ArtPlace America grants go to 11 rural communities to connect art and economic-development projects

Whale camp in Kivalina, Alaska, a village to be relocated

ArtPlace America on Monday announced 38 recipients of the 2015 National Grants Program, with 11 of the grants going to projects with rural connections. Here are the rural recipients:

Re-Locate Kivalina: (Kivalina, Alaska, $500,000): "For generations Kivalina has been planning to relocate to meet 'basic needs' for clean water, sanitation, and adequate space for housing, to reinhabit traditional lands and relocate planning power in the village, and to address the impacts of global climate change that increasingly threaten the village’s barrier island location."

American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (Grand Canyon, Ariz., $500,000): "11 Native American tribes traditionally associated with the Grand Canyon will work with the National Park Service to repurpose the Desert View Area and historic Watchtower from gift shops into an inter-tribal cultural heritage center and marketplace."

Appalshop Inc. (Whitesburg/Letcher County, Kentucky, $450,000): "This project will formalize the burgeoning trend of arts programming in the county as a cultural hub to boost the regional economy through increased tourism and creative entrepreneurialism."

First Peoples Fund (Kyle, S.D., $385,000): "Native artist entrepreneurs will lead Rolling Rez Arts, mobile units that travel across the reservation delivering art, business, and retail services that would otherwise be inaccessible."

Libraries of Eastern Oregon ($250,000): The project will create programs, exhibits and projects that will work with local residents to identify and highlight the creative and cultural resources in their communities for the region's libraries in 15 rural counties and three Indian reservations.

Jamestown Fine Arts Association (Jamestown, N.D., $240,000): "The Art Park will lead a participatory design process for an outdoor performance and public art plaza near the downtown art center. The space will allow for long-term programming to serve members of the community and visitors while fueling local businesses."

Indigenous Design & Planning Institute (Zuni Pueblo, N.M., $225,000): "A series of community-wide planning events and design-build activities will help local artists, planners, and leaders build a cultural streetscape that serves as a functional and inviting marketplace."

The Haven (Charlottesville, Va., $200,000): "The Haven will partner with New City Arts Initiative to facilitate artist-led design consultation sessions with formerly homeless clients to create a more positive home environment that reflects each client’s needs."

Cal Poly State University (San Luis Obispo, Calif., $150,000): "Despite being a largely agricultural county only 3 percent of locally grown food is consumed within the county. Community food activists are working to create a local food distribution network at the county level."

Western Folklife Center (Elko, Nev., $125,000): "The vision for the project is to creatively transform a central six-block long parking lot into pedestrian-friendly green space with commercial storefront renovation and public amenities."

Art Shanty Projects (White Bear Lake, Minn., $100,000): "An artist-led mid-winter festival will transform the frozen lake surface into a community space that is part gallery and part artist residency."