HONOLULU, HI.- The Honolulu Museum of Art has received a $150,000 American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Grant funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act legislation, designed to support the nation’s recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NEA will award grants totaling $57,750,000 to 567 arts organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.

“Our nation’s arts sector has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Rescue Plan funding will help arts organizations, such as the Honolulu Museum of Art, rebuild and reopen,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the NEA. “The arts are crucial in helping America’s communities heal, unite, and inspire, as well as essential to our nation’s economic recovery.”

The grant will help to strengthen HoMA’s curatorial focus in American and European art, historic arts of Hawai‘i, works on paper, new media, textiles and collection photography.

“The Honolulu Museum of Art is honored to receive this Rescue Plan award from the NEA,” said HoMA Director and CEO Halona Norton-Westbrook. “The grant will provide strategic and very important support to our curatorial efforts, helping us to further connect and engage the community through innovative programming and interpretation of our incredible permanent collection.”

The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March 2021 when the NEA was provided $135 million for the arts sector. The NEA will announce final awards to eligible recipients in February 2022, recognizing the value of the arts and culture sector to the country’s economic recovery.