OJAC receives grant from NEA

The Old Jail Art Center has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Challenge America award of $10,000, according to an announcement made last month by the NEA.

The grant will support the Cell Series of exhibitions featuring works by living artists within the cells of its repurposed 1877 jail structure. In total, the NEA will award 257 Challenge America awards totaling $2,570,000 that were announced as part of its first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.

“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to the Old Jail Art Center which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”

“The NEA grant not only provides much needed financial support for the program, it is an acknowledgment of its quality and significance,” said OJAC executive director Patrick Kelly.