University Circle Inc. to Receive $15,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Posted May 14, 2021 in Press Releases

University Circle Inc. (UCI) has been approved for a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support University Circle Interactive Cleveland: A Neighborhood Learning Collaborative for Community Seniors. This project will allow for the expansion of UCI’s innovative Lifelong Learning Consortium for older learners with an equity and community engagement lens. UCI’s project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.

“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as University Circle Inc. reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”

“We are grateful for the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts,” said UCI President Chris Ronayne. “It's a reflection of the amazing work UCI’s Community Education team does day in and day out.”

University Circle Interactive Cleveland utilizes the interactive technology platform of interactive videoconferencing to bring the world-class resources of University Circle’s museums and cultural organizations to community senior centers and senior apartment complexes. This unique curated program began in retirement communities in 2013, and to date, has been adapted and expanded to serve northeast Ohio’s senior community centers. It received recognition for its innovative approach to arts learning at the 2016 White House Leadership Conference on Aging.

This grant from the National Endowment for the Arts will assist UCI’s Community Education Department to scale the program once more with three new neighborhood learning sites. Over the next 12-18 months, Abington Arms Apartments, Fairhill Partners, and Eliza Bryant Village will participate in learning clusters and community-based artist residencies in theater, dance, and writing, along with attendance at partners’ performances and readings. The arts organization partners that will be leading the residency activities are Karamu House, Inlet Dance, and Lit Cleveland.

For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.