MIDDLEBURY, VT - The Vermont Arts Endowment Fund and the Concert Artists Fund, two component funds of the Vermont Community Foundation, announced that together they have awarded a total of $100,885 to 29 organizations and individuals across the state.

The Vermont Arts Endowment Fund awarded grants totaling $53,000 to support the creation and production of new work by Vermont artists and arts organizations, and provide technical assistance for arts organizations. The Concert Artists Fund awarded $47,885 to support performances of western classical music in Chittenden County.

The grants were awarded to:

Bella Voce Women’s Chorus of Vermont, Essex Junction    
$5,000.00 to support the Burlington Spring 2009 concert of classical music inspired by water
in recognition of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Burlington Chamber Orchestra, Burlington     
$8,650 to feature guest artists as soloists with the Burlington Chamber Orchestra at each
of four concerts during the 2008-2009 season.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Burlington City Arts Foundation, Inc., Burlington    
$2,000 to support the exhibition of new works by Carol McDonald and Abby Banks
at the Firehouse Gallery.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Chris Caswell, Burlington        
$2,000 to write a new play based on a poem and a song.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Chaffee Art Center, Rutland        
$3,000 to develop a strategic plan for the Chafee Art Center.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Chandler Center for the Arts, Inc., Randolph    
$2,500 to support the construction of two ramps - one on the main stage level and
on the lower level - that will enable adult and youth artists and performers who
are physically challenged or have limited mobility.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Christopher Curtis, Stowe        
$2,000 to create three new bronze and stone sculptures with the use of new computer-
aided technology.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Eleva Chamber Players, Waterbury       
$1,000 to perform for an audience in Richmond in August 2008.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Eugene Freisen, Brattleboro        
$2,000 to support new audio work featuring Eugene Friesen (cello), Tim Ray (piano),
and Masha Nefedova (alto).
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington     
$4,235 to support two Flynn/VSO student matinee performances entitled
"VSO: Go Figure" featuring works of Mozart, Beethoven, Copeland, and Ludwig
making meaningful connections between music and math for grades K-7.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Great River Arts Institute, Bellows Falls      
$2,500 to update and promote the website to better support adult intensive workshops
and the school outreach programs for youth.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Wayne Hankin, Newport        
$2,000 to create Music Translator - a lecture series featuring animated music scores.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Valerie Hird, Burlington        
$3,000 to support Maiden Voyages: The Diaries of Five Women.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Meredith E. Holch, East Hardwick       
$3,000 to create a frame-by-frame animated video concerning walls, freedom of movement,
and the life of undocumented Vermont dairy farm workers.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Nora Jacobson, Norwich        
$2,000 to support Freedom & Unity, a collaborative film exploring Vermont’s independent
spirit over history and our collective values looking ahead.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

R. Elliot Katz, North Ferrisburgh       
$1,000 to support the creation of a new body of environmentally-focused outdoor sculpture.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Kathleen Kolb, Bristol        
$2,000 to create paintings of icebergs on the Newfoundland coast and exhibit them with
the intention of focusing attention on global warming.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Kathryn Lipke-Vigesaa, Belvidere Center      
$2,000 to create a body of artwork and workshops for youth with an emphasis on
environmental issues.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Daniel Lusk, Jonesville        
$3,000 to support Lake Studies: Meditations on Lake Champlain, a series of poems.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Tiffany Rhynard, Middlebury       
$3,000 to create and tour a new choreographic work, "I'm Right, You're Wrong," an evening
length multi-media dance theatre production.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

River Arts of Morrisville, Inc., Morrisville      
$2,000 to hire consultants to guide the board and staff in developing a new strategic
plan and staffing plan to address the needs of the new building and creating
strategies for board recruitment, training, and leadership succession planning.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Rutland Creative Economy, Inc., Rutland      
$2,500 to hire a marketing professional to design advertising and produce promotional
materials to increase interest and notoriety to the Arts and Culture Committee's
special artistic events.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Sandglass Center for Puppetry and Theater, Putney    
$3,000 to create a new theater work, Ballad, which will combine the ballad song form
and puppetry to explore the process of aging in relationship to local rural institutions.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Social Band, Hinesburg        
$3,000 to support three newly commissioned choral works to be rehearsed intensively
with the composers, and performed throughout Vermont.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

UVM Lane Series, Burlington       
$7,500 to continue the commitment to the area of western classical music through the
presentation of both concerts and outreach activities of exceptional chamber music
ensembles.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Vermont Alliance for Art Education, Waterbury     
$2,500 to facilitate strategic analysis of structure, functions, and governance of the organization.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Vermont Mozart Festival, Burlington      
$9,000 to continue a tradition spanning three decades, the Vermont Mozart Festival will
conduct 19 concerts over a three-week period at sites throughout the state, including
eight concerts in Chittenden County.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Vermont Mozart Festival, Burlington      
$3,000 to hire a board development consultant to allow the transition from a grass-roots
board to one focused more on governance and fundraising.
Funded by the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund

Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Burlington      
$9,000 to support the 2008/2009 Masterworks Series at the Flynn Center that will bring
world-class orchestral performances to a broad audience in Chittenden County.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund

Vermont Youth Orchestra Association, Inc., Colchester    
$3,500 to support for the fall concert in September 2008, featuring student soloists.
Funded by the Concert Artists Fund