Clayton Awards $10,000 in Arts Grants

The Cultural Arts Grant Committee of the Town of Clayton has awarded $10,000 in Cultural Arts Grants to three local arts agencies.

The Clayton Youth Theatre was awarded a $5,500 grant to support a 2012 production and scholarship for program participation.

Clayton Visual Arts was awarded $4,000 for its monthly rotating art exhibits and a summer art festival.

The Clayton Band Boosters were awarded $500 in support of the annual Band Classic.

“We're happy to be able to continue our support of the arts,” said Mayor Jody McLeod, a committee member, "though we would certainly have liked to do more. We hope as the economy improves that we will be able to increase our support in future years.”

Clayton Center Executive Director Heidi Stump, also a committee member, said the town’s new method of distributing grants funds, which has provided more than $76,000 to local arts organizations over the previous four years, "is doing a good job of spurring creativity."

Clayton has long supported the arts through special allocation funding, but decided to establish the Grant Committee five years ago in an effort to insure an efficient and effective division of its grant money. The Town wants to strengthen its support of arts organizations and cultural programs, while also promoting diversity and encouraging creativity.