WMA awarded $12,700 in grants from Alabama State Council on the Arts

The Wiregrass Museum of Art is pleased to announce two grant awards from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) for two programs, WMA Teens, and its Visiting Artist Series, for a total of $12,700.

The first award in the amount of $6,600, supports WMA Teens, a program designed to provide arts opportunities for teens, by teens. Up to twelve 10th-12th grade students in the Wiregrass region who have applied and interviewed for the program will be selected to participate on the program’s Teen Council for the 2022-23 school year. WMA Teens provides students with resources to plan and implement programs and events for teens, and fills the need for students in the Wiregrass to navigate viable paths toward careers and involvement in the arts.

Selected students are provided with individual stipends of $300 over the year to encourage their individual artistic practices and future career plans, and teach the value of artist compensation. The collective group will meet bi-weekly to plan up to 2 events or programs at the museum before the end of the school year (May 2023). WMA will provide students with a budget, parameters for execution with limited staff/volunteer involvement. Events and programs may include teen-led tours, special events for middle and high school students, exhibitions, and other ideas, as created by the group. Last year’s inaugural cohort produced two projects: a successful and well-attended Teen Night event, and a public art project of Free Little Art Supplies Libraries at three locations across Dothan.

The museum’s ongoing Visiting Artist Series was additionally awarded $6,100 to support a series of artist-based public programs, including artist workshops, talks, and demonstrations, to connect residents of the Wiregrass region directly to the art and artists of our time. WMA’s ongoing Visiting Artist Series provides opportunity for lifelong learners of all ages to have greater access to visual arts learning and art-making with contemporary artists from Alabama and across the Southeast. Artists are selected to complement WMA’s curatorial and collections work during the project period, and may include exhibiting artists, like Pinky/MM Bass and Carolyn DeMerritt, Heather Baumbach (Winner of the 2022 ArtFields exhibition prize at WMA), Mary Ann Sampson, Ann Trondson, George Jones, and others. Additional visiting artists for this series include Hot Glass Academy from Americus, Ga.

“We take pride in our commitment to support, both financially and creatively, the work of artists across Alabama and we’re grateful for ASCA’s continued support of WMA and our mission. WMA is especially glad to be able to extend this approach to our WMA Teens, who will not only gain valuable skills during their time on the Teen Council, but will learn the value of providing a wage to arts for their creative labor,” said Dana-Marie Lemmer, the museum’s executive director and curator.

Project grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts require 1:1 matching funds from recipient organizations. Donations, individual and corporate memberships, and appropriations from the City of Dothan and Houston County Commission, provide a base of support for WMA’s matching funds and advance the museum’s mission year-round.

About Alabama State Council on the Arts

The Council on the Arts is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Alabama. The Council works to expand and preserve the state’s cultural resources by supporting nonprofit arts organizations, schools, colleges, units of local government, and individual artists. Arts programs, assisted by Council grants, have a track record of enhancing community development, education, cultural tourism, and overall quality of life in all regions of the state. Alabama State Council on the Arts grants are made possible by an annual appropriation from the Alabama Legislature and additional funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more at arts.alabama.gov.