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A look at what’s happening in the arts locally.
Award-winning author to explore ‘True Fiction’ at Feb. 25 meeting
Sohrab Homi Fracis, winner of the prestigious Iowa Short Fiction Award for his first book, “Ticket to Minto: Stories of India and America,” will read from his newest collection of short stories, “True Fiction,” and lead a discussion on the nature of fiction at the FWA Ponte Vedra Writers 11 a.m. meeting Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library.
“True Fiction” has been described as “a darkly beguiling magic carpet ride.” The eight stories in his collection cross genres and combine realism with a touch of magic.
A native of India, Fracis emigrated to America on a scholarship from the University of Delaware, Newark, where he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering.
He spent years as a systems analyst at Fortune 500 companies. Later, he attended the University of North Florida for an M.A. in English, with a concentration on creative writing. He taught literature and creative writing at UNF for 10 years while writing and publishing short stories.
The Ponte Vedra Writers group is part of the Florida Writers Association. The Feb. 25 meeting is free and open to members and nonmembers alike. For information on FWA go to floridawriters.org.
Cathedral Arts Project to receive $50,000 grant
The Cathedral Arts Project has been approved for a $50,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts to continue its work on the Landscape of Education in the Arts in Duval and introduce a new Arts in Schools Certification system allowing for more transparency in supporting equitable access to arts education.
Along with partners from Duval County Public Schools and Florida Data Science for Social Good at the University of North Florida, CAP will create the Arts in Schools Certification system for Northeast Florida, which will produce a roadmap for expanding quality and access in the arts. This will be a shared system for measuring and understanding equity in access and a tool to support principals’ decisions to grow arts instruction in their schools.
This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants. CAP is one of 44 arts organizations in Florida to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award, and one of only three organizations in the state to be awarded $50,000 or more.
Cultural Council accepting letters of intent for grant program
The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville is now accepting letters of intent for the 2023-24 Cultural Service Grant Program. Letters must be submitted through the Cultural Council’s online application platform by Wednesday, March 1, at 11:59 p.m.
The grant program provides public support to organizations that contribute to the cultural quality of life of Jacksonville’s residents. Submitting a letter of intent is a mandatory prerequisite to completing the full application for the 2023-24 funding program.
During the 2022-23 fiscal year, the grant program awarded more than $4.4 million in support to 30 Duval County arts and cultural organizations. This total includes $3,993,342 in general operating support through the grant program and $500,000 through a capital grant program for the renovation, construction and acquisition of cultural facilities.
These awards were made possible by a $5.25 million allocation to the Cultural Council within the City of Jacksonville’s 2022-23 budget, representing a 33.98% year-over-year increase and the largest public investment in the organization’s history.
— Compiled by Shaun Ryan
