ECU’s Joyner Library awarded Grassroots Art Project Grant

Published Oct 27, 2014 by
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Pictured above is a tea given for African-American Teachers, Oct. 19, 1954.  Attending were Pitt County School teachers including (third from right) Miss Sadie I. Saulter, former principal of the Fleming Street School now named Sadie Saulter School.  (Photo courtesy of Joyner Library Digital Collections "The Daily Reflector Image Collection.")

Pictured above is a tea given for African-American Teachers, Oct. 19, 1954.  Attending were Pitt County School teachers including (third from right) Miss Sadie I. Saulter, former principal of the Fleming Street School now named Sadie Saulter School.  (Photo courtesy of Joyner Library Digital Collections “The Daily Reflector Image Collection.”)

J.Y. Joyner Library at East Carolina University was awarded a $1,750 Grassroots Art Project Grant to support the planning and implementation of the upcoming project “African American Life in Eastern North Carolina.”

“The African-American Life in Eastern North Carolina” project will consist of an exhibition and community event to celebrate the art, culture, and living traditions of eastern North Carolina’s African-American community.

“We are excited about this opportunity to showcase the talent of local artists and musicians, along with our own unique collections, through this collaboration,” says Janice S. Lewis, interim dean of Joyner Library.

The project will include a physical exhibition combining the artwork of eastern North Carolina African American artists with images from Joyner Library’s extensive African-American History Collection within the Special Collections Division. The exhibition will open in the newly renovated Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery in February 2015, coinciding with African-American History Month. The project will also include a free community celebration event honoring the opening of the exhibition and featuring performances by eastern North Carolina African-American musicians.

Heather White, director of library project development, said the event provides an opportunity to engage the campus, community and region. “Through visual arts, music, and our collections, our hope is to celebrate the rich African American tradition and experience,” she said.

Grassroots Arts Project Grants are made possible by the North Carolina Arts Council and dispersed to each county by their local arts council. Since 1977, the N.C. Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program has provided North Carolina citizens access to quality arts experiences. The program distributes funds for the arts in all 100 counties of the state primarily through partnerships with local arts councils. The Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge serves as the N.C. Arts Council’s partner in awarding subgrants to local organizations for arts programs in Pitt County.

For more information, contact Dawn Wainwright at (252) 328-4090.