EMPAC to Receive "Art Works" Funding from the NEA

EMPAC at Rensselaer to Receive $25,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Troy, New York—Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Rensselaer) has been approved for a $25,000 Art Works grant to support the commissioning and development of new time-based art works at EMPAC (Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center) this year. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.

“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like EMPAC’s 2020 Artist Commissions.”

“Artists across disciplines come to EMPAC to develop and produce new work we are uniquely positioned to produce, and support from the NEA helps make that possible,” said EMPAC Director Johannes Goebel.

EMPAC will commission new multidisciplinary works by women identifying and gender nonconforming artists in the fields of music, dance, time-based visual art, and contemporary performance. These works will be developed in residence at EMPAC with technological and staff support, and premiered as part of the 2020–2021 season of events. A major force in the world of experimental media, EMPAC is committed to provide state-of-the-art technological infrastructure to artists who are traditionally underrepresented in the field. The current social and political climate, bolstered by the centennial of Women’s Suffrage in the United States, underscore the importance of engaging with and amplifying these voices in particular.

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

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