On the tail of dishing out nearly $280,000 to local arts organizations to help them rent venues for special projects across Central Florida, United Arts of Central Florida just made it rain another $20,000 as part of its Diversity Grants initiative.
Through the program, 70 percent of the grantees are receiving their first grant ever from United Arts, and roughly half of the programs funded are for culturally diverse organizations, but all of the programs must be meant to appeal to a wide range of audiences. Read, “not just white people.”
This round of funding awarded grants to:
- Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens – Awarded $5,000 for Puerto Rican Artists in Central Florida: Evolving Identities an exhibition of works by the Puerto Rican Artist Collective, Keepers of Heritage. It will run from May 5 to August 23, 2020, and will include a free family open-house day.
- Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art – Awarded $5,000 for Construct: Our Orlando which will highlight Central Florida’s diverse, emerging artists featuring Don Rimx (b. Puerto Rico) and collective Lemon Press – Anna Cruz (b. Philippines) and Adam Lavigne. This project contextualizes the artists’ work within global art discourse through critical thought as well as locally – within their communities, promoting contemporary voices reflective of our diverse population. The program runs May 29 – September 13, 2020.
- Opera Orlando – Awarded $5,000 for The Very Last Green Thing. Opera Orlando will present two performances of The Very Last Green Thing on May 2 and 3 at the Lake Eola Disney Amphitheater with a special preview presentation at Leu Gardens on Earth Day. The production will feature members of the Opera Orlando Youth Company and musicians from the UCF Orchestra. Opera Orlando will also partner with Leu Gardens on an Earth Day event in April to bus in 250 students from the ACE school in Parramore to tour the gardens and preview performance of The Very Last Green Thing. Those students will then attend the full performance in May.
- Timucua Arts Foundation – Awarded $5,000 for Celebrating Asian Artistry at Timucua. Timucua Arts Foundation will feature five concerts by Asian and Asian-American artists as part of its classical and jazz programming in 2020. This project will help connect Orlando’s substantial, growing Asian-American population with the Timucua concert experience, highlighting jazz and classical performers from traditional to contemporary.
United Arts is now accepting applications for the next cycle of Diversity Grants. The next application deadline is 5 p.m., May 1, 2020. The maximum grant award is $5,000 per organization per year. Organizations can learn more or apply HERE.
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