Monday, May 9, 2016

NEA announces grant for North Ave Knowledge Exchange

Through the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Baltimore received another grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town grant. The grant is given in the category of Knowledge Building.
Nanook's mural for Open Walls, a previously NEA grant funded project.

The organization announced today that $75,000 will go to Baltimore to support
the North Avenue Knowledge Exchange (NAKE). This is the project description from the NEA announcement:
This community-based education platform will provide free access to high quality classes for neighborhood stakeholders to learn from each other and engage in projects that improve the Station North community. In addition to those courses taught by local residents, partner institutions may offer arts-based instruction in design, drawing, video production, and literature, as well as classes on livability for residents on topics such as financial literacy. NAKE is a partnership between Maryland Institute College of Art, Station North Art & Entertainment District, Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts, Inc., and Red Emma, a local coffeehouse and bookstore that has pioneered this program through the Baltimore Free School.
The project addresses Baltimore's endemic inequitable access to quality education and supports approximately 2,400 local residents, 70% of whom are African American and where 17% are households living in poverty.
The Exchange is an operating program 

The project was announced as part of a total of 64 grants worth $4.3 million awarded by NEA. The highest award is $100,000.
“For six years, Our Town has made a difference for people and the places where they live, work, and play. The broad-based partnerships and the focus on leveraging local cultural assets have helped residents engage the arts to spark vitality in their communities.” (NEA Chairman Jane Chu)
Station North had been previously been the recipient of a NEA grant through which, among other things, Open Walls had been funded to bring international mural artists to Baltimore.

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

NEA list of grants

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