Art walk receives $10,000 grant

1st Friday Art Walk of Fairfield has been awarded a $10,000 Challenge America Fast-Track grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

?It?s a very specific grant,? said Cindy Woodbury, director of art walk. ?It?s to be used in support of musicians, between May and October this year. It will allow us to pay musicians, which we haven?t done.

?Musicians who have partnered with us before have graciously donated their time and talents, now they can get paid.?

The NEA website describes the grant to Fairfield to support ?Music on the Fairfield Town Square, a concert music series. The series will feature selected artists from the Midwest and other regions of the country.?

Other NEA grants awarded throughout Iowa include:

? University of Iowa, $15,000 to support the publication and promotion of issues of the journal featuring writing by and about U.S. military veterans. The journal will conduct a writing contest for U.S. veterans, a public reading, website gallery, and special promotion of issues featuring veterans? work.

? Metro Alliance of Greater Des Moines, $10,000, to support Metro Arts Jazz, a festival that celebrates jazz and art with free outdoor concerts and related activities. Events will take place in the Evelyn Davis Park neighborhood and will feature artists selected through a juried process.

? Des Moines Symphony Association, $10,000, to support the presentation of the Civic Center Dance Series. Companies presented in the series include the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alonzo King?s LINES Ballet, and the Trey McIntyre Dance Project. Each performance will include ancillary activities such as performances in local schools, workshops, master classes, pre-show dance talks and post-show question-and-answer sessions.

? Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra Association, $20,000 to support new productions of Igor Stravinsky?s ballets. Stravinsky works under consideration are ?The Rite of Spring,? ?The Firebird? and ?Petrouchka.? The productions will feature Orchestra Iowa?s music director and professional musicians in a collaborative partnership with Ballet Quad Cities from Rock Island, Ill.