The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) award.

This grant will support a new Regional Residential Artist Program, which is the first residency opportunity offered through the Arts Council. In total, the NEA will award 958 GAP awards totaling more than $27.1 million that were announced as part of its first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.

“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, in a press release. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”

President and CEO of the Arts Council, Bob Pinson, expressed his enthusiasm surrounding the grant announcement. “I would like to thank Michael Houck of our staff for seeking out this funding and am thrilled that the NEA has once again recognized the great work of The Arts Council,” said Pinson in a press release.  “We believe that the Regional Residential Artist Program is a giant step forward in promoting the individual creativity of the artists in our region."

Leveraging the grassroots investments in the NC Arts Council’s Artist Support Grant Program, the Arts Council will seek one mid-career visual artist living in Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, Sampson, or Scotland county for a residency at the Arts Council’s home on Hay Street in Downtown Fayetteville.

Supervised by Arts Council staff providing artistic and professional guidance, Residential Artists will participate in and execute programming with both the Arts Education and Operations Departments.

More information regarding the program and application process will be available in the coming weeks.