Live music on tap for summer thanks to national grant, donations for Merced theater
A multi-agency effort has resulted in a $100,000 investment in the arts and renovation of one of Merced’s iconic structures.
The funds will go toward a 10-week concert series near the end of the summer in a restored Merced Open Air Theater, locally referred to as the MOAT.
UC Merced is one of 20 institutions across the country to win a $25,000 matching grant from the Levitt Foundation for a free concert series in Merced. The other $25,000 will come from the university.
The City of Merced also is matching a $25,000 donation by community artist Monika Modest and husband Michael Modest to renovate the MOAT, which has been neglected over the years and fallen into disrepair.
Concert series grant
Last fall, UC Merced Executive Director for the Arts Kim Garner wrote a grant for the Levitt Foundation’s AMP concert series. The national organization usually gives out 20 $25,000 matching grants to nonprofits in small to mid-size cities to fund an outdoor concert series featuring professional musicians.
The goal is to “inject new life into public spaces and create vibrant community destinations,” according to the grant website.
The Levitt Foundation required an initial grant to be written and the local communities to express support through online voting to be placed as a finalist for the grant.
“It went like wildfire through social media,” Garner said. “We were up in eighth place — above a lot of cities who’ve already received the grant once.”
The concert series is expected to be scheduled for Friday nights and tentatively planned to start at the end of August, lasting through October. But before that, Garner said the university will poll the community on what type of music it wants to hear.
When searching for a space to hold the concert series, local officials targeted the MOAT.
Artist donation
“It’s such an amazing venue that was used very frequently in the past,” said Monika Modest, who was already planning a mosaic for the MOAT mimicking Vincent Van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night” painting while paying respects homeless individuals who died in Merced.
The Modests’ donation was matched by the City of Merced. The funds are earmarked for renovating the exterior of the theater along with interior spaces and rooms, including doors that don’t lock anymore and rooms that teem with mold.
Electrical components and additional setup items are also marked for improvements.
Modest said she’s planning on holding one or more public painting events allowing the community to help paint the lower parts of the structure.
The mosaic is expected to be installed on the MOAT after renovations are complete.
Current cost projections are under the $50,000 available for the renovations, she said.
“It’s kind of amazing that things are falling in place,” said Modest, noting that she hopes the concert series continues past 2020 with or without the Levitt Foundation grant.
“This isn’t just the result of a single institution,” she said. “It’s a collaboration that I hope, with our amazing community members, inspires others to follow suit.”