Kay Eli-Pierce (left) and Vickie Baker (center) present a check to Michael Funk
The Shenandoah Community Foundation announces the establishment of the Bowman–Shannon Cultural Arts Fund. This fund is made possible by a $325,000 contribution from the Bowman Shannon Cultural Arts Center (BSCAC). Grants from the fund will be distributed beginning in 2019 and will be used to educate, guide and stimulate the enjoyment of and participation in cultural arts in Shenandoah County, with at least half of each annual distribution made available to County public schools.
Before closing, the Bowman Shannon Cultural Arts Center was established in 2010, in Mount Jackson, fulfilling its mission to provide a venue for local artists, a cultural hub for local citizens, arts education for community members, and a locus for public and private events.
Bowman Shannon Cultural Arts Center President and Board member, Kay Ely-Pierce, along with Vice President and Board member Vickie Baker stated, “With the advice and financial support of Sonny Bowman and the Shannon Family, the BSCAC was established to support and encourage arts in the community. Being able to use funds generated from its closure to continue that mission and have the Shenandoah Community Foundation maintain and manage a dedicated fund multiplies the benefits to the community—support for the arts and for our local community foundation. A win-win.”
“This new fund will be a significant source of funding to further the arts in the public schools as well as in local communities in Shenandoah County. We are honored to be selected to continue the Bowman Shannon tradition of supporting the arts and to manage this important fund,” said the Foundation’s president, Michael Funk.