In June, a group of Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program (RIEAP) Alumni and Cohort along with some members of RISCA and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH) staff (Elena Calderón Patiño, Mollie Flanagan, Todd Trebour and Logan Hinderliter) attended the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Creative Communities Exchange (CCX).
The conference gathers people from across New England who connect creative work to community goals. This networking and learning event, allowed participants to share ideas and discuss strategies about how to make inclusive creative communities happen.
This year scholarships were available for RIEAP Cohort and Alumni to attend, some for the first time, in Montpelier, Vermont. Julie Yang from the Hmong United Association of Rhode Island and Smriti Gupta of the India Association of Rhode Island presented at the CCX Conference. For more information about NEFA/CCX/RI Intercultural Collaboration Workshop, click here.
The Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program is excited to welcome the new 2019-2021 Rhode Island Expansion Arts Cohort. Supported by an unique collaboration between the Rhode Island Foundation (RIF), Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), and Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH), the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program will work closely with each organization for the next three years and provide organizational assistance, with an emphasis on governance, financial management, fundraising, marketing, documentation, leadership, strategic collaborations, and youth development. The 2019-2021 cohort consists of the following organizations:
During the course of three years, each organization will participate in an array of capacity-building workshops and receive personalized consultation. Elena Calderón Patiño, the Director of the Community Arts Program at the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the Manager of the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program, expressed her excitement about working with the new cohort. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with and individually get to know each member of the cohort during this multi-year program. By having the funders and the cohort come together at the same table, in-depth conversations about cultural equity and inclusion arise. These conversations serve as an opportunity for everyone to learn from one another, and recognize the rewarding partnership between the funders and the cohort.”
The Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program will offer a Youth Development Grant to each organization on an annual basis. This grant provides the proper funding and support to organizations to start their own youth development programs. The Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program has funded many successful youth development programs in the past that champion for greater youth participation in the arts and allows the youth to explore their cultural identity. Logan Hinderliter, the Associate Director at the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, was pleased to announce that each group will receive a youth development grant this year. “The Council is truly excited that the RI Expansion Arts Program is able to offer Youth Development Grants to this year’s cohort. The Youth Development Grants are a powerful opportunity for each organization to create the time and space needed to cultivate the next generation of cultural leaders. The value of connecting youth with arts and humanities learning can’t be overstated. We’re excited to hear more about your projects!”
In addition to grant opportunities, the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program provides scholarship opportunities for each organization to attend local, regional, and national conferences, such as the upcoming New England Foundation for the Arts Creative Communities Exchange (CCX) in Montpelier, Vermont.
With great enthusiasm, we welcome the new 2019-2021 Cohort in joining the legacy of the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program and becoming leaders in the arts sector. We cannot wait to witness all their future success.
If you would like to have the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program’s newsletter delivered to your inbox each month, please click subscribe.
For any questions please contact Elena Calderón Patiño, Director of Community Arts Program at Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), at Elena.Patino@arts.ri.gov or (401) 222-6996
The Sustainable Intercultural Connections is a project launched by RISCA in 2010 in an effort to foster a community of support and engagement between leaders of community groups and established arts organizations and non-profits. The project hopes to maintain the existence of ongoing events that promote intercultural understanding and unity among diverse communities. It also aspires to connect culturally specific communities to national conferences, regional arts workshops, and local gatherings.
Since 2013 over $55,000 has been raised for 300 scholarships to artists, cultural workers, performers and youth of color to the following conferences and regionals and summits:
2014 The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Regional Arts Training Workshops
2014 Summit on Creative Youth Development in Boston
2013 The Association of American Cultures (TAAC) National Conference
2013 NALAC regional in the Bronx, NY
2013 New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Idea Swap
Scholarship sponsors include The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The RI Foundation, The Barr Foundation, The Boston Foundation, and New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA).
