June 30, 2006

 
LIVINGSTON, Ala.— The Black Belt Glass Arts Guild was recently awarded a $1,500 grant from the Black Belt Community Foundation, which was made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, to host a free mosaic workshop for children ages 10-16 from Sumter County and surrounding areas. The “Black Belt Garden Mosaic Workshop” set for July 24-28 gives children the opportunity to create mosaic stepping stones to be used in a public garden on the University of West Alabama campus.

Linda Munoz, one of the founders of the organization, has hosted two similar workshops prior to the establishment of the Black Belt Glass Arts Guild. Previously, children have created mosaics to replace broken sections of sidewalk around York and mosaic windows for the Akron Boys and Girls Club. As project director, Munoz says members of the guild are very excited to work with the Sumter County children on UWA’s campus.

“The workshop is going to be fun for us, for the children and for the volunteers,” Munoz said. “We want to thank the Sumter County Fine Arts Council for their support of this project. We are honored to be chosen for the grant and also wish to thank the Black Belt Community Foundation and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.”

The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF), which is beginning its third year of operation, was established to support community effort in the Black Belt that will contribute to the strength, innovation and success of all of the region’s people and communities. The foundation’s mission is to forge a collective stream of giving from the community and other sources so the people of the Black Belt can enhance continuing efforts to lift themselves by “taking what we have to make what we need.”

The foundation recently collaborated with the Youth & Cultural Committee of the Black Belt Action Commission and the Alabama State Council on the Arts to ignite a Black Belt Arts Initiative. The goals of this project are to promote artists and arts awareness in the Black Belt and to stimulate creativity among our youth. The Alabama State Council on the Arts, the official state arts agency of Alabama, gave the BBCF $50,000 to redistribute into the region. The Black Belt Glass Arts Guild is one of 29 organizations receiving funding through the first found of grants.

The mosaic workshop will be held in Foust Hall room 15. Children will work from 1-3 p.m. Additional adult volunteers are also needed. For more information about the free Black Belt Glass Arts Guild workshop or to volunteer, please call Linda Munoz at (205) 392-7741 or (205) 499-6137.