Johnston County, N.C. — Johnston County Arts Council has awarded fifteen local organizations a total of $20,969.83 in Grassroots Grant money. The Grassroots Arts Program is a partnership between the Johnston County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency. Annual per capita funding for the Grassroots Arts Program is appropriated by the North Carolina state legislature to enrich the cultural life of the state by nurturing and supporting the arts and providing opportunities for every resident to experience the arts in their community. Due to arts advocacy around the state, the state legislature passed the budget with no-cuts to the 2009-2010 recurring grants budget.

James Coleman, chair of the Grassroots Committee, said:

We can be grateful to the State Legislature for continuing the funding for the Grassroots Program in this time of tight state budgets. Although the funds have been reduced by 5%, it shows that there is still an appreciation for the importance of the arts in the lives of the citizens. Grassroots provides an important source of funding for a variety of arts programs in the county. We congratulate the organizations that received funding this year and know that they will make us proud as they advance the arts in our county. I am sure that those who attend these events will gain an appreciation for the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Johnston County.

The 2009-2010 Grassroots recipients and their projects are:

• The Johnston County Chorale will use their grant for contracted musician support;

• Benson Little Theatre will use their grant to assist in the costs of the theatrical production High School Musical;

• Johnston County Schools will use their grant to help pay for transportation and materials fees for fifth grade students from twenty-two Johnston County schools to study the music of and attend a North Carolina Symphony concert at Memorial Auditorium in downtown Raleigh;

• Neuse Little Theatre will use its grant for five performances;

• The Clayton Cultural Arts Foundation will use their grant to offset the costs for a performance by Performance of Eric Bibb and Ruthie Foster Quartet

Keep Johnston County Beautiful will use their grant to offset the costs of the Fifth Annual Festival of Trees;

• The Clayton Area Development Foundation will use grant monies to help cover costs related to the Millstock Music and Arts Faire, and

First Missionary Baptist Church in Smithfield will use their grant for a program by the Shaw University Choir;

• Clayton High School Band Boosters will use their grant monies to assist with the cost of the two community performances;

Clayton Visual Arts will use its grant to promote and host Art ala Carte and Historic Home Tour;

The Tobacco Farm Life Museum will host a Living History and Heritage Arts Program with their grant funds;

• Johnston Community College will use their grant to assist with the cost of the Johnston Community College International Festival;

The Clayton Youth Theater will use their grant to assist in the costs of the theatrical production Pippin;

• The Boys and Girls Club of Johnston County, Selma Unit will use their grant funds for “The Feel and Field of Music”, a program focused on the appreciation of the Arts;



The Ava Gardner Museum will host the Annual Ava Gardner Festival with their portion of Grassroots funding.