Darke County Endowment for the Arts recently granted funds to nine applicants who submitted requests for financial assistance with their arts-related projects. According to DCEA Chair Marilyn Delk, one of DCEA’s major purposes is to help organizations and individuals achieve artistic goals that benefit the citizens of Darke County. The grants were awarded to: Ansonia High School Art Department, Arcanum Preservation Society, Darke County Center for the Arts, Darke County Park District, The Gathering at Garst, Greenville Art Guild, Greenville Instrumental Music Boosters, Mississinawa Valley School Art Department, and Towne and Country Players.
“All of the applications are incredibly worthy of support, and will provide enjoyment of and participation in the arts by a broad range of people; this year’s grants reach across our community to enhance not only the present but also will bring future benefit,” Mrs. Delk stated. “We look forward to our entire community embracing the opportunities provided by the projects we’ve funded, and we also hope that the breadth of arts’ opportunities offered will motivate donors to help keep the arts alive with their donations and legacy gifts to Darke County Endowment for the Arts,” she concluded.
Ansonia High School Art Department hopes to further enrich students’ lives by offering new interactive creative experiences through a variety of field trips; the DCEA grant will help fund this enrichment opportunity. Arcanum Preservation Society has undertaken the formidable task of restoring the endangered Arcanum Town Hall and Opera House; the Endowment will help fund restoration of windows in the historic building. Additionally, matching funds were granted to Darke County Center for the Arts’ planned fundraising drive on Giving Tuesday, November 30.
Darke County Park District will be offering performing artists at their popular upcoming festivals, The Gathering at Garst and Pioneer Days; funding from DCEA will help defray those artists’ compensation. Endowment funds will pay for The Anna Bier Art Tent hosting local artists displaying their work at The Gathering at Garst the last full weekend in July; Greenville Art Guild will host a workshop this summer which will be made possible by funds provided by Darke County Endowment for the Arts to teach urban sketching to local artists of all skill levels.
Greenville High School Instrumental Boosters’ fundraising efforts were limited during the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the group supporting music students in grades 5 through 12 will receive Endowment funds to enable those students’ participation in band festivals and adjudications. DCEA will provide financial assistance to Mississinawa Valley Art Department for an Ohio Arts Council-funded residency by a professional artist in which students will creatively explore light during four ambitious projects which involve the entire community. Versailles’ Towne and Country Players’ annual Summer Concert Series will be the recipient of Endowment funds offsetting expenses to present live music at Heritage Park from June 25 through July 23.
DCEA is a non-profit organization that receives and manages charitable gifts that are invested to produce income benefitting the arts in Darke County. In addition to the General Fund from which grant monies are allotted, the Endowment maintains other funds, one specifically dedicated to assisting Darke County Center for the Arts in their mission to culturally enrich our community, and the Memorial Hall Fund to help preserve and maintain historic Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall. For more information about how you can become involved in keeping the arts alive in our community, visit www.SupportDCEA.org, or contact DCEA at P.O. Box 155, Greenville, OH 45331. In addition to Ms. Delk, DCEA trustees are Ted Abney, Antonia Baker, Ryan Dynes, Becky Hartnagle, Andrea Jordan, and Kent Zechar. Nicole Gillespie serves as DCEA treasurer.