Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance to Receive $25,000 in its First Award from the National Endowment for the Arts
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ROCHESTER, NY, January 15, 2025—The Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance (JAACA) is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $25,000.
This grant will support JAACA’s 2025-26 season: CommUNITY Arts ROC featuring performances and educational opportunities that will bring together youth, families, and community members with world-class artistry—free for all to attend. The NEA will award 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance’s CommUNITY Arts Roc.”
“The visual and performing arts are a critical piece of building community vitality and togetherness—and the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance (JAACA) has been at the front-and-center of these efforts in our community for the past decade,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “This well-deserved $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts will allow them to continue uplifting our community’s unique artistic voices and make them accessible to every child and family. Congratulations to JAACA Executive Director David Pacific and his entire team on this award, and I look forward to more opportunities for us to work together.”
“Rochester is truly a city of the arts, where culture and creativity unite and inspire all who call it home,” said Mayor Malik D. Evans. “The staff and artists of the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance are well deserving of this national recognition. We appreciate their dedication to fostering artistic growth in the Joseph Avenue neighborhood and to Rochesterians at large. Their success is another example of hope and opportunity sprouting across our community.”
“On behalf of us all, we are thrilled with our just announced National Endowment for the Arts award nomination,” said Board President Neil R. Scheier, M.D. “This award affirms our amazing organizational growth over the past six years and the quality of our free programs. With support from the NEA, the NYS Council on the Arts, and our many foundation, individual, and corporate supporters, we look forward to continued growth and to meeting the performing and visual arts needs of our community.”
"Receiving our first award from the National Endowment for the Arts is a milestone for the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance," said Executive Director David J. Pacific. "This recognition reinforces our community’s vibrancy and amplifies our ability to transform lives through world-class arts. With the NEA's support, we are poised to deepen our impact, expand access to our freely available arts programming, and inspire community-wide creativity and collaboration."
The Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance's 2025-26 season, CommUNITY Arts ROC, offers a dynamic lineup of free programs for youth, families, and community members. CommUNITY Arts ROC emphasizes artistic growth and centers around collaboration, with partnerships and participants drawn from the entire Greater Rochester region engaging with events across three series. The KeyBank Rising Stars Series empowers youth through hands-on instruction that culminates in the annual ROCstarz Celebration. The Debut Artist Series highlights emerging talent at the start of their careers, creating a platform to share their craft with audiences of all ages.. The Artist Showcase Series presents award-winning performers, bringing exceptional, world-class artistry to our community. CommUNITY Arts ROC reflects JAACA’s commitment to equitable and inclusive arts programming that unites and enriches our entire community through the transformative power of the arts.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
Since 2014, the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance has been leading area revitalization and community transformation in Rochester and its Northeast Quadrant through the performing and visual arts. The Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance is committed to bringing world-class music, dance, theater, and visual arts performances and educational opportunities to families and children in a safe, inspiring atmosphere, free for all to attend. The capstone of our efforts: transforming a landmark synagogue on Joseph Avenue into a Center for Visual and Performing Arts. To learn more, visit JosephAveArts.org.
For media inquiries: please email press@josephavearts.org or call 585-454-ARTS (2787)
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