Grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
and Trust for Mutual Understanding Allow for Program Growth
Baltimore, MD - July 21, 2008 - Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation announces a major expansion of USArtists International (USAI) effective immediately. The Foundation received grants of $500,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and $100,000 from the Trust for Mutual Understanding in support of USAI. A program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, USAI is the only national initiative solely dedicated to promoting the work of American performing artists abroad. Formerly limited to supporting dance and music ensembles invited to perform at international festivals in Europe, USAI will now encompass festivals anywhere in the world outside the United States. The program will also be open to support American theater companies and solo performances in all performing arts disciplines.
New guidelines for USAI are available online at www.midatlanticarts.org. The deadlines for the program are September 8, 2008 for projects taking place between November 1, 2008 and October 31, 2009; January 9, 2009 for projects taking place between March 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010; and May 4, 2009 for projects taking place between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.
USAI is committed to ensuring that the impressive range of expression of the performing arts in the United States is represented abroad. The program works to strengthen the creative and professional development of American dance, music and theatre artists by providing support for their performances at significant international festivals. Through the participation of exemplary American performing artists, USAI helps develop audiences for, and greater appreciation of, the excellence, diversity and vitality of the American arts.
In the United States, the public and private sectors work collaboratively to support the arts. USAI continues that important tradition with support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding.
For the 2008 cycle, USAI is supporting thirty-three ensembles at festivals throughout Europe. Festivals include the North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands; International Tanzmesse, Germany; 8th World Symposium on Choral Music, Denmark; IDANS - Istanbul International Contemporary Dance Festival, Turkey; Hellenic Festival, Greece; Cheltenham Jazz Festival, UK; 10th Open Look Festival, Russia; and the Lyon Dance Festival, France. Grantees range from the Seattle Chamber Players of Washington to the Rebirth Brass Band in Louisiana and from the Trisha Brown Dance Company in New York to Alonzo King's Lines Ballet in California. A complete listing of artists and festivals can be found at www.midatlanticarts.org
About Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation fosters and supports arts programming for the benefit of arts organizations, artists and audiences and encourages exchanges that link the arts resources of the mid-Atlantic region to the rest of the nation and the world. The Foundation was created in 1979 and is a private non-profit organization that is closely allied with the region's state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. It combines funding from state and federal resources with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to address needs in the arts from a regional perspective. The region includes nine states and jurisdictions: The District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.
Website: http://www.midatlanticarts.org
