Chamber News

Reynolds Homestead Receives Grant from National Edowment for Arts

CRITZ, VA (July 28, 2010)—The Reynolds Homestead today announced that it has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host The Big Read in Patrick County.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lisa Martin, Senior Program Manager Reynolds Homestead (276) 694-7181, ext. 22 martinlm@vt.edu REYNOLDS HOMESTEAD ONE OF 75 ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE TO RECEIVE BIG READ GRANT FROM NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS Patrick County to read and celebrate “The Poetry of Emily Dickinson� during Big Read Project CRITZ, VA (July 28, 2010)—The Reynolds Homestead today announced that it has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host The Big Read in Patrick County. The Homestead is one of 75 not-for-profits—including arts and cultural organizations; libraries; and universities—to receive a grant to host a Big Read project between September 2010 and June 2011. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 31 selections from U.S. and world literature. The Big Read in Patrick County will focus on “The Poetry of Emily Dickinson.� Activities will take place in March 2011. Since the 2006 pilot program with ten participating organizations, the NEA has given more than 800 grants to support local Big Read projects. “We are excited to partner with the school system and the Patrick County library to host a Big Read,� says project coordinator Lisa Martin of the Reynolds Homestead. “Events will be held across the county and students will be involved too. Rick Ward of the library will be helping coordinate community ‘reads,’ and Stephen Henderson from the school system will coordinate activities within the schools.� “The arts in general – and literature, in particular – often serve as an expression of our shared values. This is exactly why they are so effective as a fulcrum for community engagement,� said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Thanks to these 75 grants, [hundreds of thousands] of Americans will be inspired, delighted and challenged by a book they are discovering for the first time, or an old favorite to which they are returning.� The selected organizations will receive Big Read grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 to promote and carry out community-based reading programs featuring activities such as read-a-thons, book discussions, lectures, movie screenings, and performing arts events. Participating communities also receive high-quality, free-of-charge educational materials to supplement each title, including Reader’s, Teacher’s, and Audio Guides. “IMLS is proud to support The Big Read, a national program that brings communities together to read and discuss books,� said Marsha L. Semmel, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “Through this program, libraries and museums are playing critical roles in reading partnerships across the country.� The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Poetry Foundation, and the Ford Motor Company. For more information about The Big Read please visit www.neabigread.org. The Reynolds Homestead will hold a press conference on Monday, July 26 at 11:00 a.m. to provide more details about the Big Read in Patrick County. The public is invited to attend, but is asked to call and register, as a light buffet lunch will be served afterwards. The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts—both new and established—bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. For more information, please visit www.imls.gov. Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.artsmidwest.org.