September 16, 2024
Local News

Woodstock Fine Arts Association receives $9,120 grant, continues with speakers series online

By NORTHWEST HERALD

The September 2020 Creative Living program was presented as a live Zoom webinar with glass artist Katherine Gray speaking to viewers from her California studio. (Photo provided)

The Woodstock Fine Arts Association received a $9,120 grant to cover general operating expenses and make up for revenue lost because of COVID-19 disruptions of its 57th Creative Living Speaker Series, according to the news release.

The grant was awarded by the Community Foundation for McHenry County, an organization founded in 2001 that seeks to provide legacy giving opportunities to McHenry County's donors and provide grants to other area nonprofits. The foundation recently moved to a new, permanent location in Crystal Lake.

“We are grateful to the Community Foundation for this substantial award,” Woodstock Fine Arts Association President Mary Ellen Prindiville said in a news release. “While [COVID-19] restrictions have disrupted our programs and our fundraising, we will continue with the current Creative Living season, temporarily reimagined as online Zoom webinars.”

Upcoming webinars include:

• “Simple Swaps” on Jan. 21: Nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner will lay out a plan for improving viewers' favorite dishes with better-for-you ingredients.

• “Muhammad Ali: A Life” on Feb. 18: Biographer Jonathan Eig will share information about the boxing legend’s colorful, incredible life.

• “Celebrating Jazz” on March 18: Professor Anna Celenza will use film clips, photos and recordings to explore the power of America’s greatest original art form

• “A Grand Tour Of Italy” on April 15: Through art, music, film and literature, Professor Joseph Luzzi delves into what is behind the country’s enduring appeal.

All programs begin at 10 a.m. Tickets are $20 each and may be bought at bit.ly/WFAACreativeLiving. Technical information on how to access the program from a computer, smart phone or tablet will be provided with each e-ticket.

“WFAA hopes to once again welcome Series’ patrons back to the Woodstock Opera House auditorium in October 2021,” Prindiville said in the release. “Meanwhile, we will also continue our long history of awarding scholarships to graduating high school seniors who live in McHenry County and are accomplished in the arts.”