Kohler Foundation grant supports upcoming 314 programming

Kohler Foundation supports 314 Project Space

The Kohler Foundation has awarded a $2,000 grant to support programming at 314: Ripon College Project Space in downtown Ripon for the next academic year.

Ripon College opened the 314 Project Space last September with support from the James S. Kemper Foundation to bolster the community’s artistic opportunities and to help the downtown business district recover from a devastating fire that occurred in December 2013.

The “F.A.M.E. at 314” Project (Film, Art and Musical Events) will nourish and enrich the community by offering opportunities for the public to be:
• Exposed to award-winning artistic films (never before screened by central Wisconsin audiences) from the Sundance Film Festival
• Engaged in rotating art lectures where artists (both local and visiting) bring in a single work and give presentations about their research
• Uplifted by the talent and skill of young musical groups from area public schools as well as singer/songwriters from other parts of the State.

“This grant will provide necessary funds to support programming in the form of art exhibits, concerts, lectures and many other events at 314: Ripon College Project Space,” says Rafael Francisco Salas, associate professor of art and one of 314’s coordinators. “It will help maintain a dynamic roster of events throughout the 2016-17 academic year and will provide needed support toward our mission of creating a vibrant cultural backdrop in downtown Ripon for campus and community to share. We are excited for our upcoming year at 314.”

Last year, the Kohler Foundation’s Gifts of Art program, donated works by three artists to Ripon’s permanent art collection.

Kohler Foundation, Inc., located in Kohler, Wisconsin and established in 1940, has long supported the arts and education. The work of Kohler Foundation encompasses five major areas of concentration: art preservation, grants, scholarships, a performing arts series (the Distinguished Guest Series), and the management of the Waelderhaus, a historic home.