Grant will support Morongo Basin community reading program

Arts Connection, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, is one of 61 organizations nationwide selected to receive a 2021-22 NEA Big Read grant.

The grant will support a community reading program in the Morongo Basin focusing on “An American Sunrise” by U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. The program will run from Sept. 28 through Oct. 28.

“For the third year in a row, Arts Connection will be able to provide access to free books and programs to Morongo Basin residents,” Marie Bobin, Arts Connection program director for the Morongo Basin, said in a news release. “We are excited to celebrate the work of current U.S Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and to welcome Ms. Harjo to the desert on Sept. 28 to kick off our Big Read month.”

“For 15 years, the NEA Big Read has supported opportunities for communities to come together around a book, creating a shared experience that encourages openness and conversations around issues central to our lives,” Ann Eilers, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, said in the news release. “We congratulate Arts Connection for receiving an NEA Big Read grant and look forward to a wide variety of meaningful community events.”

The NEA Big Read offers a range of titles that reflect many voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.

The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports community reading programs, each designed around a single NEA Big Read selection.

The books available for the 2021-22 NEA Big Read explore aspects of American history and culture.

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,700 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $23 million to organizations nationwide. More than 5.7 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, more than 90,000 volunteers have participated at the local level and more than 40,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible, according to the news release.

For information about the NEA Big Read, go to arts. gov/neabigread.