Gia Maione Prima Foundation Awards $25,000 Gift for New Orleans Jazz Museum Education Outreach

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2020

GIA MAIONE PRIMA FOUNDATION AWARDS $25,000 GIFT TO SUPPORT THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM'S EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM

NEW ORLEANS – Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the New Orleans Jazz Museum are proud to announce the Gia Maione Prima Foundation’s generous support of its Education Outreach Program. The $25,000 award will assist the New Orleans Jazz Museum in facilitating distance learning opportunities for students and teachers in the New Orleans community.

“Through this support from the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, the New Orleans Jazz Museum will be able to provide distance learning opportunities to students and teachers, improving website and stream capabilities, and making all educational programs available online,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “This comes at a time when distance learning is at top of mind. With the help of this funding, the New Orleans Jazz Museum can help carry on our state’s proud musical heritage that so many visitors come to our cities to hear.”

Education is at the heart of the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s mission. Up until the recent closing during the pandemic crisis, the New Orleans Jazz Museum offered educational programs on site, online, and in the New Orleans public schools, including field trips featuring on-site visits from over 100 local, national, and international schools per year; musician-led workshops and Master Classes; Jazz Enrichment summer camps; and, internships with local and international universities, including Tulane, Loyola, and SUNO’s Museum Studies graduate program, the only program which trains museum professionals in Louisiana at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

"We are very grateful for this generous grant from the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, which will support online education programs,” said Jazz Museum executive director Greg Lambousy. “We must ensure the transmission of our unique music culture to the next generation doesn't get lost during this difficult period for our city, state, and nation."

Gia Maione Prima Foundation trustee Anthony Sylvester commented, “The Foundation is so proud to sponsor the New Orleans Jazz Museum Educational Outreach Program by providing resources to support music education programs that will afford online learning opportunities to students and share unique music and culture to future generations.”

Sylvester, with Sherman Wells Sylvester & Stamelman, LLP, assisted Gia Maione Prima in the establishment of the Gia Maione Prima Foundation (GMPF) in 2011. Gia Maione Prima was a singer and the widow of Louis Prima, the famous jazz musician, singer, and composer from New Orleans. Gia was also an artist, dedicated to the fine arts. The GMPF makes donations to tax-exempt organizations supporting and encouraging an appreciation for American jazz, American popular music, and jazz performance as well as the fine arts. For more information, visit www.giamaioneprimafoundation.com.

The New Orleans Jazz Museum is excited to expand its work with the Gia Maione Prima Foundation. In 2019, the New Orleans Jazz Museum opened the exhibition, “The Wildest: Louis Prima Comes Home,” sponsored by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation. The exhibition is currently on view at the Jazz Museum, and through the continued support from the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, the Jazz Museum will further share the legacy of the Prima family with new audiences through online programming and exhibits.

For more information on the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s Education Outreach Program, visit www.nolajazzmuseum.org.