National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has announced the first round of grants that are part of her signature leadership initiative, Creativity Connects. Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts will be awarded an Art Works: Creativity Connects grant of $35,000  to support a series of public programs, in collaboration with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. These programs will bring ceramic art masters, scientists, writers and others working in natural resource based industries in Maine together to examine intersections between art and contemporary environmental issues.

This is one of 37 grants totaling $2,500,000 to support partnerships between arts organizations and organizations from non-arts sectors, such as healthcare, nutrition, juvenile justice, science, and technology, among many others.

 Chu said, “The NEA is proud to support these Creativity Connects projects, such as the partnership between Watershed and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to explore art and environmental issues, one of 37 projects that is connecting the arts and non-arts sectors in creative ways to produce something truly innovative.”

“Watershed is honored to receive this NEA award, which will allow us to recognize the innovations and contributions of three master artists to the field of ceramics – Wayne Higby, Jack Troy and Paula Winokur – and facilitate public conversations between them, scientists, and others working in natural resource based industries in Maine,” explains

Watershed Executive Director Fran Rudoff. “Nationally recognized radio producer and writer, Julie Burstein, will facilitate the conversations and produce podcasts featuring interviews with the artists and other panelists over the coming year.”

In addition to the grant program, the Creativity Connects initiative includes a “bright spots” interactive, digital graphic that shows the mashup of arts with other non-arts sectors; and the report “Creativity Connects: Trends and Conditions Affecting U.S. Artists” about the current infrastructure of the arts and working conditions for artists.

Since 1986, ceramic artists have come to Watershed to grow their studio practice and connect with others in an environment that fuels peer to peer learning, experimentation and exchange of ideas. Through artist residencies, workshops and public programs, Watershed is a 501c3 nonprofit that serves the local, national, and international clay community. To learn more about Watershed’s programs, public conversations, and podcasts, sign up to receive the Center’s monthly e-news at watershedceramics.org/subscribe.

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.