Lewis & Clark Library Awarded a Record 11th NEA Big Read Grant
June 9, 2017 (Helena, MT)—Your Lewis & Clark Library is a recipient of a grant of $14,000 to host its 11th National Endowment for the Arts Big Read in Lewis and Clark County. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.
Your Lewis & Clark Library is one of 75 nonprofit organizations to receive an NEA Big Read grant to host a community reading program between September 2017 and June 2018. The NEA Big Read in Lewis and Clark County will focus on The Round House by Louise Erdrich during October 2017.
Lewis & Clark Library Director John Finn is thrilled with the NEA’s selection of the Library for a Big Read Grant, “I learned quickly in my first year at Lewis & Clark Library that the community loves the Big Read and looks forward to the annual announcement of which book we will be celebrating.” Finn goes on to explain that “The Round House is a great selection that will lead us to important community discussions and programs on a variety of topics important to all Montanans.”
“Through the NEA Big Read we are bringing contemporary works to communities across the country, helping us better understand the diverse voices and perspectives that come with it,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “These 75 organizations have developed unique plans to celebrate these works, including numerous opportunities for exploration and conversation.”
The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, which annually supports approximately 75 dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single NEA Big Read selection.
Suzanne Schwichtenberg, Lewis & Clark Library Adult Services Librarian, explains that the success of the Big Read is due to the tremendous support of the community, Library partners, and Big Read sponsors. “The Big Read is about bringing a community together to celebrate a book, and that is what makes this so special,” explains Schwichtenberg. For the 2017 Big Read, the Library is proud to partner with the Lewis & Clark Library Foundation, Helena College, Helena Public Schools, and the Montana Historical Society.
A schedule of Big Read events and programs will be available on the Library’s website once speakers and dates are finalized. Please watch the Library’s website, www.lclibrary.org for more information and updates as they are available.
Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,400 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $19 million in grants to organizations nationwide. In addition, Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past eleven years, grantees have leveraged more than $42 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 4.8 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 79,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 37,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. Last summer, the NEA announced a new focus for the NEA Big Read Library on contemporary authors and books written since the NEA was founded 50 years ago. For more information about the NEA Big Read, please visit neabigread.org.
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.
Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, 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 artsmidwest.org.
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