Contact: Theresa Cameron, 301-215-7227
For Immediate Release: November 27, 2001

County Awards
Arts, Humanities Grants
In Excess of $900,000

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) Board of Directors has awarded grants totaling more than $940,000 for arts and humanities programs occurring in Montgomery County from July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. The funds, provided by the County and State, provide needed resources for artists, scholars and arts and humanities organizations that serve communities throughout the county.

Participating in the awards reception at the Executive Office Building in Rockville were County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, County Council President Blair Ewing, Council members Steve Silverman, Marilyn Praisner and Isiah Leggett, Delegate Kumar Barve, chair of the Montgomery County House delegation to Annapolis, and Barbara Hill, president of the Board of the AHCMC .

“The arts are an important component to the quality of life we are able to offer our residents here in Montgomery County,” Duncan said. “The grants, given to such a wide variety of arts programs, help ensure that the arts will remain an important cornerstone in our community.”

“These grants represent a significant commitment on the part of Montgomery County to provide arts and humanities activities in our communities,” said Theresa Cameron, AHCMC executive director. “They support a range of diversity and culture, enrich the lives of our seniors and children and provide a quality of life that enhances the attractiveness of the county,” she added. Grants were awarded in the following categories to the recipients listed.

Cultural Programs - $29,500

These grants provide funding to nonprofit organizations to present artists and humanities programs to a wide variety of audiences. Recipients are:

• Arc of Montgomery County, Silver Spring ($2,000) – Weekly music program;

• Bach Sinfonia, Silver Spring ($2,200) - "The Symphonies of London," November 2001;

• Bethesda Fellowship House, Bethesda ($500) - Intergenerational multi-cultural music program;

• Boys' & Girls' Homes and Community Services, Silver Spring ($2,000) – Art and music activities at Therapeutic Summer Camp;

• CHI Centers, Silver Spring ($2,000) - Monthly participatory musical performances from September-December 2001;

• Composers' Society of Montgomery County, North Potomac ($1,200) - Free public concert, October 4, 2001;

• Coral Cantigas, Rockville ($1,800) - "Discover Panamanian Music;"

• Family Learning Solutions, Silver Spring ($1,800) - Quilt arts program;

• Montgomery County Senior's Theatre, Chevy Chase ($1,000) – Presentation of a new play;

• Quotidian Theatre Company, Rockville ($1,800) - Stage premieres of two one-act plays;

• Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery, Sandy Spring ($2,200) – Activities for Montgomery County History Day;

• Society of Kunqu Arts, Inc., Silver Spring ($1,500) - Training and performance in Kunqu, a form of classical Chinese opera;

• Takoma Park Folk Festival, Inc., Takoma Park ($3,000) - 24th Annual Takoma Park Folk Festival, September 9, 2001;

• Upper Montgomery County Arts Committee, Boyds ($1,800) - Gospel music, dance and poetry festival, October, 2001;

• Washington Musica Viva, Bethesda ($1,500) - Chamber music concert series; and

• Wildwood Summer Theatre, Bethesda ($3,200) – Performances of "Singin' In the Rain.”

These grants are designed to support nonprofit arts and humanities organizations in the development of management capabilities. One grant was awarded to Zemer Chai, Washington’s Jewish Community Chorus, Silver Spring ($500) for a management plan.

Visiting Artists and Scholars - $9,000

These grants support individual artists and scholars who perform or present for an audience arranged by a community or service organization. Grants were awarded to the following organizations for the artists and scholars listed:

• Chevy Chase Library, Chevy Chase, for Mary Amato ($300) - Shadow puppetry demonstration and performance;

• City of Takoma Park Recreation Department, Takoma Park, for Stephanie Sove Ney ($535) – “The Quest for the Blue Mongoose,” Multi-sensory children’s art program;

• Franklin Apartments, Takoma Park, for Alice Sims ($560) – Visual arts workshops for senior citizens;

• Friendship Heights Community Center, Chevy Chase for Karen Alenier ($500) – Lecture-demonstration of a new opera;

• Holiday Park Senior Center, Wheaton, for Donato Soranno, Cantati Singers ($400) - Operas and operettas in folk history;

• Housing Opportunities Commission, Kensington, for Jesse Palidofsky Trio ($1,850) - Interactive, multi-cultural musical performances;

• Long Branch Senior Center, Silver Spring, for Nancy Havlik ($1,850) - Choreography and dance workshop and performance;

• Noyes Children's Library, Kensington, for Mary Amato ($250) - Shadow puppetry demonstration and performance;

• Randolph Hills Nursing Home, Wheaton, for Jesse Palidofsky Trio ($750) - Interactive, multi-cultural musical performances;

• Senior Programs at Bauer Drive (Rockville) and Leland Center (Chevy Chase) – Donato Soranno, Cantati Singers ($400) - Operas and operettas in folk history;

• Senior Programs at Wheaton, Owens Park (Beallsville), and Ross Boddy (Sandy Spring) – Jesse Palidofsky Trio ($1,105) - Musical performances;

• Stewartown Civic Group, Gaithersburg, for Panmasters Steel Band ($500) – Performance at 18th Annual Stewartown Community Day.

