Hett Gets $2,000 Grant from Monsanto Fund, Arts and Education Council
3/1/2011
Lebanon, Ill. — A $2,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, in collaboration with the Arts
and Education Council, will support the 2011-2012 season at McKendree University’s
Hettenhausen Center for the Arts.
A total of $16,000 in grants was awarded recently to eight arts and arts education
programs dedicated to bringing top-quality artists and entertainers to rural communities
in the 16-county St. Louis metropolitan area.
“The funds from the Monsanto Rural Community Arts Education Program are invaluable
to these communities, providing them with access to arts and cultural events and programming
that may otherwise go unfunded. The Arts and Education Council is proud to collaborate
with the Monsanto Fund on this grant opportunity,” said Cynthia A. Prost, president
of the Arts and Education Council.
“The Monsanto Fund is pleased to collaborate with the Arts and Education Council to
provide cultural experiences and quality arts education to students in rural communities,
where many of our area farmers live,” said Deborah Patterson, president of the Monsanto
Fund. “We believe in supporting farmers and their families and in providing unique
educational opportunities to students in these communities.”
“T
he Hett is fast becoming the premier performing arts venue in the Metro-East,” noted
Peter Palermo, director of the 488-seat venue on the McKendree University campus in
Lebanon. “Our ‘McKendree Presents’ series strives to nurture creative and critical
thinking by exposing students and the greater Southern Illinois community to influential,
diverse and innovative artists and speakers.” Since 2006, The Hett has featured a
variety of world-class dance, drama, classical music, jazz and opera. Its 2011-2012
season will be announced this summer.
Other 2011 Monsanto Rural Community Arts Education Program grantees in Illinois are
the Highland Arts Council; the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton; and the O’Fallon Arts
Commission.
-McK-
The Russel E. and Fern M. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts —“The Hett”— is Southern Illinois’s premier performing arts venue, presenting world class dance, drama, classical music and jazz. The 488-seat venue is located on the McKendree University campus in Lebanon, Illinois, 25 miles from downtown St. Louis. www.theHett.com
Arts and Education Council – Since 1963, the Arts and Education Council has raised nearly $100 million in private funding for the arts – an important task that directly affects the quality of life of our region. With those funds, the Council annually assists more than 70 non-profit arts and arts education organizations. Additionally, the Council provides office, rehearsal and performance space for 16 arts nonprofit organizations in the Centene Center for Arts and Education, a unique arts incubator located in Grand Center.
The Monsanto Fund – The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Incorporated in 1964, the Fund’s primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. The Monsanto Fund is focused on grant-making in three main areas: nutritional well-being through agriculture; science education, primarily on professional development for teachers; and improving the quality of life in communities where Monsanto employees live and work.
