Expanding upon its Stand for the Arts Awards initiative launched in 2017, Ovation, America’s only arts network, will partner again with Charter Communications, Inc. in 2020 to recognize outstanding local arts, cultural, and educational organizations and programs in five of Charter’s Spectrum markets across the country. The initiative is part of the independent network’s national arts advocacy platform called Stand for the Arts, which will commit $50,000 to support arts education in these Spectrum markets. The announcement was made today by Sol Doten, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution Marketing, Ovation.
Stand for the Arts Awards are granted based on how well an organization empowers the community, builds strategic partnerships, drives engagement through volunteerism and delivers creative programming.
“Together with Charter, we’re thrilled to provide support to community-driven art organizations, especially in times like these when they may need it most,” said Mr. Doten. “Ovation encourages everyone to advocate for arts access in their community and to enjoy and support the arts in their own way throughout the pandemic.”
“Even in this challenging time, these five local organizations are doing meaningful work, showing how access to the arts and arts education can bring diverse communities together and enrich the lives of their residents,” said Adam Falk, Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs at Charter. “Charter is pleased to extend this partnership with Ovation for a fourth consecutive year and support the creative work of these arts organizations, as part of our commitment to invest and improve the communities we serve.”
Each organization will be awarded a $10,000 Stand for the Arts grant to support their efforts. The Spectrum markets and the arts organizations being recognized are:
Artes de la Rosa (Fort Worth, TX)
Artes de la Rosa is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and interpreting the art, culture, lives, and history of the Latino community by: (1) establishing a venue for Latino art and cultural performances; (2) offering educational art/culture programs to the community including youth in low-income neighborhoods; (3) providing opportunities and support for established and emerging artists and performers; and (4) serving as the central support organization and resource center for Latino art and culture in the City of Fort Worth.
The Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School (Berea, OH)
Located in a Cleveland suburb, the school’s mission is to enrich lives by providing experiences that promote life-long engagement with the arts.
Hawai’i Arts Alliance (Honolulu, HI)
Founded in 1980, Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance’s mission is to engage and transform communities by supporting and cultivating creativity through the Arts. As the State Captain for Americans for the Arts and a member of the State Arts Advocacy Network, we advocate for all the Arts disciplines and genres. To date, the Arts Alliance has five areas of programming — arts education, arts collaborations, community programs, creative artists network, and fiscal sponsorships.
SoundBites (Columbia, SC)
SoundBites is a new venture to help inspire underprivileged children to discover and develop their hidden musical gifts and talents through access to musical instruments and proper instruction. This musical exposure and opportunity instill the benefits of proven correlations between music, math, science and cognitive thinking skills. These opportunities not only increase self-esteem and self-confidence but give youth healthy ways to express themselves.
Writers & Books (Rochester, NY)
Writers & Books is a Rochester, NY-based literary arts center with a mission to foster and promote reading and writing as lifelong activities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Ovation’s year-round Stand for The Arts advocacy platform is a national initiative to raise awareness, protect access and encourage action on behalf of the arts. In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, Ovation is currently running a national campaign that calls for the Federal Government to allocate $44 billion in recovery funding to ensure that the arts remain a vital part of our society, as well as a cabinet-level Secretary of Arts & Culture.
For more information about Stand for the Arts and the Stand for the Arts Awards, visit standforthearts.com.
