June 24, 2009
I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
contact person
Pat Ryan
Jefferson County Library Cooperative
pryan@bham.lib.al.us
(205)226-3615 W
(205)226-3617 F
National Endowment for the Arts Announces More Than $3.7 Million in
Grants for the Big Read – Alabama Participates as State Recipient
269 grantees include arts groups, libraries, science
organizations, colleges, and municipalities
(Washington, DC) – The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) just
may have to change the name of its literature program The Big Read
to The Biggest Read. June 23rd the NEA announced that 269
nonprofits, including arts, culture, and science organizations;
libraries; and municipalities will receive grants totaling
$3,742,765 to host Big Read celebrations between September 2009 and
June 2010. The Big Read brings communities together to read,
discuss, and celebrate one of 30 selections from U.S. and world
literature. The 2009-2010 Big Read grantees represent 44 states, the
District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since the 2006
pilot program with ten participating organizations, the NEA has
given more than 800 grants to support local Big Read projects.
Nine regions in Alabama received grants to implement the state’s
first Big Read project. The title selected for The Big Read: Alabama
Reads is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Local
communities should contact their local library for programs planned
February – April 2010. This project coincides with the Alabama Year
of the Small Town activities through the Alabama Bureau of Tourism.
Other partners include the Alabama Public Library Service and the
Alabama Center for the Book.
The selected organizations will receive Big Read grants ranging
from $2,500 to $20,000 to promote and carry out community-based
programs. Participating communities also receive high-quality,
free-of-charge educational materials to supplement each title.
Reader’s Guides include features such as author biographies,
historical context for the book, and discussion questions. Teacher’s
Guides are developed with National Council of Teachers of English
and State Language Arts standards in mind and include lesson plans,
essay topics, and classroom handouts. The Big Read Audio Guides
feature readings from the novel along with commentary from renowned
artists, educators, and public figures such as Sam Waterston and
Aimee Mann, and Big Read authors such as Cynthia Ozick and Tobias
Wolff.
Each community’s Big Read includes a kick-off event to launch the
program; activities devoted specifically to its Big Read book or
poet (e.g., panel discussions, lectures, public readings); events
using the selection as a point of departure (e.g., film screenings,
theatrical readings, exhibits); and book discussions in diverse
locations aimed at a wide range of audiences.
"The Big Read highlights not only literature, but also what can
be accomplished in partnership," said NEA Acting Chairman Patrice
Walker Powell. "I’m grateful to IMLS, Arts Midwest, and the many,
many nonprofits, local governments, and media outlets around the
country that have partnered with the NEA to present hundreds of Big
Read projects nationwide. We welcome our new community partners to
The Big Read family and look forward to continuing this
transformative dialogue between neighbors and across borders."
About The Big Read Partners
The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute
of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.
Support for The Big Read is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Transportation for The Big Read is provided by Ford.
To learn more
about The Big Read, please visit the
www.neabigread.org.
The
Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of
federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500
museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and
museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute
works at the national level and in coordination with state and local
organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance
learning and innovation; and support professional development. For
more information please visit
www.imls.gov.
The National Endowment for the Arts is a
public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both
new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and
providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in
1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts
Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts,
bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner
cities, and military bases. For more information,
www.arts.gov.