CHICAGO–Natya Dance Theatre, founded by Hema Rajagopalan in 1974 in Chicago, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation.
The $50K grant is for a “collaboration with an Indian dance master on a new theatrical dance work combining classical and contemporary elements of Indian dance for performances in Chennai, India and Chicago,” MacArthur Foundation said on its website.
MacArthur announced grants to 10 Chicago arts and culture organizations for diverse artistic exchanges in eight countries, including Haiti, Qatar, Russia, and South Africa. An additional grant will support an organization that specializes in assisting the international performing arts community address the challenges artists face obtaining visas to visit and perform in the United States.
“Collaborating with international peers helps Chicago’s cultural organizations create new work that inspires, entertains, challenges, and transports audiences,” Chicago Commitment Director Tara Magner said. “These artistic partnerships foster learning and build meaningful engagement that unites communities, locally and internationally.”
This year’s projects cover a range of disciplines, including contemporary dance, film, puppetry, the visual arts, and more.
MacArthur provides more than $9 million each year in support to more than 300 arts and culture groups in Chicago and the region as part of its enduring commitment to the city. The Foundation’s International Connections Fund was initiated in 2008 to enable Chicago arts organizations to facilitate cultural exchanges with new partnerships and creative projects to benefit Chicago arts organizations, their international collaborators, and their audiences. International Connections grants are limited to Chicago-area nonprofit arts and culture organizations that are current grantees in the MacArthur arts and culture portfolio or through the MacArthur Funds established at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the Prince Charitable Trusts.
For 40 years, the Foundation has been committed to Chicago, its people, and its diverse neighborhoods, investing $1.3 billion in over 1,500 organizations and individuals across the metropolitan region – more than in any other place around the world. MacArthur supports Chicago nonprofits, leaders, and communities by strengthening organizations, contributing to civic partnerships, investing in vital communities, advancing influential and diverse leaders, and cultivating creative expression and art.
