, bookmaking, digital imaging, and video. Participating artists will receive a stipend, travel costs, use of the facilities, training, and housing for one-month residencies. BOA Editions, Ltd. will use federal funds to support the production, promotion, and related expenses for new volumes of poetry. Scheduled poets to be published include X.J. Kennedy, G.C. Waldrep, Laurie Kutchins, and Sean Thomas Dougherty.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts and bringing the arts to all Americans. Established by Congress in 1965, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. The grants awarded this round will support arts education projects for children and youth, projects that present and/or preserve artistically excellent work, and grants that distribute 40 percent of the agency=s program funds to the 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies and six regional arts organizations. Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts require at least a one-to-one match and generate, on average, seven dollars for each dollar awarded.

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