2022 Arts and Cultural Enrichment Program Recipients

2022 Recipients: American Traditions Vocal Competition, ARTS Southeast, Deep Center, Inc, First City Pride Center, Loop it Up Savannah, Mountainfilm on Tour Savannah, Savannah Black Heritage Festival, Savannah Book Festival, Savannah Children's Choir, Savannah Jazz Festival, Savannah Music Festival, Savannah Philharmonic, Telfair Museums, T.I.A. Through it All.

American Traditions Vocal Competition -- ATC Outreach/Junior ATC

The American Traditions Vocal Competition celebrates and preserves all types of classic American music. The organization provides musical education, exposure and performances for Savannah locals of all ages. The American Traditions Vocal Competition was born of the desire to foster and preserve traditions of musical expression, which have been significant in the culture of the United States, both in past eras and at the present time.  

Examples of Funded Programs:

•  Junior American Traditions Vocal Competition: The Junior American Traditions program is a specialized musical opportunity for local high school students that provides performance opportunities for participants, allows students access to one-on-one feedback, time and critiques with professional vocalists from around the country, and provides the top three participants a chance to record professionally.
• Educational Programming: This program is designed to reach Title I schools, particularly those with limited music programs, and will focus on the origins of traditional American music, musical styles, and history as told through the artistry of each time period. 

ARTS Southeast - Exhibition Season, First Friday Street Fairs, ON::VIEW Artist in Residency, Exhibition Reproduction for Libraries, Professional Practice Workshops for Artists

ARTS Southeast is a non-profit organization whose mission is to make Savannah a destination for art and culture in the Southeast by supporting established and emerging artists and engaging a diverse community with creative programming by developing awareness and appreciation of the arts. The flagship program of ARTS Southeast is Sulfur Studios, which was founded in 2014.

Examples of Funded Programs

• Exhibitions: Sulfur Studios will present 13 curated art experiences. Each exhibition will include free public programming offered both in-person and virtually including artist talks, workshops, SCCPSS classroom visits, studio tours, and youth-targeted events. 
• First Fridays: Quarterly fairs will showcase 12 local artists and makers, including youth artsits. Street fairs are designed to be one of the most affordable ways for artists to showcase their work and create a convivial atmosphere to attract a wide range of residents and tourists to the Starland District’s emerging neighborhood scene.
• ON::VIEW artist residency: This program provides high visibility studio space for an artist to complete a 4-week project. The artist studio space will be based at Sulfur Studios on Bull Street allowing the artist’s work to be on view to visitors Community events such as workshops, performances, public art projects, and artist talks will be offered. 
• Exhibition Reproduction for Libraries: Arts Southeast will partner with the Live Oak Public Library System to display artworks of current exhibitions throughout the year. Participating libraries include Oglethorpe, Carnegie, W.W. Law, and Forest City branches. 
• Professional Practice Workshops for Artists: Arts Southeast will present a series of free workshops based on professional practices and provide educational opportunities for local artists. 

Deep Center, Inc. -- Deep Literacy Programming: Savannah Stories

Deep Center’s mission is to empower Savannah’s young people to thrive as learners, community leaders, and agents of change. Through creative writing, cultural production, and art, Deep creates platforms for the city’s youth and the village of support around them, including their families and adult allies, to share stories, engage in debates, and make Savannah a more just and equitable place.

Examples of Funded Programs:

• Young Author Project (YAP): The Young Author Project, Deep’s introductory program, engages public middle school students with language and their stories to help them grow as learners, celebrate their lives and communities, and express themselves with skill, confidence, and courage.
• Block By Block (BYB): Block by Block is Deep Center’s year-long program for creative writing, leadership, and community-building.
• Youth Leadership Team (YLT): YLT youth provide feedback to staff, engage in advanced writing on critical issues, co-facilitate community conversations, perform their writing in at least five community settings, and go on leadership trips to perform, share, and engage with national peers. 

First City Pride Center -- Pride Youth, Stonewall Block Party, Savannah Pride Festival

First City Pride Center is an inclusive advocacy, social, and service organization actively working to meet the needs for safety, empowerment, education, and wellbeing of Greater Savannah’s LGBTQIA+ community.

