Art and Community Landscapes

Art and Community Landscapes - Project update 

Art and Community Landscapes (ACL), a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts  (NEFA), has awarded $6,000 in Planning Grants to support the development of new public art along the Schuylkill River Water Trail and Riverfront at RiverPlace.  The Schuylkill River Water Trail is a federally-designated National Recreation Trail.

 
Four artists and artist teams were awarded $1,500 each to develop public art proposals.  The artists were selected from a highly competitive applicant pool by a selection panel which included  representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Park Service (NPS), community leaders, local artists, and NEFA. 

   
RiverPlace and the other project partners will work with the selected artists to help develop their proposals and make connections in the local community.     

PLANNING GRANTEES: 

• Brenda Brown (Gainesville, FL) & Linnaea Tillett (Brooklyn, NY) 

• Stacy Levy (Spring Mills, PA) 

• Herb Parker (Charleston, SC) 

• Peter Jon Snyder (Reading, PA) & Peter Kinney (Pennsauken, NJ)   

With their ACL planning grants, the four selected artists and artist teams visited RiverPlace during Riverfest, including a canoe ride, and will now develop ideas, a full proposal and a budget for one or more projects.  Starting in December, the four competing proposals will be on display for public review at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts.  In January 2006, a panel will select one artist or artist team, who will then be awarded an anticipated $100,000 to implement the project.  RiverPlace is still seeking additional funding patrons for this project, in order to create a more significant project budget.  Interested patrons should contact the RiverPlace office.

Art & Community Landscapes (ACL) is a partnership of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), the National Park Service (NPS), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that supports site-based art as a  catalyst for increased environmental awareness and stewardship.  ACL is generously funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Anonymous.  

“This program celebrates and continues our nation’s rich tradition of artists who inspire environmental awareness and stewardship,” said Charles Tracy, National Park Service Director of Art & Community Landscapes. “The National Park Service is excited to partner with the arts community and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area in preserving and restoring ecologically vital areas for recreation and education.”

Grant applications for the 2005 round of the Art & Community Landscapes Program were solicited nationally for projects directly related to National Recreation Trails.  The Schuylkill River project was the only such project to receive grant funding this year.
“This award is a national honor for this region’” said SRHA Executive Director Kurt D. Zwikl.  “The project has significance on so many levels—locally, regionally, and nationally. This will be a great addition to the Schuylkill River Water Trail and the Heritage Area.”
“The Art and Community Landscapes project will be a key element of the revitalization program that is presently bringing new life to our community and the Schuylkill River,” said David L. Thun, Chairman of RiverPlace Development Corporation and a member the SRHA Board of Directors.

Key partners in this project, along with the Heritage Area and RiverPlace Development Corporation are the Berks Arts Council and GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. The fact that the proposed project integrates a number of municipalities and partners is a primary reason that RiverPlace was selected for the grant.
When finished, the project will help communicate the nationally significant story of the Schuylkill River and its watershed within a local context, celebrating the area’s rich natural, cultural, and industrial heritage. Possible projects could include multiple pieces of artwork, or a single piece, such as a mural, sculpture, exhibition, or other works informed by the site.

         If you or your organization would like to volunteer for a project team,  please contact us today!