Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine( at a Meetig on Maine Vet Homelessness at Hanaford Hall, USM, Portland, Last Year.

Eleven (11) arts programs are set to receive $298,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced Congresswoman Chellie Pingree(D) this morning in a press release from her office.

They include:  Bowdoin International Music Festival, (Brunswick) $15,000; Salt Bay Chamberfest (Damariscotta) $20,000; Alice James Poetry Cooperative, Inc (New Gloucester) $45,000; Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (Newcastle) $30,000;  Maine Academy of Modern Music (Portland), $20,000; Mayo Street Arts (Portland) $20,000; Portland Ovations (Portland) $55,000; Portland  Stage Company (Portland) $15,000; TEMPO Art Portland (Portland), $15,000; Camden Internatioal Film Festival (Rockport) $45,000; and Maine Craft Association (West Gardiner) $23,000.

“From painting and music to theater and literature, the arts are woven into the fabric of Maine’s history, culture and economy.  Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts are essential to ensuring that arts programs across the country have the resources to engage, inspire and strengthen the commuities they serve,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus.  “As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcomittee that overeas the NEA,  I’ve seen firsthand  how investmenets in the arts empower individuals and ransform entire communities.  I”m proud to support this funding which will go a long way in advancing the misssions of these deserving Maine organizations and preserving the creative spirit that defines our state.”