Two local organizations, Grounds for Sculpture and International Sculpture Center, Inc., both in Hamilton, were selected to receive $20,000 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support arts projects. These organizations were among the 1, 118 chosen from 3,455 applicants nationwide.
Grounds For Sculpture Inc. was awarded a $20,000 grant to support an exhibition of work by Korean-American sculptor Jae Ko. The artist will create a massively scaled, deep sculptural relief (raised dimensional technique) made entirely of manipulated paper that she rolls and layers against the gallery wall. The project also will include the exhibition of smaller, “sumi” (ink wash) works. Demonstrations, workshops, artist’s talks, and a documentary video will help educate the public about the versatility of paper as a medium.
International Sculpture Center, Inc. was also awarded $20,000 to support the “Dialogues and Discoveries” initiative. Designed to facilitate conversations about contemporary sculpture, the initiative includes the production of Sculpture magazine, online digital content, and a weekly blog. Sculpture has a press run of 14,000 copies per issue 10 times per year, as well as an online audience of 500,000, and more than 36,000 unique blog users.
The NEA was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To learn more visit arts.gov.
