The St. Johns Cultural Council has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support an expansion of the Council’s existing Art in Public Places Program. This grant will provide seed money for new public art projects throughout St. Johns County, and will help to fund an online directory of existing art in public spaces to increase access to visual arts by residents of, and visitors to, the County.
A portion of the grant will support the St. Johns County 200th Anniversary Photography Exhibition, opening in July 2021 and including the work of local photographers selected by a public art committee. The Cultural Council’s project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.
“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as the St. Johns Cultural Council reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many challenges during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”
“We are thrilled to receive this support from the National Endowment for the Arts – the first NEA grant awarded to the St. Johns Cultural Council! – to expand our Art in Public Places Program. Until now, that program has been limited to exhibitions in the Rotunda of the County Administration Building and we can’t wait to bring new public art to other areas of the County,” says Christina Parrish Stone, Executive Director of the Cultural Council. “Public art projects create economic opportunity for local artists; increase visits by cultural travelers; and enhance the quality of life for residents. We look forward to working with the community to make our County even more beautiful and vibrant through public art.”
The Cultural Council is in the early stages of creating a new Art in Public Places Committee to guide its efforts to expand the APP program, and encourages residents and businesses interested in participating in the Committee or providing other support for public art to contact Ms. Parrish Stone at christina@historiccoastculture.com.
For more information about the St. Johns Cultural Council, visit stjohnsculture.com and historiccoastculture.com. Follow the Cultural Council on social media @stjohnsculture and @historiccoastculture.
For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.# # #
