North East Arts Council Programs Thrive Thanks to Grants

For nearly 20 years, the North East Arts Council has helped foster artistic development in North East by way of its plethora of programs and activities. Among these are theater workshops, gallery nights, children's art clubs, and classes for artists of all skill levels. The Council has enjoyed the active participation of countless community members in supporting their programs, and continue to this day to excel at keeping the arts alive in our region. The success of the North East Arts Council has not gone unnoticed. Just recently, the Council received a state-funded grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (administered with the help of Erie Arts and Culture) which will go towards providing funding for their 2014-2015 programming. 

Furthermore, the North East Arts Council has also been awarded a project specific grant from Erie Arts and Culture to support "The Mindful Art Project" in 2015. The project will be multifaceted, featuring a series of combined Yoga and Zentangle workshops, as well as creation of a mural to be hung on the west exterior wall of the culture center at 25 Vine St. The mural will be comprised of a variety of artworks selected from contributing community members, and it is set to be completed in August of 2015.

Amanda Sissem, the Executive Director of Erie Arts and Culture, had this to say in regards the upcoming project: 

"Erie Arts & Culture is pleased to support the North East Arts Council's "Mindful Art Project" which explores the connections between wellness, creative expression and community. The project promotes creativity as a personal and community asset. North East is a community that is increasingly embracing this concept and the culminating mural from the "Mindful Art Project" will help to showcase this."

For those of you in North East, be on the look out for this mural come summer, and be sure to stay up to speed with the variety of upcoming programming to be offered by the North East Arts Council. The future looks bright for the arts in North East, and with funding being continually awarded to artistic undertakings in our region, locals will have a lot to look forward to in the near future.