ANN ARBOR – The National Endowment for the Arts has approved a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award for The Ark to support the Ann Arbor Folk Festival.
The festival marked its 44th year last weekend and is still available to watch online through Sunday.
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The Ark, an intimate folk music venue in downtown Ann Arbor, has been presenting, preserving and encouraging folk, ethnic and roots music for 55 years.
Each year, The Ark presents the Ann Arbor Folk Festival at the end of January in the University of Michigan’s historic Hill Auditorium.
For the first time in its history, the event was held virtually due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A two- to three-night event, each night features up-and-comers and established legends.
“A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts is an important benchmark for the Ann Arbor Folk Festival,” The Ark’s board chair Susan McClanahan said in a statement. “The festival is an international leader in both preserving folk music traditions and supporting the next generation of artists who will carry those traditions forward.”
In total, 1,073 projects across the country were selected to receive a total of nearly $25 million in Grants for Arts Projects funding during the first round of fiscal year 2021.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project from The Ark,” Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Ann Eilers said in a statement. “The Ark is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence, and resilience during this very challenging year.”
The 45th Ann Arbor Folk Festival is set for Jan. 28-29, 2022.