A performance by Colour of Music, a Black classical-music festival based in South Carolina. The group is a Southern Cultural Treasures grant recipient. Photo: Jason Cohn
“Southern Cultural Treasures, a US$6 million initiative to channel funding to organizations in nine Southern states that are either led by or serve Black, indigenous, and people of color, or BIPOC, communities … on Wednesday … announced 17 arts organizations as its first cohort of ‘Southern Cultural Treasures’ across theater, dance, visual arts, and music,” writes Abby Schultz in Wednesday’s (7/6) Barron’s. The Charleston, South Carolina-based Colour of Music Festival, which focuses on music written and performed by Black classical artists, is among the initial 17 grant recipients. “The groups are based in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Each organization will receive unrestricted general operating grants of up to US$300,000 over a period of three years in addition to capacity-building support through consulting and networking…. ‘These groups push the boundaries of creative expression, anchor their local communities, and advance the arts in our nine-state region,’ Susie Surkamer, South Arts’ president and CEO, said in a statement. ‘Our hope is that this initiative, with the help of these organizations, will foster a more equitable art community throughout the Southeastern region.’ ” Information on the program is at https://www.southarts.org/programs-conferences/southern-cultural-treasures.
