State Arts Council awards grants to Etowah County programs

The Alabama State Council on the Arts awarded more than $1.68 million in grants to education, arts and community programs last Friday, and some of that funding went to the arts in Etowah County.

The Walnut Gallery received $3,450 to support an artist in residency program it’s been running since January, with plans to allow the artist, Parker Hunt, and his wife to live at the gallery and keep the building open to the public all week.

“The plan to be sustainable is to keep artists rotating in residence in exchange for living there and keep the gallery open to the public,” said Mario Gallardo, gallery director. “He’ll be doing some community art classes once funds come in, so we’ll be able to pay him to teach.”

Hunt is expected to stay at the gallery through April 2019, when a new artist will rotate in.

The Gadsden Symphony Orchestra received $11,700 to support its 2018-2019 season. According to Musical Director Mike Gagliardo, the funding will help the orchestra grow both in size and quality, which will help grow audience sizes in turn.

“We’re really excited to get this great news,” he said. “The support of the Alabama State Council on the Arts will allow the GSO to continue its work of bringing great symphonic music of all styles and genres to a broader community.”

According to its press release, the ASCA releases grants to nonprofit organizations, schools, universities, cities and a range of community groups. Those funds are matched by business, individual, local government and grantee income contributions. Arts programs supported by the grants have a track record of contributing to community development, education, cultural tourism and quality of life around Alabama.

Other groups from Etowah that took grants included the Etowah County Board of Education, with $4,500 for its elementary strings program, and the Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation, with $54,800 for its 29th year of support from the ASCA.

The ASCA receives its support through an annual appropriation from the Alabama Legislature and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.