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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Last week, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that six Kansas organizations, including the Kansas Arts Commission, will receive $931,200 in federal grants through the National Endowment for the Arts. These grants will support activities in communities throughout Kansas that effect our state's economy, quality of life and educational programs.

"Everywhere I have traveled over the past nine months, I have been encouraged by the resilience and adaptability of our arts organizations, as they strive to fulfill their missions in the midst of a challenging economy," said Rocco Landesman, chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. "I've learned that a thriving arts sector brings with it economic and cultural vitality that helps drive community sustainability.

These NEA grants will help sustain art work and keep it working for the organization, its community, and the nation," he said.

"The arts contribute to the education of our children, the strength of our communities and the health of our economy," said Llewellyn Crain, executive director of the Kansas Arts Commission. "In Kansas, for every dollar invested in the arts, $9 are generated for the economy.

"These grants alone have an impact of over $8 million for Kansas," she said. "We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for supporting the arts in Kansas."

FY 2010 Award recipients are:

Kansas Arts Commission, Topeka
$778,200 - To support Partnership Agreement activities.

 Lawrence Children's Choir, Inc., Lawrence
$8,000 - To support the Cadenza choir. First- through third-grade choral students will attend weekly rehearsals, learning musical concepts and performance techniques such as singing with accurate pitch, dynamics, and phrasing.

Music Theatre of Wichita, Inc., Wichita
$30,000 - To support a production of Tony Award-winning musical Crazy For You. Producing Artistic Director Wayne Brown will collaborate with musical director Thomas Wesley Douglas to produce the work with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and libretto by Ken Ludwig.

University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., Lawrence
$30,000 - To support Explorations in Art and Science: The Search for Beginning and Meaning, a series presented at the Lied Center of Kansas. Programs will explore human interaction with science through performance presentations, community conversations, and residency activities.

University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., Lawrence
$40,000 - To support the series American Masterpieces: Pushing Form, Boundaries, and Expectations. Participating artists will include the Turtle Island Quartet with guest pianist Cyrus Chestnut and instrumentalist Mike Marshall, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Montana Repertory Theatre.

William Inge Festival Foundation, Independence
$45,000 - To support the creation and performance of the community-based theater event The Other Side of Oz in Greensburg and Independence, Kansas. Artistic Director Peter Ellenstein will collaborate with Stacy Barnes, executive director of the 5.4.7 Arts Center, and Michael John Garces, artistic director of Cornerstone Theater.

The Kansas Arts Commission is a state agency, funded by the State of Kansas and the National Endowment for the Arts, dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts in Kansas. Its mission is to provide opportunities for the people of Kansas to experience, celebrate and value the arts throughout their lives. For more information on the Kansas Arts Commission, please visit the KAC website at http://arts.ks.gov.