Cannon gets art grant



NASHVILLE -- The Arts Center in Cannon County, Inc., along with 12 other recipients that include nonprofit organizations, cities and local governments, has been awarded a FY 2017 Creative Placemaking grant distributed by the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The Arts Center of Cannon County will use the $5,000 award to commission and install an environmentally themed sculpture at the intersection of Doolittle Road and Water Street in Woodbury. This outdoor sculpture is designed to complement the town's recent trend of arts development and encourage further investment.

"The sculpture that will be installed at Woodbury's busiest intersection will bring distinction to a block that has been under utilized," said Senator Mae Beavers. "It will encourage additional development in the area which will drive economic and community development."

The Creative Placemaking grants competition was designed to help build stronger communities through the arts to enhance the distinctive character of local Tennessee places for positive economic and community outcomes. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business visibility and public safety, increases tourism and brings diverse people together to build shared understanding of culture and community.

"I applaud the Arts Center of Cannon County for spearheading this project. This piece of public art will become a landmark that reflects the recent growth of the community," said Representative Mark Pody.

In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of their neighborhood, town, city or region around arts and cultural activities or assets.

"These investments support local efforts to enhance quality of life, increase economic and creative activity, and help create and expand a distinct sense of place through the arts," said Anne B. Pope, Executive Director for the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The Commission's allocation process involved a review by an independent panel that included national experts on creative placemaking and local leaders. The panel met on May 26, 2016 to evaluate all eligible applications based on published criteria. All grant applications were evaluated on a competitive basis, taking into account the project type, geographic location and whether the project was in a rural or urban community.

With the mission to cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities, the Commission funds a variety of arts projects through several grant categories. Each year, these grants help fund arts and cultural activities for more than 600 schools, local governments and nonprofit organizations in communities across all 95 counties. Visit tnartscommission.org for more information.