Allied Arts, Chattanooga’s private, nonprofit united arts fund and council, has adopted a new name. The organization will henceforth be known as ArtsBuild.
“As a name, ArtsBuild speaks more to our mission and describes the arts foundation the organization has established in the community,” Dan Bowers, president of ArtsBuild, said during a press conference on Monday, Dec. 3.
The organization also announced the 23 recipients of the Community Cultural Connections Grants. This new pilot program will fund up to $6,000 per arts project aimed at benefiting art experiences in social service agencies, neighborhoods and municipalities in Hamilton County. Community Cultural Connections Grants are a result of Imagine Chattanooga 20/20, Chattanooga’s cultural plan that created strategies to improve the community through arts and culture.
Under its new name, ArtsBuild will continue to support its 14 cultural partners, but will also turn its attention to the broader community as part of its effort to include arts initiatives outside the downtown area.
One of ArtsBuild’s main focuses in the coming year is to foster widespread support for the arts and encourage collaboration among the many arts-centered entities and diverse interests that exist within the city, Bowers said.