WARREN MILLER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
BIG SKY – National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019; the announcement included an Art Works grant of $25,000 awarded to the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center to support the creation of a multidisciplinary performance work for film and chamber choir.
The agency received 1,592 Art Works, the agency’s principal grant making program, applications this round of grantmaking, and will award 977 of them.
“These awards, reaching every corner of the United States, are a testament to the artistic richness and diversity in our country,” Carter said. “Organizations such as the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create and be inspired.”
“This is a thrilling testament to the great work that our community surrounding WMPAC continues to develop,” said John Zirkle, founding Executive and Artistic Director of WMPAC. “This is our second grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and I am particularly proud of the fact that we received 100 percent of our ask, which means that we can really do some great work this summer with The Crossing and our partners.”
The grant funds will be used by Grammy-winning choir The Crossing, composer Michael Gordon and acclaimed filmmaker Bill Morrison in their quest to develop a 24-hour live performance work for chamber choir and film.
Over the next three years, WMPAC’s collaborators will devise this place-based, multidisciplinary performance project, which will explore environmental themes surrounding biological degradation and regeneration. Throughout the process, they will partner with individuals and organizations integral to the current and historical narratives of Montana.
Each summer, artists will develop this ambitious new piece in phases during 10-14 day residencies at the WMPAC.
For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
