Denali Arts Council receives national grant

Last week, the National Endowment for the Arts announced fifty-seven million dollars in grant funding for arts organizations around the country.  The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, and is intended to help arts organizations recover from reduced income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fifty thousand dollars of that funding is coming to the Denali Arts Council in Talkeetna.  DAC Business Manager Michelle Crow says, unlike previous rounds of COVID relief, grantors want to see the funds used to bring the arts back into communities.

Crow is currently the only staff member of Denali Arts Council.  She says handling the day-to-day business and facility operations takes up a lot of her time, and that a second staff member would help increase the program offerings at DAC.  Crow says the organization plans to use the NEA grant to pay for a part time Program Coordinator position for the next two years.

The new position would help organize and plan activities stemming from DAC’s existing programs as well as traveling shows that come into the area.  Crow says her hope is that an increase in programs and attendance would allow the position to be sustainable into the future.    The hiring process for the new position is expected to begin soon.