WTC receives endowment grant for free show

The Whitefish Theatre Company has received a Challenge America grant of $10,000 to host four award-winning guitarists as part of the 20th Anniversary Tour of International Guitar Night on Feb. 12.

The National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter approved a total of $27.3 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2020, including WTC’s grant.

Challenge America grants offer support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support grants throughout the entire country that connect people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” Carter said. “These projects provide access to the arts for people of all abilities and backgrounds in both urban centers and rural communities.”

International Guitar Night will once again grace the WTC stage with four of the best and most innovative acoustic guitarists in the world.

The grant is providing a free-of-charge afternoon performance for Flathead Valley senior residents and community members with disabilities, as well as free transportation for those seniors who need travel assistance to this show. The public is invited to purchase tickets to their evening performance on Feb. 12.

“With the generous support of the National Endowment of the Arts, the Whitefish Theatre Company is thrilled to be able to bring International Guitar Night to the Flathead Valley,” says WTC Executive Director Jen Asebrook. “Not only will the evening concert be a unique night of exceptional acoustic guitar music for our community, but it is exciting to be able to offer a free outreach concert to local seniors who may not have the means or opportunity to see this type of live music.”

For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. To purchase tickets to the evening performance, call the WTC box office at 862-5371 or buy online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org.