LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Today, the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation awarded
$375,000 in matching grants to 15
nonprofits serving small- to mid-sized towns and cities across
America to produce free outdoor concerts as part of the third
annual Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards. Reflecting the
Levitt Foundation's commitment to creative placemaking projects
generating community support, the Levitt Foundation once again
opened the AMP selection process to the public to choose the top 25
finalists.
In July, the Levitt Foundation invited nonprofits to submit
proposals that would reflect the three goals of the Levitt AMP
awards: Amplify community pride and the city's unique
character; enrich lives through the power of free, live
Music; and illustrate the importance of vibrant public
Places. Nonprofits that received a Levitt AMP grant in
previous years were eligible to reapply.
The public voted on the submitted proposals over a three-week
period in November, selecting their favorite projects online at
http://levittamp.org.
"We are thrilled to announce the 2017 Levitt AMP Grant Awards
winners," says Sharon Yazowski,
Executive Director of the Levitt Foundation. "Each made a
compelling case for how the Levitt AMP Music Series will activate a
public space and strengthen the social and economic fibers of their
communities."
The 15 Levitt AMP winners hail from small towns like
St. Johnsbury, Vt.; Middlesboro, Ky.; Berea, Ky.; Jacksonville, Ill.; Denison, Texas; Stevens Point, Wis.; Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Sheboygan, Wis.; to mid-sized cities spanning
the country including Carson City,
Nev.; Ocala, Fla.;
Utica, N.Y.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Trenton, N.J.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Greensboro, N.C. Each winner will present 10
free concerts featuring a diverse lineup of high caliber
entertainment in 2017 as part of the Levitt AMP Music Series, for a
total of 150 free Levitt AMP concerts.
Below is the full list of this year's Levitt AMP [Your City]
Grant Awards winners (in alphabetical order):
* 2016 Levitt AMP winner; ** 2015 & 2016 Levitt AMP
winner
Berea, Kentucky
The
Berea Arts Council will present the Levitt AMP Berea Music Series
to reinvigorate the city's "Old Town" Artisan Village, a historic
site with a rich musical tradition that has experienced increased
crime and economic hardship in recent years. The series will
reinvigorate an existing music series that has suffered from a
significant decrease in funding, while fostering an inclusive
environment where all can enjoy a diverse range of music
styles.
Carson City,
Nevada*
Last year the Brewery Arts Center brought the
Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series to life on the Minnesota Street
Stage, transforming an abandoned corridor into a point of community
pride that brought together people from all walks of life. The 2017
series will further activate Downtown
Carson City's Historic District, helping to realize its
potential as an epicenter for the arts.
Chattanooga,
Tennessee
The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga will present the Levitt
AMP Chattanooga Music Series, activating the lawn of the Bessie
Smith Cultural Center in the historic Martin Luther King district,
and shining a light on its renowned musical heritage while
reestablishing it as a thriving cultural destination.
Denison, Texas**
For
the past two years, the Levitt AMP Denison Music Series, presented
by Denison Main Street Inc., has seen increasingly larger
audiences, more downtown foot traffic and amplified community
pride. This year the series aims to build on this, reinforcing the
relevance of the city's core in the midst of investment in its
outskirts.
Greensboro, North
Carolina*
The Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series,
presented by ArtsGreensboro, sparked widespread enthusiasm for
East Greensboro's newly renovated,
yet underused, Barber Park, when it launched last year. Building on
that momentum, it seeks to continue fostering unity among community
members and to become Greensboro's
premier outdoor music destination.
Hattiesburg,
Mississippi
The University of
Southern Mississippi will present the Levitt AMP Hattiesburg
Music Series to invigorate Chain Park and transform it into the
city's cultural gateway and position the space as a centerpiece for
community enrichment, strengthening the symbiotic relationship
between the University, the city's residents and the arts.
Jacksonville,
IL*
Jacksonville Main Street will present the second
Levitt AMP Jacksonville Music Series in the historically rich
Central Park to further fuel the
revitalization of the city's downtown core. With businesses in the
area newly thriving, the series intends to build on that momentum
and continue to draw residents and visitors from throughout the
region to enjoy free outdoor music.
