A northern Illinois art organization has announced the recipients for one of its annual grants. One organization received grants for two different projects.
The West Side Show Room received two Community Arts Access Grant Awards from the Rockford Area Arts Council. One was for “Rockford New Words 2023” and the other was for the Rockford premiere of the play “Barbecue.”
“I was very excited to find out that we receive these grants," Mike Werckle, artistic director of the WSSR, said. "They've been supporting us with Rockford New Words since the beginning. Rockford New Words was actually founded through a partnership with Rockford Area Arts Council.”
Werckle said the organization wasn't expecting both grants.
“We're excited about getting the grant for ‘Barbecue’ after the success of our play ‘The Wind and the Breeze’ directed by Matthew Simpson, earlier this year," he said. "And so, this money that we're getting will support another play of that kind for everyone in the community.”
The Rockford Area Arts Council dispersed 18 Community Arts Access Grant Awards totaling $40,682.67. The grants were up to $2,500.
The grant’s purpose is to create collaboration among artists and art organizations, support art performances in the community and increase outreach to underserved communities.
A complete recipient list can be found at artsforeveryone.com.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
