Mariposa, CA-- National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has announced 57 awards totaling $4.1 million supporting projects across the nation through the Arts Endowment’s Our Town program. Mariposa County is one of the recommended organizations for a grant of $75,000 to develop an art-driven countywide creative placemaking master plan.
“These awards made to organizations across the United States are a testament to the artistic richness and diversity in our country,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Organizations such as Mariposa County and the Mariposa County Arts Council “are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired.”
“From a creative placemaking standpoint, no program has a better track record of supporting transformative projects than does the NEA’s Our Town program,” said Mikey Goralnik, Community Design and Development Planner for Mariposa County. “We are beyond excited for this opportunity to collaborate with the Mariposa County Arts Council on this unique project, which we believe will improve Mariposa County’s ability to leverage art and design for economic development, community stewardship, and a host of other benefits.”
Through an interactive and collaborative stakeholder engagement process, this project will coordinate a strategy--including programs, policies, and specific projects--that leverages art and design to promote a rich and compelling rural economy that is both resilient to the impacts of climate change and representative of our diverse community. This process will put art and artists at the forefront, leaning both on designers with local knowledge and national notoriety to foster an inclusive and innovative planning process.
For a complete list of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, please visit the NEA web site at arts.gov.
Contacts: Mikey Goralnik, Community Design and Development Planner // mgoralnik@mariposacounty.org // 209.742.1222
Press Release: 2019 Our Town Grant Award Press Release