Release from The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra:
CHARLESTON, W.VA. – The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) is humbled to receive a vitally needed National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grant totaling $50,000.00.
The grant, made available through the NEA, was created through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Safety (CARES) Act. Recipients of the funding include organizations in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Funding directly supports the artistic mission of the WVSO which is to make great music to enrich and inspire the region.
WVSO President Joe Tackett expressed his gratitude for the funding, “The NEA has really stepped up at a time when arts organizations need support. We are thrilled to be the recipient of this grant and will use it for the success of the Symphony and the community. We are thankful that our lawmakers realize the value of the arts during this time.”
More than 3,100 eligible applications were received by the NEA while only 855 agencies ultimately received funding. The WVSO was the only arts organization to receive funding in the Kanawha Valley. Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter spoke of the level of need experienced by arts agencies amid the coronavirus, “All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance.”
The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 to support opportunities to participate in the arts for Americans. The federal agency works with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector to support arts learning, the cultivation of a rich and diverse arts heritage, and the promotion of access to arts in every community across America.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra wishes to express special thanks to the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History and Curator Randall Reid-Smith for their hard work in assisting West Virginia arts organizations with attaining funding from the NEA.
