Latest news with #StudiobytheTracks
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Irondale donates $20K to Birmingham area nonprofit that works with autism community after losing grant
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — After losing a $50,000 grant due to cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts, the city of Irondale has stepped up to help a nonprofit dedicated to helping those with autism express themselves through art. On Thursday, Irondale Mayor James D. Stewart Jr. presented a $20,000 check to to Studio By The Tracks. The city's support was increased from previous years in order to help close the gap left by their unexpected loss of $50,000 in federal grant funding due to changes by the Trump administration. 'Studio by the Tracks is a vital part of our Irondale community—providing creative space, art instruction, and economic opportunities for individuals on the autism spectrum,' a statement on the city's Facebook page read. 'Their work uplifts not only the artists they serve, but the entire community through inclusion, expression, and empowerment.' Earlier this month, Studio by the Tracks announced that a $50,000 grant they had previously been awarded through the NEA's ArtsHERE program had been eliminated, initially putting plans for future programming in question. While the nonprofit uses several grants to operate, the ArtsHERE grant was the largest. 'I don't know what's going to happen with the youth program,' executive director Merrilee Challis told CBS 42 on May 13. 'It remains to be seen if the community will step up and shore up these losses.' Studio by the Tracks has been operating since 1989, offering classes to both children and adults on the autism spectrum. In fact, the studio also sells art made by these individuals, allowing artists 60% of the proceeds. The nonprofit is currently hosting a membership drive for $15 a month to help make up for lost funding. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alabama nonprofit art studio that celebrates the autism community hit by Trump cuts to NEA
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A nonprofit group dedicated to offering a space for autistic people to make and display their art is looking to the community for help after losing thousands of dollars in funding due to significant cuts the Trump administration has made to the National Endowment for the Arts. Studio by the Tracks, located in Irondale, has operated as a free studio and gallery for both children and adult on the autism spectrum, offering classes and giving artists a chance to display their work. In fact, the studio even sells different pieces done by these artists, giving 60% of the sales back to them. On Tuesday, the studio announced that with through cuts at the NEA, the ArtsHERE grant program had been eliminated, resulting in over $50,000 that had previously been awarded to them being gone. In his new fiscal budget, the Trump administration is seeking to do away with the NEA entirely, which would cause many arts groups across the country to losing significant chunks of their funding. 'The termination of the grant is a blow to our organization, our staff, our artists and caregivers,' the group wrote in a social media post Tuesday. ArtsHERE was first established last fall as a way to increase artistic and creative projects in underserved communities. Merrilee Challis, executive director of Studio by the Tracks, said that with the loss in funding, she and her staff will have to make difficult choices, including the possibility of cutting back on summer art programs they had been planning, as well as letting go of staff. 'I don't know what's going to happen with the youth program,' Challis said. 'It remains to be seen if the community will step up and shore up these losses.' Challis said that the studio, which was started in 1989, typically operates on a tight budget on a cycle-by-cycle basis, a third of their funding being from federal grants while the rest comes from philanthropic support and community donations. Challis said that with cuts to NEA, Studio by the Tracks has had trouble seeking funding other places. Two other grants that they had previously applied for through the Challenge America program and the Alabama Humanities Alliance have already been cancelled. Challis said having a program that serves the autism community should be one that people can get behind, one that allows autistic individuals, both verbal and nonverbal, the opportunity to speak through their art with every color, brush stroke and line they use. 'It's the power of art that is communicating what is inside these people and it's beautiful,' she said. 'It should not be political. It's about expression.' Currently, Studio by the Tracks is hosting a membership drive for $15 a month. Challis also encourages the community to buy some of their art for sale online, the majority of the proceeds going to the artists. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
