Big Read

NEA Big Read

Galesburg Public Library is excited to announce that it is a recipient of a grant of $7,000.00 to host the NEA Big Read in Galesburg. A program of the National Endowment for the Arts, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Galesburg Public Library is one of 77 nonprofit organizations to receive a grant to host an NEA Big Read project between September 2016 and June 2017. The NEA Big Read in Galesburg will focus on the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

This will be the tenth NEA Big Read Galesburg Public Library has participated in and the ninth it has run. We will partner with the Carl Sandburg Festival and the Galesburg Civic Art Center to bring fun and educational programming celebrating Emily Dickinson and National Poetry Month. There will be free performances and speakers, book discussions, and other fun activities for all ages.  Events will take place in March and April 2017. A full schedule of events will be announced on this webpage in the coming months. If your classroom or private book club is interested in receiving free copies of the book, please contact the Big Read Coordinator, Lauren Pierce, at lauren.pierce@galesburglibrary.org or 309-343-6118.

Managed by Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read offers grants to support innovative community reading programs designed around a single book. The program supports organizations across the country in developing community-wide reading programs which encourage reading and participation by diverse audiences. Organizations selected to participate in the NEA Big Read receive a grant, access to online training resources and opportunities, and educational and promotional materials designed to support widespread community involvement. For more information about the NEA Big Read, please visit neabigread.org.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016. Go to arts.gov/50th to enjoy art stories from around the nation, peruse Facts & Figures, and check out the anniversary timeline. 

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit artsmidwest.org.

 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

For more information about NEA Big Read, please visit www.neabigread.org.

If you have any questions about NEA Big Read, please email lauren.pierce@galesburglibrary.org or call 309-343-6118 and ask for Lauren Pierce, the Big Read Coordinator.

Attendance at library programs and events and participating in library-related activities constitutes consent to be photographed for Galesburg Public Library publicity purposes.