Blog

The City of Erie is slated to receive another large scale mural. The site for this new piece of public art are the basketball courts at Bayview Park. The initiative led by Erie Arts & Culture is a collaboration with the agency’s CHROMA Guild and is funded with support from Brian and Linda Graff, Erie Insurance and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development through the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP), and a special grant from the Erie Community Foundation. 

Brian and Linda (Hoehn) Graff made their first contribution to Erie Arts & Culture in 2019 as part of Erie Gives. That donation funded the mural “Rudy,” located on Methodist Towers and painted by international artist Evoca1. The Graffs made another contribution to Erie Arts & Culture on Erie Gives 2020 and that gift is supporting this mural project. 

Each month, Erie Arts & Culture highlights one or more of our Teaching Artists. The goal of these monthly posts is to share the wonderful work our TA’s accomplish and their impact on our community! This month's feature is Annie Schmitt.

Interested in an Artist Fellowship? Learn more about becoming an artist fellow in our latest blog post. 

Erie Arts & Culture committed to making a greater investment in the artists living and working in Erie County by establishing the annual Artist Fellowship program. This program provides cash awards to three artists from Erie County. The Fellowship, which includes cash awards ranging between $2,000-$5,500, helps individual artists sustain or enhance their creative process and advance their career in the arts. 

The deadline is now extended to July 30 for Fellowship Applications.

James and Deborah Fallows are writers who have a recurring column in the Atlantic. Their column led to the book "Our Towns," which featured Erie as the closing chapter. After being published, the Fallows created a documentary for HBO of the same title. This all led to them creating the Our Towns Civic Foundation. 

For World Refugee Day, Erie Arts & Culture updated our flyer of businesses in Erie owned by individuals who came to the US and Erie as refugees. We also partnered with MenajErie Studio to highlight three refugee-owned food markets in the City of Erie. For the past two years, we've worked diligently to promote cultural diversity and raise awareness of food options in the urban core by promoting these markets. 

Our efforts were published yesterday on the OTCF website! We encourage you to read the article penned by Erie's Ben Speggen.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is announcing two programs to distribute American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. These programs are open to nonprofit arts and culture organizations and local arts agencies, regardless of whether they have received NEA funding in the past. This is a change from previous emergency funding requirements at the NEA and significantly expands access to federal funds for the arts and culture sector. The NEA encourages applications from first-time applicants, and will offer workshops, question-and-answer sessions, and other resources for those new to federal funding. 

Join us for a PRO Network webinar on July 6 at 6 PM on Facebook live and zoom with Ulysses Owens Jr.

Ulysses Owens Jr. is a drummer, creative entrepreneur, performer, author, and educator. Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond. His passion for career development and creative entrepreneurship has taken him around the world as a lecturer helping students identify their purpose, and how to navigate this ever-changing terrain entrepreneurially as a creative.

Ulysses will present an overview of the concepts included in his newly published book, "The Musician's Career Guide: Turning Your Talent into Sustained Success," which is presently the "#1 New Release" on Amazon! This book will serve as a textbook for various Music Business and Career Development programs around the world.

Those who register for the webinar have a chance to win a complimentary copy of Ulysse's book!

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act. The program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance.

Eligible applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.

On April 24, 2021,the U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal. The application is still open until funds are expended. (As of today's date, June 24, 2021.)

Erie Arts & Culture invites you to join us on July 10 at 9:30 AM for a PRO Network Webinar with Joel Brennan! Joel will teach artists how to work with spray paint. The workshop will be limited to 10 participants and held at Steadfast Tattoo (8320 Peach St, Erie, PA 16509).

The Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the region’s LGBT community and its straight allies through educational programs, social events, and opportunities for service, which are designed to strengthen our voice and improve the quality of life in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Among these events is the 2021 LGBTQ Juried Art Exhibit running until June 30 at the Blasco Library. The exhibit features over 50 artworks from 28 different local LGBTQ artists. Works are created in a variety of mediums including painting, jewelry, mixed media and more. 

In commemoration of Juneteenth, Erie Arts & Culture collaborated with Erie's Black Wall Street to develop a list of black-owned businesses operating in Erie!

June 20th is World Refugee Day, an international celebration of the strength and resilience of those who have fled conflict and persecution.

Erie is home to thousands of former refugees, many of whom have become naturalized citizens. Former refugees are an important part of Erie’s economic engine and have helped stabilized population decline. Erie Arts & Culture is proud to publish an updated directory of small businesses owned by former refugees.

Thanks to grants from the Erie Community Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Menajerie Studios has created a short documentary about three of the many food markets owned by refugees that can be found within the City of Erie. Visiting one of these markets is a great way to experience a culture outside of your own.

Gone Local Teams Up with Erie Downtown Partnership and Erie Arts & Culture to Offer Subscription Boxes with Treats from Local International Markets

Local shoppers will now have a chance to discover and support some of Erie's refugee- & New-American-owned markets and explore many of their unique and delicious products in a convenient subscription box. Gone Local has teamed up with Erie Downtown Partnership and Erie Arts and Culture to curate new subscription boxes featuring snacks, treats, and ingredients from Erie’s local international markets. Kristen Santiago of Gone Local, Kelly Armor of Erie Arts & Culture, and Dave Tamulonis of Erie Downtown Partnership have worked with each store owner to compile a new box every two weeks (8 total boxes), full of international spices, sauces, and snacks.

June 20, 2021 is World Refugee Day! We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, patronize one of Erie’s many refugee-owned markets to purchase ingredients, and try one of the dishes included in our blog. Follow the recommendations of Shannon Meyers in our latest blog post. Shannon is a VISTA volunteer working to improve access to healthy food and wanted to learn more about Erie’s New Americans. Shannon visited several markets and purchased a drink and items for a healthy, easy-to-prepare dish.

Erie Arts & Culture invites you to join us on July 13 at 6 PM on Zoom and Facebook live for a PRO Network Webinar.

In this webinar Ebony Payne English will cover the basics of self-publishing from start to finish. We will discuss the process of pulling an idea from the intangible realm of thought and manifesting it into a palpable product. Ebony will present her concepts for effective marketing strategies, best platforms for self-publishing, and how to create a project of value and impact to your community.

Erie Arts and Culture is pleased to announce the inaugural Erie Dance Film Festival (EDFF)! The EDFF features a series of films from five Erie teams of filmmakers and dancemakers who collaborated to create and produce films specifically for Dance for Camera.  Erie films will be supplemented by nationally recognized films from the Dance Film Association.  All films revolve around themes inspired by and embracing diversity, equity and inclusion.

The launching event will take place July 8 at Keller’s, A Modern Magic and Comedy Club. Tickets are $35 per person or $50 per couple with food and drink available at an additional cost. All ticket proceeds benefit the 2022 Erie Dance Film Festival.  Doors open at 6:00 PM and screening begins at 7:00 PM.