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Conservatives Criticize Government Grants After Detroit Gets $20,000 For Puppet Program

By Christy Strawser
DETROIT (CBS Detroit)
Conservatives are criticizing a raft of federal spending for the arts, including a $20,000 grant to teach Detroit kids with puppets.

The Detroit grant, per the National Endowment for the Arts, is earmarked for The Matrix Theatre Company to support "D*Versity: A Community of Stories, a puppetry, theater, and community storytelling program."

"In the program, students of all ages will learn a wide range of theater and puppetry skills and explore themes of identity, individuality, community, and commonality," per the description.

Amy Thomas, director of education for Matrix, said they've had puppetry for several years, and they fashion the puppets into the images of heroes like Mother Jones and Martin Luther King Jr. to give kids a "tactile experience with art." "Money needs to go to many things right now ... There are plenty of studies that show arts education helps student immensely, especially when it comes to literacy," Thomas said.

"I think it's pretty ludicrous they're spending money on these things when they should be paid for by patrons," said Joan Fabiano of Grassroots Michigan, the first Tea Party organization in Michigan.

That's not the only money coming to Detroit: Locally, photography classes for Detroit youth through Focus: HOPE garnered $10,000 in federal grants, and $55,000 went to Mosaic Youth Theatre in Detroit for youth acting classes, and more.

Ryan Dinkgrave, director of government and corporate foundation relations for Focus:HOPE says the photography classes are valuable beyond the arts.

"For at least 20 years, I think, we've had different community arts programs here and for the last 10-15 years, the focus has been on cultural diversity work," Dinkgrave said. "It brings together youth from around the region and pairs them with photographer mentors and they explore the region and learn about photography. They learn the techniques and explore the region.

"I think this is not just art, it's youth development, it's giving students that participate opportunity to explore a career, learn a technical skill, attain a voice and articulate what their world is like through the arts."

Beyond Detroit, the Great Lakes Folk Festival in East Lansing got $15,000, another $15,000 went to the Kerrytown Concert House, $30,000 went to the Michigan Opera Theatre, $10,000 went to a concerto about the displacement of Native Americans in the 1830s performed in Battle Creek, and $10,000 was sent to the Capital City Film Festival in Lansing.

An artists summer camp in Saugatuck garnered $20,000.

It's all part of the 2016 National Endowment for the Arts package that includes -- much to the ire of some conservatives -- things like $20,000 to fund a series called "Out/Spoken: Stories about Queer Culture in America."

In total nationwide, 44 grants for artists communities were delivered at a cost of $725,000; 78 grants for arts education garnered $2.2 million; 94 dance grants got $2.8 million; 64 folk art grants got $1.3 million; 53 literature grants for $1.2 million; 18 local arts agencies were awarded $585,000; 60 media arts grants were delivered $2.1 million; 56 museums got $2.1 million; 146 music grants received $3.8 million; 35 opera grants were delivered to the tune of $1.3 million; and 108 multidisciplinary grants delivered $2.6 million.

Several "re-imaginings" of Shakespeare received funding, including $40,000 for an all-male version of "The Taming of the Shrew." that intends to explore modern gender and sexuality issues.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965, and has since then awarded more than $5 billion to support "artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities" according to its online description.

"I think the thing is when you have, when you're constantly going into bankruptcy and constantly voting to increase the national debt, then I think you need to start looking at some of these government programs that should be paid by private citizens," Fabiano said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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