Midland, MI. – Creative 360 is thrilled to announce that they have been awarded a grant of $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support A Celebration of Voices, a year-long series of events designed to allow artists to share their authentic voices in a safe and supported environment where all are valued.

The grant was awarded through the Arts Engagement in American Communities program which supports arts projects in all disciplines that engage the public in diverse and excellent art.  The grant will run from October 2022 through October 2023.

“We are so excited about this opportunity!” remarked executive director Laura Vosejpka. “We had been planning this Celebration of Voices series already and it is very gratifying that the NEA is supportive of this project.  This grant will allow us to maximize our reach and to engage our community in many more ways.”

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support organizations across the country, including Creative 360. The arts help communities to thrive," said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD., chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Meaningful engagement with the arts can have many benefits, from contributing to collective healing and mutual understanding, to strengthening local economies.”

For A Celebration of Voices, Creative 360 will host events, workshops, creativity circles and exhibitions. The first event and workshops happen October 7-9 and feature disabled artists Stephanie Heit and Petra Kuppers of Turtle Disco.  Other events planned in the series include a Celebration of Voices Exhibition of Art, Writing, Dance & Music, a poetry slam hosted by local poet Jared Morningstar, a Public Arts conversation with artists Jazzmyn Benitez and Annie Stout, an abstraction workshop with Valerie Allen, an exhibition for Disability Pride month, a storytelling workshop, and Creative 360’s 3rd Annual Art Speaks spoken word celebration.

“In keeping with our mission, we want to create a safe, supported, inclusive, creative environment where a variety of people can cultivate and share their authentic voices,” commented Vosejpka. “We are particularly interested in creating celebratory spaces for those voices that are often silenced in our community including neurodiverse voices, voices of the disabled, voices of people of color, voices of the economically disadvantaged, and LGBTQ+ voices, among others.”

Events will be scheduled at both the Bayliss Street Gallery and the East Ashman Galleries.  You can learn more about the Celebration of Voices programming and sign up for events on the arts center’s website at becreative360.org.

About Creative 360
Creative 360 is a not-for-profit community arts and wellness organization founded in 1994. Its mission is to create environments that allow people of all ages and abilities to experience the creative process, and to enhance physical, mental and spiritual wellness through the arts and humanities. The organization’s core values of inclusiveness, creativity, respect and community drive the culture at Creative 360. Activities at Creative 360 are supported in part by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Midland Area Community Foundation and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. Visit www.becreative360.org for information about the offerings at Creative 360, or call (989) 837-1885 to request a mailed copy of the current schedule.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.