Middlesboro,
Kentucky**
Through the Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music
Series, third-year grantee Discover Downtown Middlesboro has
transformed a gravel lot into the Levitt AMP Pop Up Park—a vibrant
gathering space complete with a volunteer-installed lawn and
permanent outdoor stage. The 2017 series will build on this
momentum, augmenting the community-driven revitalization of its
downtown.
Ocala, Florida
Marion
Cultural Alliance will present the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series in
Webb Field, a currently underutilized space located in a
once-thriving neighborhood in West
Ocala. The series aims to bring local residents, as well as
visitors from other areas, to West
Ocala by building awareness of the neighborhood's ongoing
revitalization efforts.
Santa Fe, New
Mexico
The nonprofit AMP Concerts will present the
Levitt AMP Santa Fe Music Series at The Santa Fe Railyard in the
heart of the city, positioning the iconic outdoor space's existing
concert series to reach its potential, by elevating the mix of
talent presented in hopes of appealing to a wider audience,
connecting the city's richly diverse communities and increasing
civic pride.
Sheboygan,
Wisconsin**
Levitt AMP Sheboygan has flourished over
the past two years, sparking significant investment in the area and
bringing people together in the heart of downtown. The John Michael
Kohler Art Center will present Levitt AMP Sheboygan for the third
year, furthering efforts to increase community pride, drive the
local economy, and revitalize formerly dormant public spaces.
St. Johnsbury,
Vermont
Catamount Arts will present the Levitt AMP
St. Johnsbury Music Series on Dog Mountain, a bucolic, dog-friendly
spot in the center of a blighted former industrial area that has
been depressed economically. The series aims to build bridges
across socioeconomic divides, provide cultural access, and restore
community pride compromised by poverty and unemployment.
Stevens Point,
Wisconsin
Create Portage
County will present the Levitt AMP Stevens Point Music
Series in Pfiffner Park along the Wisconsin River, with the goal of
creating a thriving city center that offers urban amenities in this
small community, as well as a more lively cultural scene designed
to attract people from all walks of life and entice young people to
stay in the area.
Trenton, New
Jersey**
Now in its third year, the Levitt AMP
Trenton Music Series presented by the Trenton Downtown Association
will build upon its progress, spurring economic activity and
community participation in the state capital's historic downtown
area, and bringing cultural and community activities to the
once-neglected Capital Green.
Utica, New York*
Last
year's Levitt AMP Utica Music Series fueled the social, physical
and financial resurgence of Oneida Square, bringing long-time and
refugee residents together to reenergize Kopernik Park and its
surrounding neighborhoods. This year's series will continue to
bring life to this formerly underutilized space, drawing people
together to create a stronger, more unified community.
About the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation
The
Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation is a private foundation that
exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. Through its
support of creative placemaking, the Levitt Foundation empowers
communities to transform neglected public spaces into welcoming
destinations where the power of free, live music brings people
together and invigorates community life. The Foundation's primary
funding areas include permanent Levitt venues and the Levitt AMP
[Your City] Grant Awards, an annual grants competition. During the
past decade, the Foundation has awarded more than $18 million in grants to support access to free,
high caliber live music experiences while bringing new life to
underused public spaces.
The Levitt network of permanent outdoor music venues and AMP
concert sites collectively serves more than half a million people
annually through 450+ free, family-friendly concerts in 22 towns
and cities. As an example of the high caliber talent presented
across the Levitt network, the 2017 GRAMMY nominees includes 25
artists who have performed on Levitt stages in recent years.
Permanent Levitt venues are located in cities as diverse as
Los Angeles and Pasadena, Calif.; Westport, Conn.; Bethlehem, Pa.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Arlington, Texas. Each permanent Levitt venue
is programmed, managed and supported by its own 501(c)(3) Friends
of Levitt nonprofit organization, presenting 50+ free concerts
every year. Due to accelerating interest from cities and engaged
citizens, the permanent Levitt venue program is growing. Developing
Levitt locations across the country include Denver (opening 2017),
Dayton (opening 2018), Sioux Falls (opening 2019), and Houston
(opening 2020), amongst other cities.
Learn more at http://www.levitt.org.
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SOURCE Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation