The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Announces $750,000 Grant to Help Build New Juneau Arts & Culture Center (New JACC)
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) yesterday awarded the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council (JAHC) a $750,000 grant to help pay for building the New Juneau Arts & Culture Center (New JACC). Construction of the New JACC is scheduled to begin in 2019. The New JACC, designed by Juneau’s NorthWind Architects and Hacker of Portland, Oregon, will serve Alaska’s Capital City with a large community hall, 300-seat theater, gallery, 100-seat studio space, art shop, seminar room, café, and office space for local arts organizations. The New JACC has been planned for over four decades as a way to meet Juneau’s economic and creative needs.
New JACC Capital Campaign Committee co-chair Annie Calkins authored the application for this NEH Infrastructure & Capacity Building Challenge Grant: (https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/infrastructure-and-capacity-building-challenge-grants). Calkins noted, “Juneau is the only state capital in the country without a dedicated arts and culture center. Alaska, and Juneau itself, where we are “inspired by nature and driven to create” rightly deserve a gathering place such as the New JACC in the center of our community.”
Corey Baxter, Business Manager for the Juneau Chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) said, “this is great news, and it comes at a great time for the New JACC project. The building trades are strongly behind this effort for the much needed construction jobs it will provide at a key time for Juneau, and also because of the permanent good effect it will have on the quality of life in Juneau. The New JACC will also help make Alaska’s Capital City better for all Alaskans, and for millions of visitors.”
Bruce Botelho, co-chair of the Partnership Board of Directors, observed, “the National Endowment’s grant is a true ‘Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval’ on the soundness of this project. It is wonderful to receive this tangible recognition.”
The New JACC Capital Campaign private-sector fundraising efforts have also been robust of late, yielding impressive results. Almost $1,000,000 has been raised in the past several weeks. The Anchorage-based Carr Foundation recently announced a grant of $150,000 to build the New JACC. Individual contributions also show strong community commitment, with more and more Groundbreakers, who make a $10,000 contribution over several years, and a host of other contributions at all levels.