Community Creative Center receives grants worth $280,000

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 105 views 

Community Creative Center (CCC) received $246,000 from the Walton Family Foundation in a three-year grant to provide arts education programming to the Northwest Arkansas community.

The award, the second multi-year grant CCC received from the Walton Family Foundation will support hands-on studio arts programming for adults and children; underwrite community arts partnerships; and provide access to arts education opportunities for the entire community.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue offering outstanding arts experiences to our community. The first Walton Family Foundation grant three years ago allowed us to focus our programming, strengthen our administration and begin to get the word out about CCC. We’ve made great progress since then and we are excited to see what the next three years will bring,” said Barb Putman, CCC’s executive director.

CCC also received a $20,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to support an after school arts program in underserved schools throughout the region. Through the Curious Minds program, CCC teaching artists go into schools for a four-day art residency designed to inspire curiosity and creativity without placing additional financial or transportation burdens on schools or parents. More than 700 students will take part in Curious Minds this year.

CCC’s collaborative Stage to Studio program will again be supported by a $20,000 grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. In its fourth year, Stage to Studio brings students to a live performance at Walton Arts Center then to CCC studios for a hands-on art workshop that more fully explores the art, themes and learning standards introduced by the WAC performance.

“Our board is so proud of the impact these enriching arts education programs are making in Northwest Arkansas. We are especially grateful to the Walton family, Walmart and Windgate Foundations for their leadership and extraordinary commitment to accessible arts experiences,” said Kim Peters, board chairman for CCC.