MILWAUKEE — Two Milwaukee arts organizations were left scrambling after the National Endowment for the Arts unexpectedly withdrew thousands of dollars in previously awarded grant funding.
ArtWorks for Milwaukee, which runs a 10-month program teaching teenagers (14-17) career skills by creating community art that helps spread environmental awareness, lost a $10,000 grant this spring.
That money would go toward a few months of wages for the 10 teens currently in the program.
Previous Coverage: Funding cuts challenge local arts organizations in Sheboygan
"Pulling the rug is a good way to characterize it," said Rhiannon Orizaga, Executive Director of ArtWorks for Milwaukee.
This year's program focuses on environmental awareness in fashion and re-purposing clothing.
"When we do our slow fashion showcase and are clothing swap, that’s going to be free clothes for people that want it and need it," said Orizaga.
The interns are paid for their time and work while preparing for the next chapter of their lives.
"When you think about kids who may lack access to opportunities, they might have to have a job. They might be expected to contribute to their household or they might be about to move out and go to school or just move out and set up their own household in a year or two anyway, so they kind of need to be earning money," said Orizaga.
First Stage, an organization providing theater experiences for children and families, faced an even larger setback when the NEA withdrew $25,000 in funding for an interactive theater experience just weeks before it was set to open.
"It was heartbreaking, you know, because I knew next I had to talk to my friends that I've been working with and say, well, everything's on hold, because without this funding, we don't have a way to move forward with the programming," said Jeff Frank, Executive Artistic Director at First Stage.
The project would have featured an interactive exhibit in First Stage's common area leading to an immersive theater experience where audiences would become part of a sound adventure. Frank had been working on the project for three years before the funding was pulled.
Both organizations report being told by the NEA that "priorities had changed.
"We thought we found this unique way to engage our community in a different sort of thing and really create something with the community and for our community," Frank said.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation teamed up to offer a replacement grant to ArtWorks for Milwaukee.
Orizaga is grateful for their help, but still remains worried not just for her organizations but others seeing funding opportunities dissapear.
"It's really sobering and honestly kind of grim," Orizaga said.
First Stage has filed an appeal to try to recover the funding.
"Every dollar matters in the arts world. So when you lose funding of any source, it can have a dramatic effect, and you can see the human cost," Frank said.
The National Endowment for the Arts did not respond to requests for comment.
This story was reported by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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