Johnston County Arts Council and Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield Selected to Receive Big Read Grant from National Endowment for the Arts
Caption: Representatives of the Johnston County Arts Council and the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield attended The Big Read National Orientation on June 8-9, 2008 in Minneapolis, MN. From left to right, Ruby Smith, Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia, and Jessica Meadows, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council.
The Johnston County Arts Council and the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield today announced that they have received a $6,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to host The Big Read in Johnston County.
Johnston County is one of 208 communities nationwide to receive a grant to host The Big Read from September 2008-June 2009. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 23 selections from American and world literature. The Big Read in Johnston County will focus on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Activities will take place from January 31-February 28, 2009.
The latest Big Read grantees represent 46 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To date, the NEA has given more than 500 grants to support local Big Read projects.
“As The Big Read grant is the first time Johnston County has received direct funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, we are both honored and excited to embark on what will become the Arts Council’s most ambitious and extensive program in the organization’s 36 year history, with the goal of reaching every Johnston County resident,” stated Jessica Meadows, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council.
“The Library is proud to be partnering with the Johnston County Arts Council on this exciting grant opportunity. We have a stimulating program line up to be presented at the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield as well as the other public libraries throughout the County. We’ll also be working with Johnston Community College, the
Johnston County Heritage Center, Ava Gardner Museum, and the Johnston County Schools,” said Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield Director Margaret Marshall.
“We are grateful to the Big Read program and NEA for giving us this opportunity to share the Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird with the citizens of Johnston
County.”“Everything the NEA does we do in partnership. I am delighted to announce our 208 new partners in The Big Read. Some are new to the program, some are returning, but all of them have answered the call to action to get our country reading again,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia.The selected organizations will receive Big Read grants to promote and carry out community-based reading programs featuring activities such as book discussions, lectures, film screenings, exhibits, and performing arts events. Participating communities also receive high-quality, free-of-charge educational materials to supplement each title, including Reader’s, Teacher’s, and Audio Guides.
“With this latest round of grants, I am proud to say that The Big Read has supported more than 500 public library partnerships,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the NEA’s lead federal partner for The Big Read. “Through this program, public libraries continue to demonstrate their value in communities as centers of engagement, literacy, and lifelong learning. I am particularly delighted by the innovative public programming born out of library and museum collaborations.”
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Transportation for The Big Read is provided by Ford.
For more information about The Big Read please visit http://www.neabigread.org/.
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