Arts-Based Community Development Investment Announced
Pittsburgh – May 16, 2019 – National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter announced 57 awards totaling $4.1 million supporting projects across the nation through the Arts Endowment’s Our Town program yesterday. The Office of Public Art at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is one of the recommended organizations for a grant of $150,000 to support temporary public art and a creative placemaking training program for local community organizations in Millvale and the Pittsburgh area.
“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 the Office of Public Art, together with their partners at Neighborhood Allies and in Millvale, are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create and be inspired.”
“Being awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town program is an incredible honor and recognition of the amazing work that Pittsburgh-area artists and communities are doing,” said Sallyann Kluz, director of the Office of Public Art. “We look forward to continuing to build on the success of our partnership with Neighborhood Allies and create more opportunities for artists and communities to collaborate in shaping the public realm of our region.”
The Public Art and Communities program is a partnership between the Office of Public Art (OPA), Neighborhood Allies, Millvale Community Library, Triboro Ecodistrict and the Borough of Millvale. The program builds on the success of the OPA and Neighborhood Allies’ Temporary Public Art and Placemaking initiative, which was launched in 2016 and funded by The Heinz Endowments and Hillman Foundation. The new two-year Public Art and Communities program will provide training to community-based organizations for how to work with artists and creative placemaking strategies, and will take them through the process of hiring an artist to create a collaborative work of public art. The program will launch in late summer 2019.
For a complete list of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.
About the Office of Public Art
Office of Public Art (OPA) is the leading agent and advocate for public art in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005, OPA is located at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and works with communities and artists throughout the region by providing public art education, commissions, project management, artist selection, and artist residencies in the public realm. OPA collaborates with individuals and organizations in both the public and private sector. For more information, visit publicartpittsburgh.org.
About Neighborhood Allies
Neighborhood Allies’ mission is to support the people, organizations and partnerships committed to creating and maintaining thriving neighborhoods. They strive to support this mission by creating community partnerships, connecting distressed and transitioning communities with valued/ vetted resources, and communicating and celebrating progress and success.
About the Millvale Community Library
Established in 2007 and opening in 2013 after years of resident volunteer efforts, the Millvale Community Library is more than a library – it is an agent for positive change. In 2012, the Millvale Community Library hosted and helped create the Millvale Ecodistrict community education and engagement program to build capacity and leadership. Today over 20,000 annual visitors of all ages enjoy free resources, literacy, arts, and making programs.
About the Borough of Millvale
Established in 1868, the Borough of Millvale is a municipality immediately adjacent to Pittsburgh and located on the Allegheny River. The Borough works closely with individuals and organization to advance projects and ideas for the benefit of its community members, and regularly partners with neighboring communities on inter-municipal planning and development initiatives. In 2013, the Borough of Millvale launched the Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot Plan, a community revitalization strategy that includes the development of regenerative infrastructure, education, and art to create and enhance sustainable planning and development solutions.
About the Triboro Ecodistrict
The Triboro Ecodistrict promotes coordinated sustainable community development throughout the Boroughs of Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg. With over 10,000 residents combined, we are building on a strong collaborative history to promote equitable, sustainable community development through the shared lenses of: Food, Water, Energy, Air Quality, Mobility and Equity. The Triboro Ecodistrict is a collaborative project of New Sun Rising, Etna Economic Development Corporation, Etna Community Organization (ECO), and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization.
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