Rochester, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, today announced $175,000 in federal funds awarded to groups in Western New York to directly support the work of writers, musicians, dancers, and artists.

The Geva Theatre Center, George Eastman House, BOA Editions, and the Garth Fagan Dance Company are all receiving grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an independent government agency and the largest annual national funder of the arts in the country.

“The arts have an incredible ability to enrich our communities and strengthen our cultural diversity,” said Slaughter.  “But the arts are not just culturally significant, they are economically significant as well, positively impacting our local economy and spurring billions in economic activity.  As Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I am pleased to see this infusion of support for our talented group of local artists here in Western New York.”

• BOA editions will receive $30,000 for the production and promotion of new volumes of poetry and short fiction.
• The George Eastman House will receive $60,000 for the preservation of endangered films directed by Cecil B. DeMille, James Ivory and Philip Kaufman.
• The Geva Theatre Center will receive $20,000 to support a production of August Wilson's Radio Golf directed by Tim Bond and a free reading of Wilson's King Hedley II.
• Garth Fagan Dance Company will receive $15,000 for “Conversations with Garth,” a series of collaborative dialogues between Garth Fagan and a range of leading artists.

Several awards were also announced in the Buffalo area including:

• The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society will receive $20,000 for the world premiere of performances by composer Daron Hagen.
• The Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts also will receive $20,000 to support the exhibition From Performance to Permanence.
• And Lewiston Council on the Arts Inc. will receive $10,000 to support visual arts residencies at the Old Sanborn Days Festival.

As Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Slaughter is a longtime leader in the fight to fully fund the arts.

The National Endowment for the Arts, which awarded the grants, was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities.

Each year, the arts industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity, and provides 5.7 million full-time jobs. Every dollar of NEA grant money also leverages at least seven dollars from other state, local, and private sources.  Few other federal investments have such a widespread impact and magnifying effect across the entire nation.

For more on Slaughter’s leadership to fund the arts, click here.