Alabama State Council on the Arts doles out $1.2 million to support public arts programs

150 groups and individuals dedicated to the arts in Alabama will receive a boost in funding this year from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

During its December quarterly meeting last week in Montgomery, the council awarded $1,266,000 in grants throughout the state. It is more than $104,000 above what the council awarded during this grant cycle last year.

“We are steadfast in promoting arts organizations at the forefront of creative thinking and innovation, as well as the traditional cultural arts that are an important part of our shared history,” Council on the Arts executive director Elliot Knight said in a statement.

Many of the groups receiving grants have gotten support from the Council on the Arts before, and the purpose of the funding varies by organization. Some will use it to pay salaries for employees, some will host arts festivals and others will offer summer art camps for kids.

“The Council on the Arts is pleased to support educational groups, community organizations and arts institutions with these grants,” council chair Henry Panion III said in a statement. “Funds awarded through our granting process strengthen cultural expression and enhance Alabama’s creative economy.”

Here are the 12 organizations and programs based in Montgomery that received funding.

Alabama Dance Theatre

The Alabama Dance Theatre received a $3,600 grant to put on its Community Day to Dance and Play in 2023. The regional ballet company and dance school has operated with the goals of training students ​and educating audiences in central Alabama since its founding in 1986. For the past several years, ADT has hosted a community day to welcome kids of varying ages and experience levels into their studios at the Montgomery Cultural Arts Center.

Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts

The Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts received a $7,300 grant to support its Arts Connections Enhance Success for Students program, also known as ACES. The program represents a cooperative effort between the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts and the Montgomery Public School System, allowing students to receive 30 minutes of art lessons weekly. The program has seen success since Vaughn Road Elementary implemented it during the 2019-2020 school year, according to principal Brenda Lindsey.

Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership, A-KEEP

The Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership, or A-KEEP, received $5,800 to host an exhibition titled "Tying the Knots between Beauty and Function." A-KEEP is a Korean education nonprofit that works to build multicultural bridges between communities in the Montgomery area. The group has hosted Korean art, food and music events locally, including Hanji craft workshops and K-pop concerts. While additional information about the grant-funded exhibition is not yet available, details on A-KEEP's other upcoming events are available on its website.

Capri Community Film Society

The Capri Community Film Society, which is the nonprofit operating and preserving the Capri Theatre in Cloverdale, received a total of $22,700 in the form of two grants from the Council on the Arts. Both grants are designated for salary support. Since it opened in 1941 as the Clover Theatre, the business touts the record of being the longest continually operated movie theater in Alabama. It officially rebranded as the Capri in 1962 and has continued to develop its beloved reputation since then.

Cloverdale Playhouse

The Cloverdale Playhouse received a $14,600 grant to support the productions of its mainstage season in 2023. This will be the local performing arts center's 12th season putting on shows. During the 2022 season, the Cloverdale Playhouse has performed four productions. The fifth and final of the year, Colman Domingo’s “Dot,” will begin on Dec. 8 and run through Dec. 18.

DesignAlabama

DesignAlabama, a nonprofit seeking to "raise the bar" for design in Alabama and support local designers, received $4,800 to update its website. The organization was founded in 1987 under the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and it develops initiatives to bring awareness to design professions like architecture, engineering, graphic design, interior design, and urban design.

Jubilee Community Center

The Jubilee Community Center received a $3,800 grant for the Maha Shivaratri Dance Festival in 2023. Once an Episcopal church, the Gothic-style building located in the Cottage Hill neighborhood is now home to the nonprofit building community "between a network of spiritual, cultural and neighborhood groups." Maha Shivaratri is an annual celebration of the Hindu god Shiva. It typically occurs in late winter, and this year, it will fall on Feb. 18.

Pike Road Theatre Company

The Pike Road Theatre Company received a $3,800 grant for salary support. The nonprofit theater organization provides educational and performing opportunities for community artists in the area, and the group put on its first performance early this year. As the Pike Road Theatre Company's inaugural season comes to a close, it will perform "Elf," based on the 2003 movie, from now through Dec. 18.

That's My Child

That's My Child, a children's art education nonprofit in Montgomery, received a $7,300 grant to support its program called Art by TMC. The project emphasizes "the healing power of art improving economically disadvantaged communities." It operates from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. Founded by Charles Lee, the nonprofit works to give children in Chisolm-North Montgomery opportunities through arts, education and workforce development to end generational poverty.

The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum Association

The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum Association received a $5,800 grant to support a project called Fitz Tales: The Stories of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Located in historic Old Cloverdale, the former home of the Fitzgeralds is now the only museum dedicated to their legacies. The nonprofit association that runs the museum operates with the goal of preserving their history of the Fitzgeralds while continuing their legacies by promoting literary arts and fine arts education.

Valiant Cross Academy

Valiant Cross Academy received $6,800 to dedicate toward "art enrichment and culture" at the all-male, 6-12 school. Founded in 2015 as a Christian private school with an intentional culture of structure and discipline, Valiant Cross saw its first graduating class receive their diplomas last spring.

Rania Charalambidou

While not for a specific enrichment project, Montgomery Ballet dancer Rania Charalambidou received a $2,000 grant to begin her Greek folk dance apprenticeship with the Council on the Arts. She was one of 20 folk artists selected for the apprenticeship program and the only one based in the River Region. Charalambidou is from Nicosia, Cyprus, and after training at the Joffrey Ballet School and traveling to be a member of various ballet companies, she moved to Montgomery. With the support of the Council on the Arts, she will teach her Greek folk dancing skills to students and apprentices in the area.

Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached athhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser or donate to Report for America. 

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 12 Montgomery arts programs awarded grants from Council on the Arts