EAST ST. LOUIS – The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation (JJK) is pleased to announce that 12 arts programs will receive support from the East St Louis Community Arts Access re-granting program. Now in its second year, the program is funded by the Illinois Arts Council Agency and is administered by JJK.
“These grants will provide East St. Louis residents with more opportunities to participate in quality arts experiences,” said Mark Fryer, JJK’s COO. “Although our center is well known for athletics, we have a growing arts program, so we’re proud to be collaborating on this community-wide initiative.”
The grant recipients include nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and working artists: Angela Alexander, Mykael Ash, East St. Louis High School Percussion Boot Camp, East St. Louis Center for Performing Arts-SIUE, Genesis Arts Ministry, House of Miles, I AM East St. Louis, Indigo Garden Project, The Inner Ear Youth Ensemble, Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, Edna Patterson Petty, and Sunshine Cultural Center. They will receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. While modest, the funding will support public engagement with, and access to, various arts disciplines, the creation of art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life. The programs will take place between April and August 2022.
A few examples are:
- Echoes of Our Collective Pulses, a visual arts exhibit focusing the 1917 East St. Louis race riots, featuring pieces created by Mykael Ash
- A 10-day percussion boot camp for East St. Louis High School students that includes instruction from guest percussionists
- Creation a large mosaic by Edna Petty Paterson depicting Katherine Dunham, the world-renowned dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist who made East St. Louis her second home
- The House of Miles STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) summer program, which will focus on music coding, engineering, and engagement
“We at the Illinois Arts Council Agency are excited to once again partner with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation to assure that the fantastic work happening throughout East St Louis is well supported,” said Illinois Arts Council Agency Executive Director Josh Davis-Ruperto. “The arts sector is the heart of this incredible community, and given the past two years, is needed now more than ever. We anticipate an excellent outcome and look forward to continued growth from our partners at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation and the entire East St Louis region,” he said.
The grants in this announcement were evaluated through a panel review process.
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