West Bend, WI – The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend a $50,000 grant as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
MOWA was one of 855 organizations selected out of 3,100 eligible applications nationwide to receive a grant. This award will support key curatorial positions dedicated to sharing Wisconsin art and culture through MOWA’s collection, presenting new exhibitions, and championing Wisconsin artists.
“During the past 12 months, MOWA has seen its greatest successes and its greatest challenges,” said MOWA Executive Director and CEO Laurie Winters. “Throughout these challenging times, we remain devoted to serving our audiences in meaningful and safe ways, and are grateful for this support through the CARES Act as we reopen with newly reinstalled galleries, special exhibitions, and safety protocols in place.”
Arts and culture play a key role in the economy contributing $877.8 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product, with $10.1 billion impact and over 96,000 wage‐and‐salary workers for Wisconsin. According to the NEA, this funding will help support those jobs and those nonprofit organizations during this time of great need so that arts and culture will persevere as a significant contributor to the American economy.
“All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance,” said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter.
