THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 17, 1994 TAG: 9407150268
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
The Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission and the Chesapeake Civic Chorus have received grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
The city arts commission recently was awarded a $2,910 local government challenge grant, while the chorus received a $800 general operating support grant.
The state arts agency awarded $1.47 million in grants to 134 non-profit arts organizations under its General Operating Support program, which provides financial assistance to arts organizations.
The state commission, based in Richmond, supports the arts through funding from the General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. It distributes grants to artists and not-for-profit organizations. The agency also funds educational institutions, educators and local governments, and provides technical assistance in arts management.
All applicants were evaluated competitively on the basis of artistic quality and management.
Both Chesapeake groups - the chorus and the Fine Arts Commission - received higher amounts this year. Overall, state funding for arts organization for 1994-95 increased more than 14 percent over last year's funding levels.
Last year, the Chesapeake Civic Chorus, a volunteer singing group led by Geraldine T. Boone, received a $500 grant. The Fine Arts Commission, which funds and supports arts programs and performances and arts study throughout the city, received $2,230 for 1993-1994.
``It's up for the first time in three years,'' said Margaret Cross, administrative director of the Civic Chorus and a member of the Fine Arts Commission. ``We asked for more in our grant application, but we certainly welcome any and all monies.''
Cross said the grant money for the Civic Chorus will be used for such operating expenses as purchasing music, staging the chorus' two annual concerts and purchasing equipment.
The chorus' other operating funds come from grants awarded locally by the Fine Arts Commission, which also provides money to bring the Tidewater Winds, the Virginia Opera, the Virginia Symphony and groups from the Young Audiences program to Chesapeake.
These projects also are funded in part by the state arts commission's grant, said L. Randy Harrison, arts coordinator for the Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission.
She said the annual award from the state commission has been rising slowly since the 1992-1993 allocation. She said she hoped it will eventually climb back to the 1989-1990 level when the Fine Arts Commission received $5,000.
``A lot of people in many areas look at the arts as some type of expendable frill,'' she said. ``But the arts can empower kids, it can be the ultimate ambassador, and it can create and foster curiosity and creativity in all endeavors.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Arts Coordinator Randy Harrison hopes the award will eventually
climb to the 1989-1990 level.
Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Charles Taylor, left, and Kevin Harrell sing in the bass section of
the Chesapeake Civic Chorus, which recently received a state grant.
by CNB