TROY — The Arts Center of the Capital Region has rejected a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts due to concerns over federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements and fears of censorship. The decision comes at a time when many arts organizations around the nation are facing funding challenges following major changes at the NEA and other federal-level grant-giving agencies.
The grant, which was allocated through the NEA’s Our Town program, would have supported a public art project in South Troy, said Elizabeth Reiss, executive director of the nonprofit arts center. Stacy Levy, an internationally recognized sculptor and environmental artist, was slated to lead the community-driven exploration of the impact of the Poesten Kill creek and Hudson River. The program will be postponed while the Arts Center “can rebuild funding.”
“We really struggled with this,” Reiss said. “South Troy deserves a project. The artist deserves a project. Our budget is very small. It’s less than $1.5 million. These are meaningful dollars. It’s not easy for us to just turn down money.”…