MFAP Will Serve as Legends & Lore Grant Evaluator in Missouri for William G. Pomeroy Foundation
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Folk Arts Program (MFAP) at University of Missouri has joined the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore Marker Grant Program as its newest partner organization, helping to put the state’s folklore in the spotlight.
Established by the Pomeroy Foundation in 2015, the Legends & Lore program helps communities celebrate local folklore and legends with roadside markers. As a Legends & Lore state partner, MFAP will serve as a grant evaluator for this expanding national program.
MFAP builds cross-cultural understanding by documenting, sustaining, and presenting the state’s living folk arts and folklife in collaboration with Missouri’s citizens. MFAP, a partner of the Missouri Arts Council, a division of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, is based at the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri.
“We are excited to join colleagues across the country as a Legends & Lore state partner – and to be the first to represent the Midwest,” says Lisa L. Higgins, director of the Missouri Folk Arts Program. “Missouri’s bicentennial is just over a year away, and we’ve already witnessed an abundance of creative activities in anticipation of 2021. This is an inspiring time and we expect Legends & Lore will encourage local communities to mark the Show-Me state’s unique culture in an enduring way.”
The Pomeroy Foundation is a private, grant-making foundation based in Syracuse, N.Y. The Foundation helps people celebrate their community’s history through a variety of historic roadside marker programs, including Legends & Lore. Grants awarded by the Foundation cover the entire cost of a marker, pole and shipping.
“The Pomeroy Foundation is pleased to partner with the Missouri Folk Arts Program on our growing Legends & Lore program,” says Bill Pomeroy, founder and trustee of the Pomeroy Foundation. “This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the folklore near and dear to Missouri. We’re proud to work with your communities in celebrating and preserving your folklore and legends.”
As a Legends & Lore grant evaluator, MFAP will be responsible for reviewing applications, as well as confirming the legitimacy and accuracy of folklore and legends that applicants in Missouri intend to commemorate on a marker. Legends & Lore marker grants are available to 501(c)(3) organizations, nonprofit academic institutions, and local, state and federal government entities in Missouri.
The Pomeroy Foundation has funded over 70 Legends & Lore roadside markers to commemorate fascinating local stories. One of those markers celebrates Ichabod Crane and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It’s said that this famous Washington Irving character was based on a real schoolteacher named Jesse Merwin in Kinderhook, New York. Another example is a Legends & Lore marker located Talcott, W. Va., recognizing the folk hero John Henry and the famed story of his race against a steam drill.
For program details and how to apply, visit: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/legends-lore/.
About the Missouri Folk Arts Program
The Missouri Folk Arts Program (MFAP) is a program of the Missouri Arts Council, a division of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and the Museum of Art and Archaeology at Missouri’s flagship university campus. Established in 1984, MFAP builds cross-cultural understanding by documenting, sustaining, and presenting the state’s living folk arts and folklife in collaboration with Missouri’s citizens. One of over 40 state programs around the United States, MFAP has provided programs and services to traditional artists, organizations, and their local communities for over three decades. MFAP is funded through the University, grants from the Missouri Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as individual donors. Visit: https://mofolkarts.missouri.edu/
About the Pomeroy Foundation
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is a private, grant-making foundation established in 2005. The Foundation is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and to raising awareness, supporting research and improving the quality of care for patients and their families who are facing a blood cancer diagnosis. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 1,000 roadside markers and plaques nationwide. Visit: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/
# # #
CONTACT:
Lisa L. Higgins
Director, Missouri Folk Arts Program
573-882-6296
HigginsLL@missouri.edu
https://mofolkarts.missouri.edu/