Dozens of arts groups in North Texas are getting new funding thanks to The Arts Community Alliance.
The grants from TACA will provide $200,500 to 30 groups, ranging from theater and dance companies to museums and choral ensembles.
It’s the first of three rounds of unrestricted funding created for organizations finding ways to keep their mission alive during the pandemic.
Last week, one of the recipients, Verdigris Ensemble, made its return to the stage with a series of outdoor shows.
Sam Brukhman is artistic director of the vocal group.
“It showed all of us: the four performers that were singing and me, who organized it, that music can still be really powerful,” Brukhman said. “When you’re sitting at home for eight months in quarantine, you totally forget about that stuff.”
In a statement, vice-chair of grants with TACA Jim Nugent said certain art forms like chorale ensembles have more hurdles when it comes to new methods of programming due to the risk of virus transmission.
“So, they may be slower to pivot in a way that shows resiliency,” Nugent said. “In the same vein, other organizations governed by union rules may not be able to return to programming quickly. We’re hopeful that over time, these organizations will find ways to overcome barriers to return to programming that aligns with the grant criteria for resiliency.”
Brukhman says groups that have embraced unconventional programming are well-positioned to weather the changing landscape of live performance. Verdigris often turns to new spaces and innovative compositions.
“You have all of these different perspectives that are presenting music that is unbelievable,” he said. “Textures and timbres and instrumentation that just has never been explored before. I think that, in and of itself, is an enabling tool to show audiences that we are responding directly to events and things that are going on right now.”
TACA has two more rounds of grants to make next year, in February and June.
Here’s the full list of recipients:
American Baroque Opera Company
Bishop Arts Theatre Center
Bruce Wood Dance
Cara Mía Theater Co.
Chamberlain Ballet
Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas
Cry Havoc Theater Company
Dallas Bach Society
Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Dallas Children’s Theater
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Fine Arts Chamber Players
Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra
IMPRINT Theatreworks
Junior Players
Kitchen Dog Theater Company
Lone Star Wind Orchestra
Lumedia Musicworks
Nasher Sculpture Center
Shakespeare Dallas
Soul Rep Theatre Company
Teatro Dallas
Texas Winds Music Outreach
TITAS/Dance Unbound
Turtle Creek Chorale
Undermain Theatre
USA Film Festival
Verdigris Ensemble
WaterTower Theatre
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