2020-876-E Arts Commission - Music Maker Relief Foundation arts grant

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DocuSign Envelope ID:CD010BEB-F7AA-4DCE-B7AF-45D7F9E62FEC Organization's Since 1994, Music Maker Relief Foundation has worked to preserve Mission Statement: traditional Southern roots music by directly supporting and presenting the artists who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time. Music Maker identifies and serves artists who are vital links in our musical heritage, and whose music communicates part of an important story, seeking to sustain their legacies beyond their lives so that their cultural knowledge and artistic gifts will remain available to generations to come. Music Maker concentrates on the musical traditions of the South, including blues, gospel, string band, and Native American traditions. We strive to bring diverse audiences together to celebrate our shared cultural heritage in order to improve their sense of self, community, and serve as a catalyst for social progress. How many years 26 have you been in operation? Who do you serve? Music Maker's Partner Artists are senior roots musicians practicing the vibrant genres of blues, gospel, folk, and Native American music. The majority (over 851/6) of the artists we work with are African- American, over age 55, and raised in the rural South. We focus our efforts on these artists because there is real danger that their cultural contributions will be lost to our society if they are not supported and documented now. Music Maker emphasizes long-term relationships and individualized plans that meet musicians' specific needs and abilities—this includes everything from social services to booking performances. Since its founding, Music Maker has made over 13,000 financial grants to 500+ artists, and helped its partners secure more than 8,000 engagements in 32 countries. Throughout Music Maker's 26 years of preserving the musical traditions of the South, we have documented and presented the South's cultural history to the world. Our public programming builds audiences for traditional music by presenting artists at venues across the South, the US, and abroad. Programming in Orange County includes free events such as our annual Freight Train Blues concert series, Day of Remembrance at Margaret Lane Cemetery, annual Picnic in the Park performances with the Hillsborough Historic Alliance, and more. While we cannot currently present to live audiences in Orange County, we have produced virtual performances that will be streamed in Orange County and beyond. Our efforts to document these traditions are also preserved in recordings and photographs at the Southern Folklife Collection at UNC Chapel Hill. With four touring multi-media exhibits, MMRF shines a light on under- represented artists and once again brings Southern musical heritage to the world. These exhibits have been installed in 50 museums and cultural institutions across the US since 2014.