Harvey B. Gantt Center to Receive $20,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support The Big Read. At the center of the project is Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel, Homegoing. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Cabarrus County Library, and J. Murrey Atkins Library at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), among others, will collaborate with the Gantt. These organizations have similar missions -- community building, empowerment, engagement, and innovation are at the heart of preserving history and galvanizing audiences.

The Gantt’s project is among 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including Harvey B. Gantt Center’s The Big Read, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”

“We are delighted that the Gantt received an NEA Grant for Arts Projects to help fund The Big Read in the Charlotte region in 2024,” stated the Gantt’s CEO David R. Taylor. “This community-wide reading of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing provides another opportunity for the Gantt to further our mission to ignite engagement and conversations that inspire, empower, and enlighten. We look forward to presenting wide-ranging programming inspired by The Big Read.”

Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel, Homegoing, is a natural selection for the Gantt and it’s three library partners because of the book’s themes and opportunity for authentic collaborations. Charlotte’s integral role with slavery extends to the 18th century and provides historical relevance for the scheduled events. The Gantt née Afro-American Cultural Center was birthed on the heels of the turbulent 1960s to preserve Charlotte’s historical legacy due to the influx of urban renewal.

The Big Read program will occur in 2024, from February through June.

The kickoff celebration will be held at the Gantt and will include the Kankouran West African Dance Company, speakers, and a free book distribution. Please note confirmed program dates:

2024 Book Discussions

• Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: 8 discussions April through June
• Cabarrus County Library:
  • DIBS Book Club discussion on February 6
  • Kannapolis branch – Bookends Book Club discussion on March 12
• UNC Charlotte’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee book discussion in March

2024 Presentations

• “Charlotte’s Lost Slavery History” walking tour of 18 slave markers in uptown, led by Girl Scout Gold Award recipient, Alexia Alexander on February 3
• The six-episode 1619 Project docuseries will be screened
  • Afterward UNC Charlotte faculty content experts will conduct discussions on episode topics: Democracy, Race, Music, Capitalism, Fear, and Justice
• • A multidisciplinary panel on the legacy of slavery and the history of civil rights in Charlotte will be held at UNC Charlotte in February
• The Males Place will hold a Black History Oratorical Program at the Gantt on February 24
• Race Matters for Juvenile Justice will hold a Social Justice Youth Round Table on March 21
• Playwright Ruth Sloane will present “Experience Ghana: Photographic and Poetic Reflections” at the Gantt on March 24
  • Sloane was awarded a Creative Renewal Fellowship to travel to Ghana to explore ancestry
• Cabarrus County Library will host a genealogy presentation in March
• A closing June event will include Drums4Life and student contest winners

2024 Projects

• Question Bridge: Black Males multimedia project will be held at the Gantt on February 28
• Collage artist Monique Luck will conduct a HerStory Art Activity at the Gantt on March 2
• UNC Charlotte Student Engagement Committee will hold a student reading challenge in April
• Northwest School of the Arts (NWSA) students will perform a dramatic interpretation from the book and poetry slam on April 12
• Participants will read excerpts from their favorite books about women during a Read-A-Thon at NWSA on April 16
• Dr. Janaka Lewis will conduct a writing marathon on April 24 at the Gantt

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access is integral to the Gantt, the libraries, and the community-based partners’ missions. The events and programs during these months focus directly on disparities, highlight African Americans, women, and a diversity of cultures and age groups.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

About Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture

The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture is a multi-disciplinary arts institution located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1974, the Gantt Center’s mission is to present, preserve and celebrate excellence in the art, history and culture of African-Americans and those of African descent through visual and literary arts, dance music, film, educational programs, theatre productions and community outreach. The Gantt Center features fine art exhibitions from around the world and is home to the nationally celebrated John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, which was generously donated by Bank of America, and is accessible online.

Named for Charlotte civic leader and former mayor Harvey Bernard Gantt, the Gantt Center is housed in an iconic, award-winning structure designed by architect Philip Freelon, co-designer of the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

Contact
Ingrid Travis James
ingrid@ganttcenter.org
(704) 547-3764

Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2023

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