Nantucket Arts Council awards $13,000 in grants
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
The Nantucket Arts Council recently announced the nine organizations benefiting from its annual arts grants, which totaled $13,500 this year.

Speaking on behalf of the NAC Grants Committee, committee chair Peter Greenhalgh said the group "remains hopeful that grants money will continue to grow through awareness and additional donations, so that we may adequately meet all the requests of the various island organizations."

The number of applicants and the number of awards are down from last year, while the total amount of monies awarded is up $1,500.

In 2006, 17 applicants requested $49,000, and the NAC was able to award $12,000 to 11 organizations.This year, 12 requests exceeded $38,000, and the NAC was able to award $13,500 to nine organizations. (See below)

Dr. Walter Boyd and the Boyd family underwrite the NAC grants. In general, the NAC awards money to organizations and projects certain to reach the largest number of people on island. The NCMC/Nantucket School of Music, Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, Women's Chorus of Nantucket, Nantucket Atheneum, Nantucket New School and Nantucket Lighthouse School are all repeat recipients, with the New School, the Lighthouse School and the Atheneum receiving grants for the same projects as they received money for last year.

(Individual artists requesting money without the aegis of a community organization generally fare better with the Nantucket Cultural Council, which requires grant applications to be submitted by mid- October. For more information on NCC, call 228- 7255 or email acornhp@yahoo.com.)

"Each year, we receive so many worthy requests, and this year the committee had some difficult choices to make," said NAC President Reggie Levine. "We are delighted to be able to offer these grants and are now working on the high school scholarship requests. There is such a need to help those interested in the arts. We wish we could honor all the requests, but are delighted to be able to help in this small way."

Grants are awarded each spring. For information on applying for a 2008 grant, contact the NAC office at 325-8588.

Nantucket Boys and Girls Club - $2,000

To help with the funding of "Shooting Stars," a

musical drama camp to be held in August.

NCMC/ Nantucket School of Music - $2,000

To aid in the cost of their April concert, featuring the Jubilee Gospel choir

Artists' Association of Nantucket - $1,500

To help underwrite the restoration of artwork

in their permanent collection

Theatre Workshop of Nantucket - $2,000

To help fund two Equity actresses for the

summer production of "Lone Star Grace"

Women's Chorus of Nantucket - $400

To assist in buying sheet music and books

of printed music.

Nantucket Lighthouse School - $1,000

To help support and expand their Sixth Annual

Storytelling Festival

Nantucket New School - $1,000

To complete the new lighting in their Visual Arts

Gallery, which hosts up to three exhibitions

each year

A Safe Place, Inc.- $1,600

Towards an ongoing art project for children:

"Build a Safe House"

Nantucket Atheneum - $2,000

To assist with the 2007 Children's Summer Reading Program: "Catch the beat @

your library." I