Photo by John Watson
Press Release
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $84 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2020. Included in this announcement is an Our Town award of $50,000 to Epicenter to support our new “You Are Here” initiative. This is one of 51 grants nationwide that the agency has approved in this category.
“These awards demonstrate the resilience of the arts in America, showcasing not only the creativity of their arts projects but the organizations’ agility in the face of a national health crisis,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “We celebrate organizations like Epicenter for providing opportunities for learning and engagement through the arts in these times.”
“We are honored to, once again, receive the support of the NEA for projects here in Green River, Utah, in partnership with the City of Green River. With our last Our Town grant, we worked with artist Lisa Ward on ‘Green River Lights,’ which resulted in the now iconic ‘Welcome to Green River’ neon sign, artist Alison Jean Cole in starting the Green River Rock & Mineral Festival, and worked with other local residents to draft a downtown revitalization plan called ‘Waypoint: Green River,’” said Maria Sykes, Executive Director of Epicenter. “I’m looking forward to implementing more great small projects with the community that make Green River an even more vibrant place to live and visit!”
“You Are Here” is the next phase of implementation of “Waypoint,” the product of recent downtown planning efforts in Green River, Utah. Epicenter will use creative placemaking techniques such as community events and temporary installations to beautify and bring new life to downtown Green River. This project will pair local expertise with the fresh perspective of visiting artists/designers in order to build a more resilient economy, increase housing options, beautify the built environment and increase town vibrancy.
For more information on Epicenter, visit https://go.usa.gov/xwXuk.