Arts Commission grant supports Songbook Foundation initiatives
7/19/2021 12AM
CARMEL, Ind. – For the third consecutive year, the Indiana Arts Commission has approved a grant to support the Great American Songbook Foundation’s music preservation and education initiatives.
The $17,696 Arts Organization Support grant comes from state and federal funding aimed at arts organizations and cultural providers that prioritize community engagement throughout the state.
The Songbook Foundation, which maintains a vast Songbook Library & Archives of artifacts, images and documents from the golden age of American popular music, oversees a number of community engagement initiatives, including an exhibit gallery open to the public; traveling historical exhibits and other resources made available free to schools and community groups; Perfect Harmony, a program of group music activities for older adults; and the Songbook Academy®, a national summer music intensive for high school singers.
Executive Director Christopher Lewis
“We are honored and grateful to have our work recognized once again by the Indiana Arts Commission,” said Christopher Lewis, executive director of the Great American Songbook Foundation. “This support will help us step up our efforts in serving the residents of Central Indiana and beyond.”
The commission approved funding recommendations for the Arts Project Support and Arts Organization Support grant programs at its recent quarterly business meeting. Over 590 applications were reviewed by 167 Hoosiers from around the state specializing in arts, community development and finance.
“The projects and organizations that are receiving funding have major positive impacts on the cultural, economic and educational climate of Indiana,” said Alberta Barker, chair of the Indiana Arts Commission. “The Commission is impressed at the work being done around the state and is excited to support investment in Hoosier communities.”
Funding for the Indiana Arts Commission and its programs is provided by the Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
About the Great American Songbook Foundation
The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation, founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy® Award nominee Michael Feinstein, is to inspire and educate by celebrating the timeless standards of pop, jazz, Broadway and Hollywood. Headquartered at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the Foundation advances this rich legacy by curating physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers in the Songbook Library & Archives; operating a multimedia exhibit gallery; overseeing the Songbook Hall of Fame; offering programs for the public and research opportunities for scholars and artists; and providing educational opportunities for student musicians, including the annual Songbook Academy® summer intensive. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum®. More information is available at TheSongbook.org.
