In just a matter of 48 hours, the Santa Monica State Beach looked a little greener than it did before.
City Hall’s Department of Community and Cultural Services last week received two grants over the course of two days totaling $120,000, money that will be used to celebrate the arts and culture of the city by the sea.
The National Endowment for the Arts, which is dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts and bringing the arts to all Americans, awarded $20,000 in funding for the inaugural all-night festival, Glow, to be held on July 19. Glow will take place on the beach and Santa Monica Pier between dusk and dawn and will showcase sights and sounds that are meant to give the public a new perspective on the way they view modern art.
The U.S. Department of the Interior and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation also sent money to Santa Monica, giving $100,000 for a cultural mapping project through the Preserve America initiative. The program encourages and supports community-based efforts to preserve and enjoy the nation’s cultural and natural heritage.
Santa Monica’s goal has been to highlight people and events that shaped the history and culture of the Southern California beach and significantly influenced popular culture in America and abroad.Stories from the days of Jim Crow relate how use of the beach was the subject of racial tensions as African-Americans fought for equal access. Later the beach provided the backdrop for the birth of beach volleyball, the international physical fitness movement launched at Muscle Beach as well as the American skateboarding revolution.
Funds will support an experienced historian to survey key sites, events, and individuals to create an inventory of resources and materials. Of the 43 grants awarded across 25 states in 2008, Santa Monica is the only community in California to receive funding, and one of only 11 to receive funding at the $100,000-plus level.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 8, 2008. Read the original PDF.