The Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) announced Tuesday the awarding of 119 grants totaling $288,260 to art organizations around the state.

The grants were awarded at the Council’s Dec. 7 meeting in Montgomery and will support arts in education, folk art, community, literature, performing and visual programs, through Sept. 30, 2013.

Six of those grants totaling $15,650 were awarded to organizations in Pike County.

The Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center in Troy received two grants of $3,000 each, one for the 2013 African American Art Exhibit and the other for “Celebrating Contemporary Art in Alabama.”

“We were thrilled with the results of the grant funding,” said Morgan Drinkard, arts center director. “With the recent cuts in funding due to hard economic times, we are so appreciative of the support that we still get from ASCA.”

Drinkard said the African American Art Exhibit will be on loan to the Johnson Center from the Paul R. Jones Collection at the University of Alabama.

“The grant funds will be used to help with transporting the exhibit and for insuring a collection of this value,” Drinkard said. “The grant funds will also help fund the programming to go along with the exhibit.”

The “Celebrating Contemporary Art in Alabama” is the Johnson Center’s biennial celebration of ASCA fellowship award winners.

“The winners of the ASCA fellowships are the best of the best Alabama artists,” Drinkard said. “These artists are among those whose art is of great value to our state and we are excited to feature them at the Johnson Center.”

The Troy Arts Council received a $3,100 grant for its 2013 performing arts activities.

Dr. John Jinright, TAC presenter chair, said the grant funds will be used in support of the arts council’s educational and outreach activities for the 2013 season.

“The funds will support our programming and concerts in the schools,” he said. “The TAC is appreciative of the support of the state arts council. It makes it possible for us to bring more arts activities and events into the schools and that is most important.”

The Pioneer Museum of Alabama received $2,500 in grant funding for its annual Spring Planting, New Beginnings and Old Ways program.

“We are very thankful for the support of the state arts council,” said Kari Barley, museum director. “Our ‘Spring Planting’ is one of our two largest events. We have demonstrations of the old time ways of bringing things to life, including plowing and planting. Our spring event teaches children how things used to be done and gives others an opportunity to revisit the days gone by.”

Cathie Steed, a member of the Brundidge Historical Society, said ASCA has supported the organization’s Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival for the past six years.

“Without the support of the state arts council, we could not bring nationally acclaimed storytellers to our annual festival,” Steed said. “This grant award of $1,750 will help us continue that tradition and we appreciate ASCA’s continued support.”

The annual storytelling festival attracts people from several southeastern states to the four storytelling concerts. Students in the city, county and private schools and at Troy University also have opportunities to hear master storytellers weave their magic with words.