For the fifth consecutive year, the Indiana Arts Commission has approved a grant to support the Great American Songbook Foundation’s music preservation and education initiatives.
The $16,294 Arts Organization Support grant comes from state and federal funding aimed at arts organizations and cultural providers that prioritize community engagement throughout the state.
The Songbook Foundation, which maintains a vast archive of materials from the 20th century foundational era of American popular music, also oversees a number of community engagement initiatives, including an exhibit gallery open to the public; traveling exhibits and other resources made available free to schools and community groups; Perfect Harmony, a program of group music activities for older adults; and the Songbook Academy, a national summer music intensive for high school singers.
In the planning is the construction of a national museum and interactive visitor experience dedicated to the history and future of American popular music. A site in Carmel has been selected.
“Beyond the clear practical value of this grant, we see our ongoing relationship with the Indiana Arts Commission as a noteworthy endorsement of the work we do,” said Christopher Lewis, executive director of the Great American Songbook Foundation. “All kinds of support are important as we expand our reach nationally and proceed with our long-awaited museum project.”
Funding for the Indiana Arts Commission and its programs is provided by the Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
“All across Indiana we have seen the positive impact that investing in arts and creativity has on quality of life,” said Anne Penny Valentine, Chair of the Indiana Arts Commission. “Each of the projects and organizations selected to receive funding are doing exceptional creative work in and for Hoosier communities. The Commission is excited and honored to support the work these organizations are doing to engage the public, develop their communities and encourage creativity across our state.”
About the Great American Songbook Foundation
The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation, founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy Award nominee Michael Feinstein, is to inspire and educate by celebrating the timeless standards of pop, jazz, Broadway and Hollywood. Headquartered at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, the Foundation advances this rich legacy by curating physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers; operating a multimedia exhibit gallery; overseeing the Songbook Hall of Fame; offering programs for the public and research opportunities for scholars and artists; and providing educational opportunities for student musicians, including the annual Songbook Academy summer intensive. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum. More information is available at TheSongbook.org.