CAP21 Receives NEA Grant

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that CAP21 is one of 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. CAP21 is recommended for a $15,000 grant to support The CAP21 New Artist and New Works Residencies.

The purpose of the residencies is to provide an environment for artists where ideas and visions are celebrated and lead to the creation of new works that reflect diversity and focus on engaging imagination in the development of craft.

During the grant period, CAP21 will provide approximately 30 writers with Individual Process Meetings, 30 writing artists with Writers Residencies, and approximately 20 projects with initial or repeat readings in the Roundtable Reading Series. Additionally CAP21 will produce 2 new works (plays or musicals).

Acting Chairman Shigekawa said, "The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support these exciting and diverse arts projects that will take place throughout the United States. Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovation, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable opportunities for the public to engage with the arts."

"The CAP21 Theatre Company is a vital center for creativity and self-expression; for the writers and artists of the 21st Century. What distinguishes the CAP21 Residencies from others is the opportunity for writers to get essential re-writes and creative goals accomplished with the libraries, museums, theatres and other resources of New York City at their fingertips," says Eliza Ventura, Artistic Director of CAP21.

In August 2012, the NEA received 1,547 eligible applications for Art Works grants requesting more than $80 million in funding. Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. The 817 recommended NEA grants total $26.3 million and span 13 artistic disciplines and fields. Applications were reviewed by panels of outside experts convened by NEA staff and each project was judged on its artistic excellence and artistic merit.