Norman Arts Council is pleased to announce 17 local arts organizations have been awarded a Norman CARES Act: Arts Recovery Grant totaling $172,000.
These grants were made available to FY21 Norman Arts Council Project and Operational Support Grant recipients to help enable the return of their community arts programming in 2021 and offset the costs of safety protocols, capacity restrictions and/or any other adaptations required to responsibly produce and share their respective art offerings.
“Norman art events, programs and festivals have long been central to our city’s cultural identity, elevating our quality of life, attracting visitors, bolstering small businesses and supporting the community at large,” said Erinn Gavaghan, Executive Director of Norman Arts Council. “The return of all these Norman traditions and treasures will be absolutely essential to Norman’s recovery, economically, as well as a vital opportunity for all neighbors and loved ones to come together and heal, emotionally.”
The ongoing pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the arts worldwide with performances, festivals and other large, public gatherings ground to a halt. The impact in Norman is only deepened by the equally dire effect on the tourism industry. Norman’s Transient Guest Room Tax provides significant funding to Norman Arts Council, which further enables the organization to grant a generous portion to organizations working in the arts and arts education in the City of Norman.
The City of Norman allocated $500,000 from CARES Act Funding to the Norman Arts Council in the fall to bolster the operation of the organization itself, as well as its ability to fulfill project and operation support grants for FY21 (July 2020 through June 2021).
The remaining $172,000 was designated to fund the Norman CARES Act: Arts Recovery Grants. The application opened on December 21, 2020 and closed on December 31, 2020. The Norman Arts Council Grants Panel reviewed grants and determined award recommendations that were approved by the Norman Arts Council Board on Friday, January 15, 2021.
“We are grateful the City of Norman — both the City Council and the citizens who voiced their support — recognized how essential the arts are to Norman and directed funding to Norman Arts,” Gavaghan said. “Norman CARES Act: Arts Recovery Grants make the difficult task of weathering this period easier and help ensure that a return to normal, when it’s safe to do so, is possible.”
Here are the 17 Norman Cares Act: Arts Recovery Grant recipients:
A to Z Productions
Central Oklahoma Dance Company
Cimarron Opera
The Depot
Firehouse Art Center
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Jazz in June
Medieval Fair
Namron Players
Norman Ballet
Norman Cultural Connection
Norman Music Alliance
Oklahoma Youth Sing
Resonator
Scissortail Productions
Sooner Theatre
World Literature Today
PHOTO: Beach Fossils at Norman Music Festival in 2019, courtesy of Nathan Poppe