National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $20,000 to Gemini Ink to support a year of extraordinary literary activities, creative writing classes and public literary events that celebrate Gemini Ink’s 25th birthday and beyond. Gemini Ink serves over 3,000 residents and engages many more through print and digital outreach. Highlights throughout the city include free readings at a variety of venues, our yearly Autograph Series reading and ticketed luncheon with groundbreaking, nationally-recognized authors; a series of pláticas (public conversations) exploring San Antonio’s unique literary history; fair cost writing workshops with local and regional writers, and a summer Writers Conference that addresses issues of vital importance to contemporary writers. The Art Works category is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts.

“The variety and quality of these projects speaks to the wealth of creativity and diversity in our country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Through the work of organizations such as Gemini Ink in San Antonio, NEA funding invests in local communities, helping people celebrate the arts wherever they are.”

"At Gemini Ink, we pride ourselves on being an ever-evolving, community-centered organization, that brings diverse voices and perspectives to San Antonio while honoring and celebrating the rich local literary culture. Part of our mission is building a sense of literary community that crosses borders of age, race, and class and joins together the varied sections of San Antonio to enjoy and celebrate what literary arts offer,” said Gemini Ink Interim Executive Director Alexandra van de Kamp. “This Art Works grant from the NEA allows us to continue to expand the array of literary offerings we can provide the city of San Antonio, such as the Gemini Ink Writers Conference, which takes place in late July, and brings writers from all over Texas and the country to discuss issues pivotal to the contemporary American literary landscape. We are thrilled to receive such support.”

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.