NEA Media Arts Press Release, May 15th 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ellen Lake, Kala Art Institute, Development Director, ellen@kala.org
Date: May 15th, 2019
Kala Art Institute to Receive $20,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Berkeley, CA—National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $20,000 to Kala Art Institute for a Media Arts Residency Program. The agency received 1,592 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking, and will award 977 grants in this category. “These awards, reaching every corner of the United States, are a testament to the artistic richness and diversity in our country,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Organizations such as Kala Art Institute are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired.”
“This fantastic support from the NEA allows Kala to expand our residency opportunities for artists and the community. We’re looking forward to experiencing adventurous and engaging media arts projects in the Kala studios, gallery, and beyond.” —Perrin Meyer, Kala Art Institute Board President
About the Media Arts Residency: Kala’s Media Arts Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program provides artists with a six-month residency and 24/7 access to Kala’s state-of-the-art technical facilities, along with the opportunity to produce work in collaboration with Kala programs, to exhibit their work at Kala as part of their residency, and in-house expertise for the duration of the residency. Four artists working in and across video, sound, performance cinema, and installation will be awarded a creative residency at Kala to create multi-media projects that culminate in Kala gallery public programming.
About Kala: Kala is a vital community hub for artistic experimentation. Located in West Berkeley, Kala annually serves 125+ artist-in-residence and offers over 100 workshops open to the public in techniques ranging from screen-print to web design. Kala’s youth art programs reach 2,500 students in Alameda County public schools and through on-site programs including field trips, summer camp, and after school programs. In addition to core residency and education programs, Kala provides professional development opportunities for artists including commissions for new work, exhibitions, teaching, consulting, and art sales. With access to a wide array of traditional and digital equipment in the print studio and electronic media center, Kala fosters a fresh approach to artistic experimentation, as Kala artists investigate the interface of digital work, work made by hand, and everything in between. To learn more about Kala, please visit our website, https://www.kala.org
For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news