NEVADA CITY, 13 July 2012 — Nevada County Arts today announced that it has been awarded a $25,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Initiative. The grant will support the ART-OnSite/Tribute Trail project, a juried exhibition of environmental art that celebrates the history, culture, and ecology of the Deer Creek Tribute Trail in Nevada City, CA.
ART-OnSite is among 80 projects funded nationwide; one of only four in the state of California.
The project will continue the collaborative work already begun by Nevada City, Nevada County, The Sierra Fund and 15 other environmental, educational and historic organizations that serve the region.
“The Sierra Fund is delighted to be working with Nevada County Arts building capacity to do creative environmental arts projects that enhance public appreciation of the newly completed Tribute Trail,” said Izzy Martin, CEO of The Sierra Fund.
When completed in the summer of 2013, ART-OnSite will exhibit up to 10 temporary environmental artworks along the trail. The art will be selected by a jury of local and regional art experts soon to be announced.
According to the announcement from the NEA, the grantee projects were selected for their ability to improve quality of life, encourage creative activity, create community identity and a sense of place, and help revitalize local economies. All Our Town grant awards were made to partnerships that consisted of a not-for-profit arts organization and a local government entity.
“Cities and towns are transformed when you bring the arts – both literally and figuratively – into the center of them,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. I am proud to be partnering with these 80 communities and their respective arts, civic, and elected leaders.”
“ART-OnSite is project that will showcase the most attractive features of Nevada City in one place, through art,” said Nancy Fleming, ART-OnSite Steering Committee Chairperson. “For those who live in and visit our community, this is a natural and a perfect fit. Our selection by the NEA is also testimony to our ability to engage so many local organizations for a single purpose,” continued Fleming. “We are grateful to Nevada City and to all who have supported this project so far.”
“We are honored and excited to be receiving this prestigious NEA grant, which requires a one-to-one match,” said Nancy Nelson, Nevada County Arts Board Member and ART-OnSite Steering Committee Member. “This will really help jump start fundraising for this wonderful and truly collaborative project!”
Art-OnSite/Tribute Trail is a Managed Fund of The Sierra Fund, a non-profit community foundation dedicated to the restoration, preservation and protection of the Sierra Nevada.
About Nevada County Arts (NCArts): Established three years ago, NCArts is a non-profit, public benefit agency, a California Arts Council State-Local Partner, and designated by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors as the leadership and coordinating agency on behalf of the county’s arts organizations. NCArts acts as advocate and liaison to city, county and state government, chambers of commerce and other regional organizations. The mission of NCArts is to facilitate collaborative efforts that promote and sustain the visual, literary and performing arts of Nevada County in order to advance the cultural, social and economic life of our community.
ART-OnSite/Tribute Trail Partners: The primary partners are Nevada County Arts, The City of Nevada City and The Sierra Fund. To date, additional partners include: American Rivers, Bear Yuba Land Trust, Bureau of Land Management, Chinese Quarter Society, Foothills Nisenan of the Nevada City Rancheria, Greater Champion Neighborhood Association, Nevada City School of the Arts, Nevada County, Nevada County Economic Resource Council, Sierra Streams Institute/Friends of Deer Creek, SYRCL, Tribute Trail Association, Tsi Akim Maidu and Yuba River Charter School.
About the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): The NEA was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. For the complete announcement about the NEA Our Town Grant Recipients visit http://arts.gov/news/news12/Our-Town-announcement.html
For more information or to make a contribution to ART-OnSite please visit https://sierrafund.org/philanthropy/art-on-site
