The National Endowment for the Arts has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $30,000 to providing residencies at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, in order to support the creation of new work by mid-career and established artists from diverse disciplines. Hermitage artists receive six weeks of residency that can be used in weekly increments of their choosing, and this NEA grant will serve 15 artists, including composers, poets, playwrights and visual artists, using between one and four weeks of their allotted time during the grant period.  While in residency, Hermitage artists are encouraged to share their work with the public through open studios, free community programming, and collaborative activities with other cultural organizations in the greater Sarasota region. 

According to Bruce Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage, this is the largest grant the Hermitage has ever received from the NEA. It received NEA grants of $10,000 in 2016; $20,000 in 2017; and $15,000 in 2018.

Hermitage Artist Retreat