NEW YORK, NY (January 24, 2024) – Omnium Circus (OmniumCircus.org) has been awarded a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. The award will help fund Omnium’s unique mission of entertainment, employment and education in the circus arts, ensuring the circus is accessible to all at all times.
Omnium Circus believes that a circus experience with a full spectrum of people representative of our global culture as artists, staff and audiences leads the way to a truly diverse, equitable inclusive and accessible society. It is an environment where people from diverse backgrounds can experience wonder, laughter and joy together, celebrate our diversity, enrich empathy among all people and inspire healthier communities through shared positive experiences.
As the most inclusive circus in the world and the only one presented in both English and American Sign Language, Omnium provides unprecedented accommodations to ensure that everyone can enjoy their show. Every performance features live audio description, tactile experiences, relaxed seating for neurodiverse and sensory sensitive audience members.
“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to Omnium Circus, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”
Omnium Founder and Executive Director Lisa B. Lewis said, “We are so grateful to the NEA for supporting both our unique artistry and our mission of access and inclusion. We are proud to be among those at the forefront of this important movement in the Arts community.”
For other information about Omnium, please visit OmniumCircus.org.
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About Omnium Circus:
Omnium: A Bold New Circus Is a first of its kind: a singularly inclusive nonprofit Circus that is multi-abled and representative, highlighting and celebrating that disability and diversity shine through the joy and excitement of Circus arts. Built on a tripod of Entertainment, Employment and Education, Omnium Circus is comprehensively inclusive on stage, behind the scenes and in our audience. www.OmniumCircus.org