Jazz Forward Coalition (JFC) Awarded Grant for
JazzHubs In America Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's
(DDCF) Fund For National Projects
JFC to Implement Pilot Program Establishing New
National Jazz Network: Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Portland,
Washington, D.C. Selected as Initial Markets
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) announced the 12
performing arts organizations and projects awarded grants through the
foundation's Fund for National Projects. Jazz Forward Coalition's JazzHubs in America
initiative was singled out in the Jazz category, as the sole awarded
recipient, as an exemplary program to provide an infrastructure for a
dynamic exchange of ideas, resources and demand building best practices
that can be replicated around the country.
Jazz Forward Coalition (JFC) is a diverse and
inclusive global alliance of jazz professionals devoted to advancing the
genre and industry for sustainability and growth. JFC's JazzHubs in
America will pilot a new jazz network by convening local organizations
and professionals across all sectors to facilitate through collective
action, professional development, shared resources and increasing demand
in the market. Together, the rollout of these JazzHubs will form the
basis for a robust and interactive national network of communities to
strengthen jazz's cultural footprint and increase their local and
national presence.
Peter Gordon, CEO of JFC, elaborates:
"We see JazzHubs' function to coalesce the already tremendous resources
of individual professionals and organizations in each market. JFC will
provide a local to national framework to help orchestrate a future
pathway for jazz through the empowerment of shared best practices,
maximizing opportunities, and just plain working together."
Maurine
Knighton, program director for the Arts at DDCF, said, "The field of
jazz needs a forum and network as vibrant, forward-thinking and
adaptable as the music itself. JazzHubs' goal to develop a light, nimble
infrastructure that supports and responds to the community of jazz
artists, presenters and other professionals is an exciting prospect. The
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is pleased to help advance this
project and its benefits for the national sector."
The JFC
JazzHubs are the first step in building an ongoing exchange,
culminating in the establishment of a national jazz network of fully
engaged and well-resourced JazzHub communities. Based on working
relationships with JFC, this project is targeting the following
respective organizations as partners based on their leadership and deep
sense of community building: MCG Jazz (Pittsburgh, PA), The Nash
(Phoenix, AZ), PDX Jazz (Portland, OR), and Smithsonian Jazz
(Washington, D.C.).
These four organizations have
committed to running a JazzHubs pilot program over the next 18 months by
facilitating a series of gatherings focused on resource and capacity
building, and information sharing. These interactive meetings, dubbed
"summits," will address information on both a national and local level.
On a national scale, JFC will present trends, practices, mechanisms, and
assets for sustainability and forward progress. Locally, they'll
discuss and vet issues to help define key priorities for collective
action with a goal for greater marketplace coordination and growth.
About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The
mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) is to improve
the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing
arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being,
and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of
Doris Duke's properties. The Arts Program of DDCF focuses its support on
contemporary dance, jazz and theater artists, and the organizations
that nurture, present and produce them. For more information, please
visit www.ddcf.org.
For Industry Inquiries, please contact:
Sandra Gibson | sandra@sandragibson.com
Peter Gordon | petergordon@thirstyear.com
For Media Inquiries, please contact DL Media:
Maureen McFadden | maureen@dlmediamusic.com
Public Relations for the Preferred Artist
Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos
and bios) on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com
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