WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Saturday, Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) will join Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, in Monterey to announce a $10,000 NEA grant for Arts Habitat, a local nonprofit arts organization.

"I appreciate the efforts of Arts Habitat to support the local art community, and I am especially excited for their Houses Art program," Rep. Farr said. "Using artistic expression to engage youth who are aging out of the foster care system is a wonderful way to promote involvement and understanding with the wider community. I think it's a great program."

This is the first NEA grant for Arts Habitat and will be used to support Houses Art, a partnership with the Independent Living Program in the Family and Children's Services Division of Monterey County. Houses Art is a public art project that will serve youth 16-19 who are transitioning out of the foster care system.

Participants in the program will work with Sue Ann Hillyer, a teaching artist, in a workshop setting to create four to six large pieces of art that will be exhibited at public events throughout Monterey County. Arts Habitat will manage the exhibition of the works.

Established in 1991, Arts Habitat is dedicated to creating an affordable, vibrant arts community at East Garrison in Monterey County. Rep. Farr and Gioia will announce the grant during the kick-off event for The Big Read: The Poetry of Robinson Jeffers, a partnership project with the Poetry Foundation that celebrates the nation's historic poetry sites.

Announce NEA grant for Arts Habitat

• Saturday, Oct. 11, 2:30 p.m.
• Congressman Farr will join NEA Chairman Dana Gioia and Alex Vardamis, president of the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation, to announce a $10,000 grant for Monterey County's Arts Habitat.
• Location: Highlands Inn, Surf Room, Highway 1, Carmel Highlands

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