Art center receives state grant

Arts Council Receives State Grant

LUDINGTON – Ludington Area Arts Council has been awarded a grant of $15,000 from the state of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.  Of this amount, $2,560 are federal funds provided to MCACA from the National Endowment for the Arts.  The grant was awarded through the MCACA peer review process and was one of 233 applications to compete for MCACA fiscal year 2013 funding.

The grant will offer operational support to the Arts Council, which runs Ludington Area Center for the Arts (LACA).  The Arts Council’s mission is to sponsor, promote, and encourage participation in and appreciation of arts and culture for the benefit of everyone in the Ludington area. Their goal is to foster a community where arts and culture bring people together, feed the spirit, and fuel growth.

“Financial support from the state of Michigan and MCACA are vital to the life of the Arts Center,” said Erica Karmeisool Reed, executive director of the arts council.  “We are in a definite period of growth here (at LACA), and the continued support from MCACA, as well as the loyal support from our generous donor base, will keep us on this path.”

Organizations receiving a MCACA grant award are required to match those funds with other public and private dollars.  LACA is supported by charitable foundations, several local businesses and corporations, and hundreds of donors and members whose generosity helps to support LACA programming and their advocacy for the arts.  LACA also receives significant volunteer support from the community.

“We have some of the hardest working volunteers in town,” said Karmeisool Reed.  “In just one year, volunteers give approximately 2,500 hours of their precious time to the Arts Center.  We couldn’t do it without them!”

The MCACA peer review process allows for each grant application to be competitively considered by a panel of in-state and out-of-state arts and culture professionals. This ensures the taxpayers, who support this project through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access to the highest quality arts and cultural experiences.

A complete list of grant awards around the state is available by contacting MCACA at (517) 241-4011, or by visiting the MCACA website at www.michiganadvantage.org/arts.