The Ordway Receives NEA Grant to Support Children's Festival

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is one of 895 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The Ordway will receive $20,000 to help support the Flint Hills International Children's Festival in 2014.

The 14th Annual Children's Festival, to be held May 31 and June 1, 2014 (with school performances May 27-30) regularly attracts more than 55,000 people to downtown Saint Paul. Performances at this year's Festival will include Step Afrika!, Terrapin Theatre's Love (Tasmania), Flying Foot Forum's Alice in Wonderland (commissioned by the Ordway), Des Temps Antan (Quebec, Canada) and Cirque Mechanics' Gantry Bike. Public performances are just $5, with many free performances by local artists as well as art-making activities and a Story Time Garden. The 2014 Children's Festival will revolve around the theme "My Heart Dances to a Global Beat."

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 U.S. Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovation, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable experiences for the public to engage with the arts."

Ordway President/CEO Patricia Mitchell stated that receiving this prestigious award demonstrates the Children's Festival's importance on national level. "The Ordway has been bringing amazing works from around the world to Saint Paul for 14 years, and we are pleased that the National Endowment for the Arts recognizes that the Children's Festival makes art accessible to children and families from across Minnesota. We are grateful for the support we receive that helps make it possible to bring the Children's Festival to our community."

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 enhancing the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,528 eligible Art Works applications, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 895 are recommended for grants for a total of $ 23.4 million.

Additional funding for the Flint Hills International Children's Festival comes from title sponsor, Flint Hills Resources, and is also supported by 3M, Ecolab, Securian, Xcel Energy and many other local corporations, foundations. Activities at the Ordway are also made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and culture heritage fund.

ABOUT THE ORDWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: The Ordway is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading nonprofit performing arts centers and Saint Paul's most elegant and inviting performance space. The Ordway's Music Theater and soon-to-be completed Concert Hall attract diverse audiences with an array of productions showcasing the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance and vocal performance. Education and community engagement are integral to the Ordway's mission, with major initiatives including the annual Flint Hills International Children's Festival and Ordway Education programs that serve more than 50,000 students annually. The Ordway also sponsors the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a professionally guided academic and artistic environment that trains aspiring pre-professional performing artists. Together with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and The Schubert Club, the Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership and serves as the principal venue for their performances.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is located at 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102. Ticket Office: 651.224.4222; Groups: 651.282.3111. For more, visit: ordway.org.

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