TACA Announces 2017 Grant Recipients
TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) announced the 2017 recipients of the TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund and the TACA Bowdon Family Foundation Artist Residency Fund. Six arts organizations will receive grants totaling $150,000 to create new works or to fund artist residencies.
“Thanks to Donna Wilhelm and the Bowdon Family Foundation, TACA is able to provide these generous grants, which enable local artistic groups to create compelling new works, thus further elevating North Texas as one of the nation’s major cultural incubators,” said TACA Carlson President and Executive Director Wolford McCue.
Launched in 2012, the TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund was established following a hosted discussion on the importance of developing new artistic works for the vitality of the North Texas community. To date, it has provided $500,000 in grants and awards up to $100,000 annually to support the development and performance of innovative new works of music, dance, and theater in Dallas County.
The 2017 New Works Fund grantees:
- Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Uncharted Territory: Body of Evidence, choreography by Bridget L. Moore
- Dallas Theater Center, Penny Candy, by Jonathan Norton
- Dallas Children’s Theater, Yana Wana’s Legend of the Bluebonnet, a co-production with Cara Mia Theatre, written by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce and María F. Rocha, music by Héctor Martínez Morales, choreography by Evelio Flores and directed by Robyn Flatt
In 2015, TACA developed the TACA Bowdon Family Foundation Artist Residency Fund in response to the 2014 edition of its annual arts-related symposium, Perforum, during which members of the local arts community expressed a need for more support of unique artist-community engagement opportunities.
To date, the fund has distributed $200,000 to seven projects, and awards up to $50,000 annually to support the development of innovative artistic residency programs in Dallas County.
2017 performing arts organization winners:
- Dallas Black Dance Theatre, with choreographer/filmmaker Juel D. Lane
- TITAS, with The Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company
- Junior Players, with Sara Romersberger, theatre professor
In addition to these two funds, TACA provides general operating and project-related grants to nearly 50 performing arts organizations each January. In its 50 years, TACA has distributed more than $28 million to 162 arts organizations.
“It’s been my honor with TACA to foster the creative courage, passion, and talent that produces new works of extraordinary merit,” said TACA Board Chair Donna Wilhelm said. “I encourage other donors to invest with TACA in building the capacity of all the arts of our community — to dream big and to transform lives in new ways.”
