The Whitefish Theatre Company received another major grant, this one worth $10,000 from the National Endowment of the Arts.
The money, one of 163 grants awarded to nonprofits nationwide, will be used to host Jayme Stone and the Lomax Project on Feb. 5.
Due to the grant, Flathead Valley senior residents and community members with disabilities will be able to see the performance free of charge, and there will also be free transportation for those who need assistance.
“I’m pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Challenge America including the award to the Whitefish Theatre Company,” NEA Chairman Jane Chu said. “The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives.”
The Challenge America category supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
“With the generous support of the National Endowment of the Arts, this is the 13th year that the Whitefish Theatre Company has been able to offer a free outreach concert to seniors,” WTC Managing Director Gayle MacLaren said. “It is always heartwarming to put on this event and see this group, most of whom don’t have the means or opportunity to see live music, dancing in their seats and tapping their toes.”
Here’s some info on Jayme Stone:
Called the “Yo-Yo Ma of the banjo”, banjoist and composer Jayme Stone has brought together some of North America’s most distinctive and creative roots musicians to create the Lomax Project. This “collaboratory”, featuring Eli West on guitar, Brittany Haas on fiddle, Joe Phillips on bass, and Margaret Glaspy on guitar, celebrates the work of famed folklorist and field recording pioneer Alan Lomax, who exposed the world to iconic artists such as Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, and Woody Guthrie. Jayme Stone and the band aim to revive, recycle, and re-imagine some of the traditional music Lomax recorded over the course of 60 years, including a repertoire of sea shanties from the Bahamas, African American a cappella from the Georgia Sea Islands, ancient Appalachian ballads, and fiddle tunes.