FAIRHOPE – A $90,000 grant from Impact 100 should improve access to arts on the Eastern Shore both in person and virtually, Eastern Shore Arts Center supporters said.
The ESAC was one of five groups to receive a grant from Impact 100.
Bryant Whelan, ESAC director, said the money will be used to replace doors used by art students, build a ramp to allow students to use the entrance more easily and make improvements to the classroom areas.
“This is our first time to ever win an Impact 100 grant,” Whelan said. “All the planets aligned and it’s just going to be fabulous. What we’re doing basically is creating a better experience for our students.”
Some of the money will also be used to improve the outreach studios.
“Then we’re going to take our outreach studios and do a complete upgrade of that,” Whelan said. “Where there are tables like this, we’re going to get new large tables that are good for social distancing. We’re going to get new sinks and storage and all that.”
Adrianne Clow, ESAC marketing director, said the studio improvements will also allow the Art Center to reach out to more people.
“We’re also hoping that that studio, since it’ll be nice and cleaned up will have recording equipment and new projection systems so we can continue upgrading our virtual classes in the future, so that’s going to be really nice,” Clow said.
Whelan said many residents are still nervous about coming out to public spaces, such as the Art Center, during the COVID-19 outbreak. Making art lessons and exhibits available online will help both the public and students who might not have access to the arts.
“With all that uncertainty we’re trying to create virtual arts classrooms and tours and artists talks that then we can make available to the school systems and the homeschooled and this is whole new territory for us, so we’re on a learning curve with that, but the start is to be able to have a setup so that we communicate in a positive visual way and it looks professional as would befit the Eastern Shore Art Center,” Whelan said.
Whelan said the grant will also improve access for students coming into the center. Students now use old double doors that can be difficult to open, particularly by anyone carrying loads of art supplies or fragile artwork.
“We have a lot of students that are pottery students. Artists always have a lot of supplies,” Whelan said. “They come in pulling wagons. They have boxes of supplies. Sometimes they’re carrying out finished pieces of pottery, which, of course, are like gold. They’re precious. They worked so hard on these piece for weeks. Then they’re having to maneuver through these back doors. So, we’re going to get automatic doors.”
The money will also allow the center to build an ADA compliant wheelchair ramp, repair an awning damaged by Hurricane Sally and add an inside entrance area where students can wait for classes.
Impact 100 is a nonprofit organization that awards grants in five categories each year.
