Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the announcement that several of the most renowned institutions in Brooklyn have received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to support their work in our community.

A total of more than $1 million was awarded to institutions in Brooklyn, such as the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, the Brooklyn Academy of Music‎, La Troupe Makandal, Groundswell Community Mural Project, BRIC Arts|Media|Bklyn, and the Pratt Institute.

“Since 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts have provided critical support for organizations that want to expand access to the arts in communities across the United States. The projects in Brooklyn that earned grants demonstrate that we are an internationally renowned center of culture: the Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival by BRIC Arts|Media|Bklyn, the Frisner Augustin Haitian Drum Festival by La Troupe Makandal, and the Soul of BK Festival by the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts. These exhibitions and performances and the other projects that earned grants from the National Endowment for the Arts are a testament to the diversity of the arts here in Brooklyn, and their relevance to people in this community and elsewhere. I congratulate the organizations that earned grants and wish them continued success!”

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the Committee on Ethics and the Committee on Small Business in the House of Representatives, proudly represents Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, Park Slope, Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.