Creative Pinellas announced the recipients of their Stretch Grants today. The grants, which are new this year, were created with the goal of expanding existing arts and cultural events throughout the County, and were awarded provisionally to the Suncoast Jazz Classic to expand the reach of their jazz concerts and to the New Music Conflagration to stage music and dance events in St. Petersburg and along locations on the Pinellas Trail.
äóìBoth of these grants highlight and enhance the accessibility of the wonderful arts and cultural activities Pinellas County has to offer,äó said Barbara St. Clair, Executive Director of Creative Pinellas. äóìThe Suncoast Jazz Classic has been contributing to the arts and cultural scene and äóÖfilling heads and beds for 27 yearsäó» and we are pleased to be able to help them reach new audiences by offering performances in additional locations. We are also excited about the New Music Conflagration who will be hiring twenty-two artists to develop and perform original work – free to the public – along multiple locations in South, Central and North county.
The Stretch Grants were designed to help fulfill Creative Pinellasäó» mission of supporting arts and culture, creating vibrant communities and showcasing the County as a cultural destination. Applicants were nominated by Pinellas County arts alliances and awards were determined by a grants panel consisting of leadership from arts organizations, area chambers of commerce, festival sponsors and performing artists.
äóìWe are so excited and grateful to receive a 2017 Stretch Grant for äóÖOur Trail: Traveling Dances,äó» featuring the choreography of Helen Hansen French, Kellie Harmon and myself, in collaboration with composer Elizabeth Baker,äó said New Music Conflagration project director, Andee Scott. äóìThis funding enables us to offer original live performances that blend dance, music, art and technology to a county-wide audience with performances along accessible sections of the Pinellas Trail. Creative Pinellas is providing invaluable support for small arts organizations and artists to build on the momentum of successful projects and to engage and expand the audience for new works.äó
In other grants news, Creative Pinellas will be announcing the recipients of their artists fellowship and returning artists grants this month, and has just completed the application period for their organizational grants supporting arts education for youth. Additionally the launch of a new grant for emerging artists is on the horizon.
