The artistic and educational programs of the William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College have long attracted national notoriety.
Now, the Inge Center at ICC muscles into prominence in a realm where few rural arts centers have been able to penetrate: winning nationally competitive grants.
The National Endowment for the Arts announced that The Inge Center at ICC is recipient of a $50,000 Arts Works grant, the largest to any organization in Kansas and, in amount, in the top ten percent of all 119 grants awarded in the field of theater across the country.
"This is gratifying recognition for the Inge Center, ICC, and the community at large, for having the vision to nurture and value distinctive artistic and educational programs," said Peter Ellenstein. "The NEA panelists represent untold years of expertise at the highest quality in their artistic fields. Their choice to award one of their largest grants to a small Kansas community college arts center is confirmation that our students and community enjoy access to remarkable opportunities."
The NEA awarded 119 grants for theatres in the United States; only 10 received more money than the Inge Center. Those ten are many times larger than the Inge Center, including New Dramatists ($100,000, the largest grant) and The Lincoln Center ($60,000) of New York, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ($70,000.)
Of Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Nebraska, 41 grants were awarded by the NEA in all disciplines, including music and art. Of these five Midwestern states, the two top awards of $50,000 went to the Inge Center and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Within Kansas, the second-highest NEA grant went to the University of Kansas' Spencer Art Museum ($34,000.) The other two grants in Kansas were to the Salina Arts Center ($25,000) and Hesston College ($10,000.)
The grant is awarded to the William Inge Festival Foundation, which supports the William Inge Center for the Arts at ICC.
"It is also a distinctive honor for Independence Community College to have on its campus an arts center that is nationally recognized and the envy of many a four-year university, in addition to two-year colleges," Ellenstein said.
The grant will support extended artist residencies and accompanying educational activities in Independence. Professional playwrights will instruct high school and college students in playwriting. Additional guest artists, actors and directors, will come to Independence. They will conduct further educational workshops and then participate in a weeklong play development workshop, which concludes in a public reading.
NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said 863 grants were awarded across the country in 15 artistic disciplines. The grant awards total $22.543 million, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
"Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA," said Landesman. "And I'm pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects included in this announcement. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities."
In March 2011, the NEA received 1,686 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $84 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 49 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support and the ongoing vitality of the not-for-profit arts community despite current financial challenges.
Art Works grants are awarded based on the applications received by the NEA and how those applications are assessed by the review panels.
For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, visit the NEA web site at arts.gov.
The William Inge Center for the Arts is best known as producer of the annual William Inge Theatre Festival, the Official Theatre Festival of the State of Kansas. The 31st Annual William Inge Theatre Festival runs April 18-21, 2012, and will Honor Tony-winning dramatist David Henry Hwang.
Tickets will be available on line starting March 1st, 2012, at www.ingecenter.org or by calling (800) 842-6063 ext. 5835.
The William Inge Center for the Arts is a participant in the New Generations Program, funded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American theatre.
Additional supporters include the William Inge Festival Foundation, and Independence Community College.
