Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) Announces Financial Award to SPACE Gallery Today.
A Close up of the Window at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress Street, Portland.
SPACE Gallery at 538 Congress Street, Portland.
SPACE Gallery, a nonpofit that supports contemporary artists in Maine, will receive $250,000 in pandemic relief from the American Rescue Plan it was announced today. The Portland arts organization, located at 538 Congress Street, is among 66 grantees across the country to be awarded funding through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This emergency funding will be distributed to artists and organizations in the community to help the cultural sector recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic, according to a press release issued by the office of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) today.
“As the co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I’ve seen how the arts can bring people together and buid understanding and the pandemic has shown our communities just how important those conversations are in Maine. The arts are a $1.5 billion industry and support thousands of jobs – but despite previous assistance from the CARES ACT, our cultural institutions and arts community continue to face profound hafrdshis as they work to recover,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D). “Arts organizations pudt the health of their communities first throughout the pandemic by shuttering their doors, suffering crushing financial hardship as a result. Since the beginning of the pandemic, SPACE has been a crucial support to the arts community in Maine. It stepped up to raise and distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in emergency relief grants to artists throughout the state. I’m so glad their effective work is recognized and supplemented by this much-needed funding.”
The American Rescue Plan dedicated $135 million for arts agencies to distribute in their communities to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety suplies and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation.
Pingree serves as the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, where she oversees the NEA and arts funding.