National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded Pinecrest Gardens $10,000 to help fund the 2017 – 2018 Jazz Series and the Gen-Next Jam mentorship program.
Jazz greats that include Nestor Torres, Brian Lynch, Spyro Gyra and NEA Jazz Master Elis Marsalis will arrive a day before their performance to jam with a core group of high school students participating in the jazz magnet program at New World School of the Arts. Funding from NEA will also support the continued expansion of South Motors Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens, a seven-part jazz series that remains Pinecrest Gardens’ most popular and artistically exceptional performance series.
“NEA awarded us a generous grant for this initiative that will mark its seventh anniversary with the third year of an explosive expansion that will bring an exceptional caliber of internationally celebrated artists,” said Pinecrest Gardens Director Alana Perez. “From the earliest days of jazz, grassroots mentoring was part of its oral tradition—far exceeding matters of pedagogy.”
NEA approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects across the country in NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. “The arts reflect the vision, energy, and talent of America’s artists and arts organizations,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support organizations such as Pinecrest Gardens, in serving their communities by providing excellent and accessible arts experiences.”