Login

gallupARTS receives $400,000 Digital Projects for the Public grant from NEH

Print

gallupARTS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts council serving Gallup and McKinley County, is the recipient  of a $400,000 Digital Projects for the Public “Production” grant from the National Endowment for the  Humanities to build, launch and market its Gallup New Deal Art Virtual Museum—a highly  interactive website researching, showcasing, and interpreting Gallup’s expansive and impressive collection of  New Deal art. This grant will fund the third phase of gallupARTS’ GNDA project initiated by a 2018 NEH Digital Projects for the Public $30K “Discovery” grant and developed through a 2020 NEH Digital Projects for the  Public $100K “Prototyping” grant.

gallupARTS’s award is one of 204 totaling $28.1 million announced on Jan. 10 by NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe.

“The range, diversity, and creativity of these new projects speak to the wealth of humanities ideas and deep  engagement of humanities practitioners across our country,” Lowe said in a press release published on Jan. 10. “From Tulsa, Oklahoma, to  Hilo, Hawaii, NEH funding reaches thousands of towns and communities, supporting local organizations,  fostering creative projects, and providing access to high-quality humanities for all Americans.”

gallupARTS Executive Director Rose Eason thanked the NEH.

“gallupARTS is deeply honored to receive this award,” Eason said. “The  level of support this project and our community continues to receive from NEH is truly game-changing. With  this award, we will be able to open the doors of the GNDA Virtual Museum to the public, so to speak, and  bring to life a trailblazing project that preserves an important historical and cultural legacy and brings it into  the 21st century as an educational resource, community building tool, and economic development asset.”

gallupARTS Board Secretary Carol Sarath showed her excitement and appreciation as well.

“Over the years the New Deal art in our community has  sat mostly inaccessible and unnoticed in public school buildings, the public library, and the county  courthouse. The buildings and furniture from the period have also gone under-appreciated simply because we  as a community have not realized the history, that the pieces all fit together as a collection and the  significance of that fact,” Sarath said. “This third major award from the NEH represents years of hard work that gallupARTS has done in collaboration with many scholars and experts to identify and understand Gallup and McKinley  County’s New Deal legacy. This is very exciting for everyone who has been involved, and special recognition  goes to local scholar Carolyn Milligan who recognized the importance of this collection early on.”

gallupARTS is the first organization in New Mexico to receive a Digital Projects for the Public Production  grant, and one of 15 organizations nationwide to receive a 2023 Digital Projects for the Public grant.

Staff Reports