Light Work to Receive $35,000 Grant from the National Endowment of the Arts
SYRACUSE, NY January 26th, 2024 — Light Work is pleased to announce it has been
approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of
$35,000. In total, the NEA will award 958 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than
$27.1 million that were announced as part of its first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.
The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to Light Work, which is helping contribute to the
strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for
the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this
community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful
lives.”
This grant will support Light Work's Artist-in-Residence Program. Light Work invites between
twelve and fifteen artists to Syracuse to devote one month to creative projects every year. Over 400 artists have participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence Program, and many of them have gone on to achieve international acclaim.
The residency includes a $5,000 stipend, a furnished artist apartment, 24-hour access to our
state-of-the-art facilities, and generous staff support. Work by each Artist-in-Residence is
published in a special edition of Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual, along with an essay
commissioned by Light Work. Work by former Artists-in-Residence is also part of the Light Work
Collection.
“We are thrilled to have the continued support of the National Endowment for the Arts to support
our Artist-in-Residence program”, says Dan Boardman, Director of Light Work. “The NEA has
been a cornerstone in building the AIR program. With this funding we offer artists a unique
experience to develop new and exciting work in lens based media. We are truly grateful!”
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit
arts.gov/news.
To request high-resolution images for press reproduction and interviews, contact Cali Banks,
Light Work Communications Coordinator, at cali@lightwork.org.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), established in Congress in 1965, is an
independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in
communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing
equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an
environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.
The NEA’s primary activities include grantmaking to nonprofit arts organizations, public arts
agencies and organizations, colleges and universities, federally recognized tribal communities
or tribes, and individual writers and translators. Grant applications are reviewed by panels of
arts experts and individuals from across the country. All grants must be matched one-to-one by
non federal sources, except for individual grants to writers and translators. NEA funding is
appropriated by Congress annually. For a quick overview of our grants process, check out our
animated video.
While the NEA’s primary activity includes grantmaking, it also is a national leader in the field and
a convener on issues important to the arts community and people working at the intersections of
arts and other fields such as health, community development, and education, among others.
The NEA is an important resource for research on the value and the importance of the arts, and
shares that information with stakeholders and the public.