These grants support individual artists who perform or present for students in a public, private or parochial elementary, middle or high school in Montgomery County. Additional funds for these grants are provided by the Maryland State Arts Council. Grants were awarded to the following schools for the artists listed:

• Barnesville School, Darnestown, for Rob Guttenberg ($450) – Workshops introducing middle school students to issues of disability through music;

• Beverly Farms Elementary, Potomac, for Yvette Lewis ($1,100) – Residency introducing students to opera and musical forms from different cultures;

• Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Rockville, for Tim Gregory ($1,600) – Music residency presenting the role of music in various societies;

• Gaithersburg Elementary School, Gaithersburg, for Anne Becker ($450) – Workshops using poetry and visual arts to express thoughts and feelings;

• Goshen Elementary School, Gaithersburg, for Yvette Lewis ($2,200) – Participatory program titled “So, This is Opera;”

• Harmony Hills Elementary School, Silver Spring, for Interact Story Theatre ($2,000) –Drama program focusing on literacy, language development and self-esteem;

• Head Start Program at Seneca Valley High School, Germantown, for Interact Story Theatre ($1,000) – Interactive music and creative drama programs;

• Holton Arms School Dance Festival, Bethesda, for Lucy Bowen McCauley ($2,000) – Choreography and rehearsals for student dancers from participating schools;

• New Hampshire Estates Elementary School, Silver Spring, for Mary Amato ($2,000) – Shadow theatre presentation and participatory program;

• Northwest Middle School, Germantown, for Michael de Simon ($1,000) – Work with students in computer art classes to demonstrate animation and web page design;

• Pathways School, Silver Spring, for Roberta Rothstein ($2,000) – Drama-movement workshops for high school students with emotional and behavioral disabilities; and

• Rock View Elementary School, Kensington, for Bianca Lavies ($500) – Workshops on animal photography and the book writing process.

These grants support the operating budgets of nonprofit arts and humanities organization with annual operating expenses greater than $350,000. Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts, Bethesda ($55,005)

• Class Acts Arts, Silver Spring ($17,424)

• Friends of the Library, Rockville ($17,105)

• Jewish Community Center Cultural Arts Division ($61,205)

• Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Takoma Park ($48,629)

• Maryland Youth Ballet, Bethesda ($36,283)

• Maryland College of Arts and Design, Silver Spring ($52,413)

• Musical Theater Center, Rockville ($41,706)

• Olney Theatre Center, Olney ($113,711)

• The Puppet Co., Glen Echo ($14,315)

• Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, Rockville ($25,551)

• Round House Theatre, Silver Spring ($83,187)

• Strathmore Hall, N. Bethesda ($52,642)

• The Writer’s Center, Bethesda ($29,398)

These grants are intended to stimulate local support and involvement in the arts and humaniites. These grants require that the grantee provide a match of $1 in cash donations from businesses, foundations or individuals, for each $1 of the grant award. Grants were awarded to the following organizations for the projects listed:

• Class Acts Arts, Silver Spring ($5,000) – Family performance series in downtown Silver Spring;

• Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Takoma Park ($10,000) – Improve the organization’s accounting and financial management practices;

• Musical Theater Center, Rockville ($10,000) – Part-time Production Manager for student performances;

• Round House Theater, Silver Spring ($7,500) – Additional pre-professional positions to attract future theater professionals; and

• Strathmore Hall, N. Bethesda ($7,500) – Web site development and marketing project.

These grants provide operating support for nonprofit arts and humanities organizations with annual operating expenses of $50,000 - $350,000. Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo ($15,076)

• Arts for the Aging, Bethesda ($9,867)

• BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown ($10,886)

• Create Co., Bethesda ($6,270)

• Creative Adventures, Silver Spring ($5,882)

• Institute of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park ($5,498)

• Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, Rockville ($12,177)

• Mighty Special Music Makers, Bethesda ($3,508)

• Montgomery County Historical Society, Rockville ($14,764)

• Montgomery County Masterworks Chorus, Bethesda ( $4,620)

• Montgomery County Youth Orchestras, Bethesda ($5,503)

• National Chamber Orchestra, Rockville ($15,894)

• Peerless Rockville, Rockville ($6,946)

• Rockville Arts Place, Rockville ($12,906)

• Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring ($6,327)

• Silver Spring Stage, Silver Spring ($3,120)

• Washington Storytellers Theatre, Takoma Park ($4,244)

These grants offer additional funds to Advancement Support applicants to strengthen organizational and management skills. Grants were awarded to the following organizations for the projects listed:

• Arts for the Aging ($2,000) – Professional evaluation of program impact on participants;

• BlackRock Center for the Arts ($4,000) – Free performances in up-county area to begin to publicize the BlackRock Center;

• Mighty Special Music Makers ($2,000) – Develop marketing materials and design a training program;

• Montgomery County Historical Society ($7,500) – Prepare the Waters House in Germantown prior to its opening to the public;

• Peerless Rockville ($8,870) – Computerize Peerless Rockville’s collection to enhance access to these resources;

• Rockville Arts Place ($7,500) – Support completion of a strategic plan and its implementation

• Sandy Spring Museum ($6,130) – Strengthen the museum’s collection and its educational component; and

• Washington Storytellers Theatre ( $4,000) – Youth storytelling program to build audience and membership.

Awards of $3,000 each have been made to four artists and scholars under the Fellowships for Artists and Scholars Program. The funds, provided by the Montgomery County Government, offer direct support to an artist or scholar for his/her own personal development and may be spent in anyway s/he chooses. The categories for the awards alternate each year. Awardees and their categories for FY 2002 are:

Jonathan Eig, Nonfiction (Potomac) – Literature, Language and Linguistics

Mark Jaster, Mime (Rockville)– Solo Theatrical Performance

Lori Laitman, Composer (Potomac) – Solo Instrumental or Vocal Performance or Composition

Rosanne Singer, Poet (Takoma Park) – Literature, Language and Linguistics.