United Arts of Central Florida has just announced that nine organizations were awarded a total of $27,000 through its March cycle of grants.
“We believe that the dedication, talent, and passion of performers should be rewarded, and thanks to the support from United Arts, we are able to expand our commitment to furthering professional talent and supporting the arts.”
– MARSHALL ELLIS, FOUNDER OF ME DANCE, INC.
The grants were awarded based on community outreach, engagement, artistic merit, and educational value, as well as the likelihood of success based on prior projects completed by the organization in question.
The following organizations received grants:
- Caribbean American Association of Lake County – Awarded $3,000 for Clermont Caribbean Jerk Festival. The annual Clermont Caribbean Jerk Festival celebrates Caribbean culture in downtown Clermont’s Waterfront Park with a day of food, dance, music, vendors, live entertainment, and a performance by the Lake Steel Orchestra.
- Casa de Mexico de la Florida Central, Inc. – Awarded $3,000 for multiple events during 2022, including a Cinco de Mayo celebration, an Independence Day Gala, and Day of the Dead celebration. The first will be held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts with performances by local mariachi bands and folkloric dance groups.
- D.T.O. Jazz Fest Inc. – Awarded $3,000 for 2022 D.T.O. Jazz Fest, a one-day festival headlined by multi-Grammy award-winning Latin Jazz musicians Oscar Hernandez and Alma Libre. Outreach programs will engage students ages 16-19 currently enrolled in school music programs in the region by exposing them to world-class jazz.
- First Presbyterian Church of Orlando – Arts Fellowship Orlando – Awarded $3,000 for Showcase Gallery for Arts Fellowship Orlando. The Showcase Gallery will be a full-length evening concert open to the public celebrating Orlando-area artists exploring the intersection of art and faith. During the showcase at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the artists will present their original works and educate the audience on their creative processes and inspirational sources, and the stories behind their work.
- IDEAS For Us – Awarded $3,000 for Climate Totem. IDEAS For Us will design, build and install a large piece of functional artwork to communicate climate change as a reality to the citizens of Central Florida. IDEAS For Us will erect a telephone pole decorated by artists, students, youth, and IDEAS staff to depict our world and its struggle to be more sustainable. This will include sea animal sculptures, shards of mirrors (to emphasize the need for individual responsibility), and other methods of artistic expression. The height of the public art installation will be the projected sea level over Florida once all the ice caps melt in 2100. Atop the structure will be a platform for an osprey to roost, which will have an online web camera on the nest.
- ME Dance d/b/a Dance Theatre of Orlando – Awarded $3,000 for Panorama, the first production of the 2022 Season for ME Dance, Inc. and Dance Theatre of Orlando. The dance production will continue the video-narrative style of Dance Theatre of Orlando productions, allowing the art of dance to be understood in a storytelling manner. Panorama explores the ideas of time travel and the ripple effect, playing with the past, present, and future.
- Swamp Sistas La La Foundation, Inc. – Awarded $3,000 for Cosmic Conjunction Function, a large public showcase at Will’s Pub/Lil Indies/Dirty Laundry featuring live performances of music, spoken word, comedy, and visual art. Swamp Sistas La La Foundation will also have a “Spotlight” video blog featuring local artists from marginalized populations. LGBTQ+ and BIPOC in the arts not only perform but are an integral part of the planning, collaboration, and networking of this event.
- Tavares Theater – Awarded $3,000 for Live Theater: Haven, Life Hobby, Community Pride, which will include two live performances for the public by Tavares Theatre. The first will be “Oscar and Felix” by Neil Simon and will take place in April 2022. The second will be “Butterflies are Free” by Leonard Gershe and will run in July 2022.
- Young Star Musical Theatre – Awarded $3,000 for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast presented at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Young Star Musical Theatre fosters a positive, encouraging environment for children to perform on a professional stage. The organization will offer discounted tickets to invited guests including at-risk youth through Edgewood Ranch, seniors, the Autism Society of Greater Orlando, Boys and Girls Club, Down Syndrome Society of Central Florida, and volunteers of The Christian Services Center of Ocoee.
The next cycle of projects grants opened on April 11 and all applications are due by May 8. The maximum grant award is $3,000 per organization, per year.
