News & Information

Arlington Arts Alliance awards Grant Money to Local Organizations in Support of Art Programs

February 14, 2008

The Arlington Arts Alliance announced its initial grant recipients, following the creation of the Alliance Grant Award, earlier this year. The Arlington Arts Alliance awarded $25,500 in grant money to Arlington Community Band, Arlington Master Chorale, Arlington Symphony Orchestra, Martin Luther King Celebration, and Quilter’s Guild of Arlington, Inc. Wednesday, November 7 at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce offices.

The Quilter’s Guild of Arlington, Inc. was awarded $1,000, with the plan to use those funds to encourage the improvement of skill level among local quilters by hiring professional judges to critique and validate growth in quilting abilities. The organization hopes to preserve the art of quilting by providing a venue for display of works by local quilters.

The Arlington Community Band was the recipient of $1,500, they plan to utilize the funds for their “Fall Concert Series” by providing free band performances to the greater Arlington area for the benefit of all ages and ethnicities by exposing them to the rich American heritage of the concert band.

The Martin Luther King Celebration was awarded $ 5,000 , and plans to direct those funds to commission an original composition by Mr. Adonis Rose, who will perform live with local students in the youth extravaganza and entertain guests at the ‘Sharing the Dream’ kick off Banquet.

The Arlington Symphony Orchestra was awarded $8,000. They will apply the funds to their Kidsnotes program focusing on short performances by professional orchestral musicians, story hours and hands on opportunities for young children to experience orchestral instruments at an early age.
The Arlington Master Chorale received $10,000 to utilize for spring concert performances to include local artists, featured soloists and a full orchestra in addition to the master chorale.

Arlington Arts Alliance Chairman Jeff Pokrifcsak, believes that cities with strong cultural foundations also have strong economic foundations. “We look forward to putting money into the hands of local artists and arts organizations that bring new and creative ideas to enhance the value of the arts and culture within this community,” Pokrifcsak said.  Pokrifcsak adds “Strong arts communities correlate highly with strong business communities, so I urge local businesses to take part now in this collaborative effort.”

The Chamber Foundation Board of Directors authorized the creation and establishment of the Arlington Arts Alliance in 2006 as a program component of the Foundation. The Alliance works with the Texas Commission for the arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts to identify and secure additional resources for the Arts in Arlington.

The purpose of the alliance is to broaden public awareness, culture, expand and diversify artistic programs, enhance public and private support, and promote the value of the arts in strengthening our community and its economy.  In partnership with the City of Arlington, The Arlington Arts Alliance manages the distribution of public funding for the arts. The city allocated $100,000 from the hotel occupancy tax to the arts alliance which will be matched by the efforts of the alliance, business partners, and Arlington arts organizations. The funds will be distributed over the next year to both arts organizations and individual artists who reside within the city. 

The next round of grant requests will be due December 30 for grant distributions in January. “We will provide special consideration to those that clearly verify matching funds from new, local business and corporate supporters while also demonstrating a renewed effort to increase the level of collaboration between the arts and business communities” adds Pokrifcsak.

For more information regarding the Arlington Arts Alliance or to inquire about the grant application process you can visit their web site at http://www.arlingtonarts.net