Examples of Funded Programs

• Pride Youth: Weekly youth programming for ages 14-20 led by local art and education professionals with programming designed to provide social support for the LGBTQ+ youth community through art, culture, and educational activities. 
• Stonewall Block Party: In honor of the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City. The event will include documentary screenings, HIV testing, and local artists.
• Savannah Pride Festival: The 23rd year of Savannah Pride will bring carnival-inspired, queer-focused content throughout the weekend. Participants will find a wide array of sensory experiences that offer a glimpse into the creativity of queer artists. 

Loop it Up Savannah, Inc. -- Looping Literacy Together 

Loop It Up Savannah is a youth arts and enrichment nonprofit, providing school-day, after-school and summer workshops for over 10,000 young people each year. Programming includes visual and performing arts, school gardens, early literacy, mindfulness-based practice, and creative entrepreneurship throughout Savannah. 

Examples of Funded Programs

• Looping Literacy Together: A multi-faceted program fostering literacy in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. The program focuses on establishing age appropriate reading and comprehension levels for the children that are served, readying them to read and improving their performances in school using culturally relevant material and arts-based projects. Programming is targeted specifically at early learning and Title I SCCPSS elementary schools.

Mountainfilm on Tour in Savannah -- Movies that Matter 

Mountainfilm on Tour – Savannah uses the power of film to educate and inspire audiences to create a better world. Mountainfilm showcases nonfiction documentary stories about adventure, the environment and cultural, political and social justice issues that matter.

Examples of Funded Programs

• Movies that Matter - brings award-winning documentary films to Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) students. After the documentary films, personalities from the films join students for Q&A sessions. Educational materials about the films are designed to be used in the classroom before and after the screenings. The materials, developed by Mountainfilm's education consultant, include interviews with filmmakers, suggested talking points, and discussion topics with links to additional reading materials and films.

Savannah Book Festival -- SBF@Schools

The Savannah Book Festival (SBF) is an annual event, free and open to the public, in celebration of the written word and its role in improving the human experience. The mission is to promote reading, writing and civil conversation. 

Examples of Funded Programs

• SBF@Schools - Savannah Book Festival will work with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (SCCPSS) to match authors with classrooms, aligning their material with the current subject matter being taught. Authors will speak about the writing life, how they became an author, the research process, content of the book, origins of the ideas, and many other topics related to their subject matter and occupations. 

Savannah Children's Choir -- Choral Foundations

Savannah Children's Choir is a nonprofit, community supported, choral organization whose mission is to unite, mentor and transform Savannah's children into responsible, creative, and confident leaders through excellence in choral performance and music education. 

Examples of Funded Programs

• Choral Foundations - An after-school program that will be open for free to all interested Savannah 3rd - 5th graders. In coordination with local schools, expert choral instructors will visit school sites for scheduled after-school introductory choral program instruction. Choral Foundations students will have the opportunity to join multiple participating schools to perform at a free, public concert to their peers, parents, and the Savannah community.

Savannah Jazz Festival -- Savannah Jazz Festival

Savannah Jazz was born out of the Coastal Jazz Association, a grassroots non-profit organization formed in 1981 to help Jazz thrive in Savannah, Georgia by sponsoring live performances, encouraging Jazz education, and fostering the camaraderie of others with shared interests. Savannah Jazz is responsible for the annual Savannah Jazz Festival, the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame, and the Savannah Jazz Orchestra.

Examples of Funded Programs

• Savannah Jazz Festival - The annual Savannah Jazz Festival is distinguished by its accessibility for all people by hosting free performances and programs. The tradition will continue into 2022 as the festival will infuse a variety of related genres such as blues, funk, gospel, and Latin acts into the already diverse programming. During the week-long festival, the festival will offer opportunities for all races, classes, and cultures of people to unite peacefully through America’s indigenous art form of jazz music. 

Savannah Music Festival -- Musical Explorers, SMF Jazz Academy, SMF Family Roadshow

The Savannah Music Festival is dedicated to inspiring and growing audiences of all ages through engagement with the musical arts, we advance our vision through an array of musical performances that include dance, film, and narrative programs. 

Examples of Funded Programs

• Musical Explorers - Musical Explorers, a year-round program developed in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, is designed to connect students in grades K-2 to the diverse musical community. The tuition-free program builds basic music and life skills as students learn songs from different cultures, reflect on their own communities, and engage in music exercises that incorporate lessons in history, geography, literacy, mathematics and social studies. Interactive concerts held in the fall and spring allow students to meet the professional musicians that have guided them on their musical journeys.
• Jazz Academy - SMF Jazz Academy program gives students the opportunity to learn an instrument and be a part of the SMF Jazz Academy Big Band. The program provides complete after-school care consisting of academic assistance, dinner, snack, and transportation to and from the program site. SMF Jazz Academy aims to empower the whole student by instilling life-long skills of academic, social, and musical achievement.

