DCDC among Ohio groups to receive grant funding from National Endowment for the Arts

DCDC, celebrating its 55th season rooted in the African American experience, is the recipient of a $20,000 grant which will go toward supporting the restaging and performance of “Esplanade” by choreographer Paul Taylor and “Las Desenamorades” by choreographer Eleo Pomare. “Esplanade” will be a highlight of DCDC’s upcoming presentation of “In Modern Moves,” which will be performed Feb. 17 and 18 at the Victoria Theatre. DCDC is the first majority African American company to perform “Esplanade,” Taylor’s legendary, acclaimed work which uses the art of everyday, pedestrian movement.

DCDC’s award, along with most of the Ohio awards, were distributed through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects program, which the NEA media release states “provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation’s arts and culture ecosystem.” Ohio’s Grants for Arts Projects grantee awards range between $10,000 and $40,000 to support arts programs and initiatives across the state. Funded Ohio projects include those in arts education, dance, literary arts, media arts, museums, music, presenting and multidisciplinary works, theatre, and visual arts.

Seven Ohio nonprofit organizations received Challenge America grants, with each award totaling $10,000. Awarded in all artistic disciplines, these grants “offer support primarily to small organizations for a wide variety of arts projects that reach historically underserved communities,” the media release stated.

Regional groups receiving Challenge America grants: Oxford’s MAKETANK Inc. (to support the exhibition of illustrated memories created by youth immigrants and refugees); the Piqua Arts Council (to support visual arts workshops for professional artists); and Sidney’s Gateway Arts Council (to support diverse musical performances in the Northern Miami Valley with associated educational activities).

“We are thankful to the NEA for their continued acknowledgment of the strength, vitality, and impact of Ohio’s arts and culture sector,” said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins, in a news release. “These investments are a testament to the hard work, creativity, and innovation of the state’s nonprofit arts organizations, which enrich the lives of all Ohioans and continue to power the state’s economy.”