JBU Receives $10,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (December 11, 2013) - The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded John Brown University a grant for $10,000 to support the annual Giving Voice: A Festival of Writing & the Arts. The festival supports writing and the arts through readings, workshops and informal gatherings. Workshops are specifically designed for high school students addressing the areas of creative non-fiction, poetry, fiction, songwriting, choral music, drama and visual arts.
“Exposing the creative arts to the JBU community and to area high school students is important to us,” said Jacob Stratman, associate professor of English and Director of Giving Voice. “The NEA grant enables us to invite quality writers of faith and maintain a high quality event that provide unique opportunities to students who might not otherwise have the chance to learn from talented professionals. Each year, hundreds of students report that they appreciate that Giving Voice provides them the opportunity to meet professional artists and writers and to work in the specific craft that they love.”
The grant is part of the Challenge America Fast-Track program that works to extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations – those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability.
John Brown University is a private Christian university, ranked No. 2 overall and No. 1 Best Value among Southern regional colleges by U.S. News and World Report. JBU enrolls more than 2,500 students from 42 states and 44 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, degree completion and concurrent education programs. JBU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