Savannah Philharmonic -- Phil the Park, SavPhil Sectionals, Phil the Schools with Music!, Musical Safari, SavPhil All-Star Ensemble 

Savannah Philharmonic's mission is to inform, instruct and enrich the community through orchestral and choral performances, and to promote and increase community knowledge and appreciation of the arts.

Examples of Funded Programs

• Phil in the Park: Phil in the Park will bring together the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, local colleges, corporate and community partners, the 3rd ID Army Band, veteran groups, and other local talents to present an evening of community celebration through music. . Phil in the Park invites all members of our community to come together, spread out a blanket in Forsyth Park, and celebrate Savannah through music. 
• SavPhil Sectionals: SavPhil Sectionals are supplementary small group instruction for instrumental music students in grades 5-12. Sectionals will be led by Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra artists and be provided as a free resource to any band or orchestra director in Savannah. 
• Phil the Schools with Music!: Held in an assembly format, the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra engages multiple musicians from different sections of the philharmonic to perform for students in grades 3-5. All school assemblies are proceeded by Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra provided in-class curriculum, developed in collaboration with SCCPSS teachers. These lessons will align with the Georgia State Music Education Standards and introduce the instruments and fun orchestral music to the students. 
• Musical Safari: Musical Safari will introduce students to a variety of musical instruments with the intent to help students to choose an instrument that they are excited to learn to play. Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra will visit grades 3-5 music classrooms and introduce the students to string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. The goal of the program is to spark interest in music, introduce new instruments that students may be unfamiliar with, and encourage enrollment in further instrumental music education.
• SavPhil All-Star Ensemble: The SavPhil All-Star Ensemble is a chance for Savannah students from every school to come together, meet new musical friends, and make great music. This two-day festival invites students from each of Savannah’s high schools to rehearse together, receive small group instruction from Savannah Philharmonic musicians, be conducted by Maestro Keitaro Harada, and perform a free concert to the community. For inclusivity, this will not be an auditioned ensemble as the aim of the program is to provide a positive musical experience for all young performers. 

Savannah State University -- Savannah Black Heritage Festival 

Savannah Black Heritage Festival is a multi-disciplinary festival which exposes, educates, and provides cross-cultural/cross-generational experiences for Savannah's citizens, youth, and visitors to enhance awareness and appreciation for contributions by African Americans to this country's history and culture. As the parent organization, SSU has provided in-kind services which include staff for full administrative, legal and fiduciary services, as well as office space, equipment, security and use of campus venues.

Examples of Funded Programs

• In 2022, Savannah Black Heritage Festival’s theme will be “Celebrating Culture, Celebrating Heritage, Celebrating You!” With the ability to present a hybrid virtual and in-person festival, the festival will present regionally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed African American programming. 

Telfair Museums -- Art in our Neighborhoods

Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the South. Telfair Museums consists of three unique buildings: the Telfair Academy and the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, two National Historic Landmark sites built in the early 19th century, and the contemporary Jepson Center for the Arts. The museum develops awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the arts and serves as a dynamic cultural center connecting people of all ages and backgrounds.

Examples of Funded Programs

• Art in Our Neighborhoods - In 2021, Telfair will present Art in Our Neighborhoods, one program consisting of 286 free sessions including educational tours, summer youth outreach, senior center outreach, health and social services outreach, veterans art workshops, youth STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) after-school program, free lectures, and family free entrance days. Telfair is deeply committed to presenting high-quality programming as demonstrated throughout longtime partnership with the City, local schools, and other organizations throughout the community. 

T.I.A., Through it All -- Student Tutoring and Engagement through Arts

T.I.A. Through it all is a a community and youth mentoring organization with five programs designed to Educate, Motivate and Inspire: Civic Education, Focus on HER, Family Futures, Next Step (post H.S. readiness), Just Be.

Examples of Funded Programs:

• Student Tutoring and Engagement through Arts: The Student Tutoring and Engagement through Arts program will be a multifaceted structured program targeting youth and adults by encouraging civic engagement in several underserved communities. A major component will be an educational reinforcement summer camp targeting students ages 6-15 located in the Frasier Homes community. The camp will offer hands-on educational programming compliant with the Georgia State Standards of Excellence in math, language arts, social studies, science, and art.