The National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) today announced that Arts Cheyenne will receive a $100,000 grant to support the organization and help develop a community-based kinetic public art project. The NEA award to Arts Cheyenne was part of a competitive grant application process to distribute American Rescue Plan funds to arts and culture organizations across the country. Arts Cheyenne was among five other Wyoming-based grant recipients.
Arts Cheyenne will use the funds to support a new kinetic public art project called Wind, Water, and Light, a three-year initiative to bring movable, interactive, wind and environmental-based art to Cheyenne and Laramie County. The project will sponsor up to six temporary kinetic art installations this summer in the West Edge section of downtown Cheyenne.
“We’re thrilled to receive this award to support the organization and public art development in Cheyenne,” said Mike Morris, Arts Cheyenne Board President. “These NEA/ARPA funds are designed to improve community arts & culture infrastructure. The grant support will help us launch this kinetic public art project to help make Cheyenne and Laramie County a center for wind-based art,” he added.
The first year of the Wind, Water, and Light project initiates a public art loan program in the community so that public art creators can temporarily install and increase local awareness of kinetic art. In future years, the Wind, Water, and Light project will sponsor permanent kinetic art installations in Cheyenne and Laramie County locations.