Mediacom Announces $27,000 in Grants to Fund 14 New Arts Projects
- 12-year investment for Dubuque cultural amenities tops $369,000
- Projects provide visual art, music, dance, history experiences for all ages
DUBUQUE, IA – September 21, 2017 – Mediacom Communications today announced the newest recipients to receive community arts and cultural grants totaling $27,020 to support music, film, theater and other experiences in the coming year.
During a ‘Celebration of the Arts’ reception held Wednesday evening, leaders of the Mediacom Arts and Culture Foundation announced the selection of 14 local non-profit organizations whose grant requests were selected for funding. Grant recipients will provide a broad variety of art and cultural experiences for students and community residents in the coming year.
Since 2006, Mediacom has contributed more than $369,000 to fund 174 grants requested by 60 different non-profit organizations. Area Residential Care was a new applicant this year. Its proposal earned a $2,000 grant to create murals for its Day Habilitation rooms, and to establish an art club for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Other grants will fund a variety of music and theater programs for students, support visiting artists who will perform with the Dubuque Chorale and Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and underwrite a series of Saturday visual arts activities and performing arts matinees at the Dubuque Museum of Art. A $2,400 grant to the National Mississippi Museum and The Dubuque County Historical Society will be used to present humanities content with demonstrations, living history, and interpretation of Victorian holiday life in November and December of this year.
“Dubuque is fortunate to have so many high-caliber arts and cultural organizations that offer residents a wide-range of amenities,” said Trisha Butcher, Mediacom customer service supervisor. “Mediacom is especially proud to offer these grants because we see how enthusiasm for the arts has extended to other non-profit organizations where new arts experiences are offered to residents of all ages and abilities.”
Butcher is a Dubuque resident and serves on the Mediacom Arts and Culture Foundation board, along with another Mediacom employee, Kate Kastli. Community members who are board members and reviewed grant requests are Gail Chavenelle, Kathleen McMullen and Connie Twining,
2017 Grant Recipients (most productions to be staged in 2018):
Area Residential Care: $2,000 - ARC will partner with Clarke College to create murals for three of the center’s Day Habilitation rooms and establish an on-going art club for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Bell Tower Productions: $2,000 – The 2018 free summer musical program will be “Honk”, a musical retelling of the “Ugly Duckling.” Production of this show will allow 180 children to expand their skills in all aspects of theater performance.
Dubuque Youth Ballet: $2,500 - The Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and the Dubuque Youth Ballet/ Heartland Ballet will present a fully-staged production of “West Side Story”. Professional artists will be brought in to play the characters of Maria, Tony and Anita.
Dubuque Museum of Art: $3,000 - The Dubuque Museum of Art will provide a series of free Saturday events featuring different performing arts matinees and visual arts activities.
Dubuque Porcelain Artists: $1,500 - The Dubuque Porcelain Artists chapter of the Iowa World Organization of China Painters will host a show at the Grand River Center, along with chapters from Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra: $1,800 - Manny Laureano, Principal Trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra will be the featured guest artist for the October 14-15 concert weekend. He will conduct work sessions with students, as well as a performance with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra.
Fly By Night Productions: $1,500 - FBN productions will produce five performances of “Fly By Night” (a Samuel French published musical) and two after-play “Talk-Backs.”
Multicultural Family Center: $2,500 - “Art in Action” will provide a comprehensive arts education and visual literacy program to help students better understand various cultures and historical periods.
National Mississippi Museum and The Dubuque County Historical Society: $2,400 – The two organizations will collaborate to present living history and interpretation of Victorian holiday life through “Christmas with the Ham Family.” The holiday season series will be presented at the Mathias Ham House Historic Site each weekend from Nov. 25 - Dec. 31, 2017, and will feature traditions of a Victorian Christmas.
Rising Star Theater: $2,000.00 – As part of its youth programming, RST will produce two summer musicals; one for high school students, and a second youth production for students ages 8-18.
St. Mark's Youth: $1,600.00 - St. Mark's Heroes Summer Academy brings critical summer learning and fun enrichment experiences to Dubuque's downtown community. The objective of St. Mark's summer program is to reduce summer learning loss while improving academic performance, social and emotional skills.
Sunnycrest Manor Auxiliary: $1,800.00 - Sunnycrest Manor will provide five musical events each month for the residents of the long-term care facility. The grant will help the facility enlist musical talent from the local area to perform. This program creates a social and fun environment for the residents, as it evokes happy memories of their earlier years.
Dubuque Chorale: $1,920.00 - Artist Carol Barnett, composer of "The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass," will be present as part of the Dubuque Chorale and Dubuque Chorale Children's Choir's fall concert, "Bluegrass, County, and Chorale.” The upcoming concert will be performed November 4-5, 2017. The grant also supports free educational seminars to be presented at four colleges, an elementary school, and the Multicultural Family Center.
Tri-State Wind Symphony: $500.00 - Tri-State Wind Symphony will purchase new music for its continuation of public concerts performed at Eagle Point Park.
Contact:
Emily In
Public Relations Coordinator, Mediacom
About Mediacom Communications
Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the United States and the leading gigabit broadband provider to smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Through its fiber-rich network, Mediacom offers high-speed data, video, phone, and mobile services to over 3 million households and businesses across 22 states. The company delivers scalable broadband solutions to commercial and public-sector customers of all sizes through Mediacom Business and sells advertising and production services under the OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at mediacomcable.com.