(Washington, DC, May 17, 2005) — Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen is pleased to announce  that the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded several art agencies in the Virgin Islands with total of $318, 700 in grants.

These grants overall will support art education projects for children and youth projects that present and preserve artistically excellent work. These grants require a one to one match and are as follows:

The Caribbean Dance Company received $30,000, under the category of access to artistic excellence to support the Caribbean Dance Axis and discussions on performances and post-performance.

The Pistarckle Theatre, Inc. received $16,000, under the category of learning in the arts to support the summer camp. That will be offering comprehensive instruction in theater arts.

The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, Inc. received $25,000, under the category of access to Artistic Excellence for support of a video documentary and archiving project entitled: Scratch: The music of Jamesie and  the All Stars. This documentary will include video and audio recordings of live performances and oral histories and will showcase the All Stars in performances at several Midwest music festivals.

The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts received $247,700, under the category of partnership to support partnership agreements.

For additional information you may visit the website of the National Endowment for the Arts at www.arts.gov.