Press Release from Boeing A&E Collaborative Grant

The Boeing Company and the Arts and Education Council Announce

$50,000 in Grants to St. Louis Arts and Education Programs

St. Louis, MO - The Boeing Company, in collaboration with the Arts and Education Council, announced today that it has awarded $50,000 in grants ranging from $5-10,000 each to seven arts and arts education programs in the St. Louis bi-state area. The Boeing Company and the Arts and Education Council partnered to offer this unique funding opportunity to organizations that create and promote a more sustainable arts and cultural environment that engage people to become lifelong arts participants, patrons and practitioners. Special consideration was given to those programs which included a component aimed at developing future leaders skilled in the successful creation and operation of viable arts organizations.

“Partnering with The Boeing Company on a project emphasizing the longevity and sustainability of local arts organizations speaks to the value that business leaders place on having a vibrant arts community. We’re thrilled with this year’s projects and look forward to the long-term benefits these grants will have on these organizations,” said Cynthia A. Prost, President of the Arts and Education Council.

The following programs were chosen to receive a Boeing Collaborative Grant:

• Cinema St. Louis – Fellowship

The fellow, a recent graduate potentially interested in film or arts-nonprofit careers will receive a thorough grounding in all aspects of the St. Louis International Film Festival, participating in the full range of related activities: marketing, venue setup and supervision, print shipping, guest hosting, student screenings, program introductions, website updating, social networking and tech assistance.  The fellow will also participate in overall operations immediately following the festival.

• Grand Center – Non-Profit Arts Practicum <----THIS IS ME!

This program will be a practicum by educational standards, wholly immersing college students or recent graduates in the day-to-day operations of the fast-paced, multi-faceted organization and encouraging them to collaborate with full-time staff and to feel free to share opinions, ideas and strategies.

• Jazz St. Louis – Internship

This year long program will allow an individual to work up to twenty hours a week and apprentice under the direction of seasoned staff members to fully engage in and learn the business of arts management while advancing the uniquely American art of jazz via the nonprofit model.

• Opera Theatre of Saint Louis – Administrative Internship Program

This internship program provides important training, job experience and the guidance of Opera Theatre’s professional staff and the artists who stage each spring festival season. Each opera season, the company hires six college students or recent graduates to work for one specific department in the company, including artistic administration, education, development, finance, marketing and patron services.

• Stages St. Louis – Spotlight on Careers

This apprenticeship program provides learning opportunities for qualified college students, recent college graduates, and young professionals actively pursuing careers in professional theater who are interested in acquiring a broad understanding of theater leadership, management, company organization, and administration.

• St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts – No Artist Left Behind

This initiative will make sure that no student majoring in an arts discipline at a St. Louis area university or college will graduate without exposure to basic legal and business matters. This project will provide guest speakers, free easy-to-understand guides and affordable professional development for faculty members.

• The Black Rep – Teen Techs

This program provides middle and high school students, as young as 14, the opportunity to gain experience in the technical careers of the theatre by actually working on main stage productions through apprentice-type relationships with the lighting, costume, and sound designers in the mounting of productions.

Arts and Education Council – Since 1963, the Arts and Education Council has raised nearly $100 million in private funding for the arts – an important task that directly affects the quality of life of our region.  With those funds, the Council annually assists approximately 70 non-profit arts and arts education organizations.  Additionally, the Council provides office space, state-of-the-art technology, rehearsal and performance space for 16 arts nonprofit organizations in the Centene Center for Arts and Education, a unique arts incubator located in Grand Center.  Visit http://www.keeparthappening.org/ or call 314.289.4000 for more information.

The Boeing Company – The world's leading aerospace company, Boeing is the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales. Visit http://www.boeing.com/ for more information.

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