Hermitage Artist Retreat to Receive $30,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $30,000 to support the creation of new work by mid-career and established artists from diverse disciplines by providing residencies at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, FL. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,605 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking and will award 972 grants in this category.

“The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

According to Bruce Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage, this is the largest grant the Hermitage has ever received from the NEA. It received NEA grants of $10,000 in 2016; $20,000 in 2017; and $15,000 in 2018.

“We are honored and thrilled that the NEA recognizes the importance the Hermitage’s role in supporting emerging and mid-career artists,” said Rodgers. “The project’s start date is January 1, 2019, and continues until June 15, 2019, encompassing the best time of the year for residencies on our beautiful Gulf coast.” He adds that while Hermitage artists receive six weeks of residency that can be used in weekly increments of their choosing, this NEA grant will serve 15 artists, including composers, poets, playwrights and visual artists, using between one and four weeks of their allotted time during the grant period. While in residency, Hermitage artists are encouraged to share their work with the public through open studios, free community programming, and collaborative activities with other cultural organizations in the greater Sarasota region.

The proposed artists are:

VISUAL

Linda Brooks

Jamin Carter

Amanda Marchand

Anne Patterson

Tenesh Webber

COMPOSERS

Justin Ellington

Adam Gwon

Sid Richardson

Michi Wiancko

PLAYWRIGHTS

Len Jenkin

Boo Killebrew

Max Posner

POETS

Jennifer Foerster

Elizabeth Powell

Natasha Saje

For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. For more information about the Hermitage Artist