Johnson Announces $150,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant to City of Freeman
Press Release
U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today announced that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded an Our Town federal grant of up to $150,000 to the City of Freeman to support the design of the Freeman Arts Earth Center. Our Town is an NEA program that awards competitive, matching grants to support the development of arts programs in rural and urban communities across the country.
"This grant will provide seed funding to support the creation of the Freeman Arts Earth Center," Johnson said. "This arts and agricultural center will host performances, shows, and events for residents of Freeman and surrounding areas. The completion of this arts facility will be a real boon to the community, and I'm pleased that the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded this grant to Freeman."
The award, as described by the NEA, is below:
Project Description: To support a master plan, community engagement activities, and conceptual design for the Freeman Arts Earth Center in South Dakota. Architect Stephen Luoni will be the lead designer for a 16,000-square-foot cultural center, which will house a theater, recital hall, and space for arts and agriculturally-based programming. The center will be a new model for rural communities seeking innovative approaches to restoring economic and cultural vitality by combining arts training, performances, and heritage food production under one roof. The master plan will ensure that the center is designed as an anchor institution with strategic connections to other facilities and amenities in Freeman. City of Freeman's partners include the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, Center for Architectural and Rural Sustainability, and Partners with Freeman Academy. Located on U.S. Highway 81, Freeman is a rural community of 1,300, with the potential to become a new attraction for tourists that are drawn to the region to visit historic Yankton, the Corn Palace, and Mount Rushmore.
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