Tinner Hill Foundation Honored for Arts Work

Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation of Falls Church City has been recognized by Virginians for the Arts as a “Rising Star Honorable Mention” in the Arts Builds Communities Awards.

The awards recognize arts organizations that best demonstrate the ability to enhance the community, lift our spirits, and build a better quality of life.  Says Virginians for the Arts President Peter Fields, “The awards showcase the ways the arts contribute to the overall quality of life in Virginia communities.”

Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation (THHF) was founded in 1997 to preserve the early civil rights history of Falls Church and vicinity, including information concerning the founding of the first established rural branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The foundation is part of the Arts and Culture Task Force of the City of Falls Church and works with the City to host a number of artistic and cultural events throughout the year, including the Tinner Hill Blues Festival and the New Year’s Eve Watch Night Celebration. In February, the organization hosts the Black History Celebration and Basketball Game and in April sponsors the E.B. Henderson “Dear Editor” Contest. 

THHF is heavily involved in educational efforts, including working with masters and doctoral students in the development of the Tinner Hill Civil Rights Historic Site and the Tinner Hill Outdoor Historic Site.  THHF also hosts the Mary Ellen Henderson Traveling Exhibit in honor of the educator, civil rights pioneer and namesake of Falls Church City’s middle school.  Additional information about Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation is available at www.tinnerhill.org.

Eighty-two Virginia arts organizations were nominated for awards, which will be presented at the ArtWorks for Virginia Conference 2010 Luncheon on January 27, 2010, in Richmond.

Virginians for the Arts works to build awareness of the importance of the efforts of Virginia’s state arts agency, the Virginia Commission for the Arts. In 2009, the agency provided grants for operating support for more than 200 arts organizations throughout the state and more than 1,000 other types of grants that benefit teachers, students, local government, artists and the communities they serve. The Virginia Commission for the Arts is the only entity in the state concerned about developing the arts industry as a whole and about making the arts available in all parts of the Commonwealth. In 2008, the Commission helped to make possible 39,943 arts events attended by more than 7.7 million people, including 1.9 million school children.

As of October 2009, Virginia’s arts agency was funded at 51 cents per capita, the lowest level of any state arts agency of its neighboring states: including (July 2009 figures) North Carolina at $1.18 cents, Maryland at $2.52, Kentucky at $.84, and West Virginia at $1.54.