MOPA to Receive $35,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

San Diego — National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $35,000 to Museum of Photographic Arts for SEPIA (Seniors Exploring Photography, Identity and Appreciation): Genesis, a nationally-recognized educational outreach initiative that brings creative and socially engaging photography programs to seniors in San Diego. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,605 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking, and will award 972 grants in this category.

“The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The Museum of Photographic Arts is thrilled to receive an Art Works grant for our treasured SEPIA: Genesis program. Through Genesis MOPA creates an enriching experience that positively impacts participants’ lives, teaching them to use the medium of photography to more effectively share their unique perspectives,” Museum of Photographic Arts Executive Director and Chief Curator, Deborah Klochko said.

The SEPIA project will provide photography classes, museum tours, and art talks to more than 700 seniors annually. Programs are implemented through a network of community partner sites, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, libraries, and community centers.

SEPIA is designed to reach underserved seniors who often face barriers to arts participation and is inclusive of seniors with memory loss and Alzheimer’s. A MOPA signature program since 2011, the Museum will expand programming into predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhoods near the San Diego/Tijuana border for the next two years.

 

For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit <a href=”http://www.arts.gov/news” target=”_blank”>arts.gov/news.</a>

# # #