Iowa Scholarship for the Arts
The Iowa Scholarship for the Arts supports the development of outstanding high school seniors who excel in the arts and are enrolled in accredited educational programs leading to careers in the arts.
Scholarships in the amount of $1,500 are awarded to support 2013-2014 academic year tuition expenses at Iowa colleges or universities.
ANNUAL DEADLINE IS 4:30 PM, FEBRUARY 1ST
ELIGIBILITY
The applicant must be an Iowa resident who will graduate from an Iowa high school during the 2012-2013 school year and be accepted as a full-time undergraduate student at a fully-accredited Iowa college or university with a major in at least one of the following arts areas: dance, literature, music, theatre, folk & traditional arts, or visual arts.
Immediate family members or dependent children of Iowa Arts Council board and staff are not eligible.
SELECTION
Scholarship for the Arts Recipients have:
• Excellent artistic abilities
• A clear vision for their artwork
• Well defined future goals and objectives relating to their intended field of study
Applications are reviewed by a panel made up of artists, arts professionals, and arts educators. The panel will narrow the applications down to a group of finalists who will be notified within one month of the application deadline. The scholarship recipients will be selected from the finalist pool and asked to attend an award ceremony in the Spring of 2013.
The Iowa Arts Council will not respond to inquiries until after the review process is completed and applicants have been notified.
APPLY
Complete the following to apply for the Scholarship for the Arts:
1. APPLICATION FORM
Download and complete the Application Form.
2. ESSAY
Write a two page essay describing your artistic vision for your work, the role your art form plays in your life and what role you expect it to play in the future. Please respond to the following questions:
• What themes or concepts inspire your work?
• Why is your art form significant to you?
• What do you value about being an artist?
• What do you hope to gain from a post-secondary education in your art field?
3. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Submit two letters of recommendation from teachers or professionals that specifically address your artistic abilities relating to your intended field of study. Members of the applicant’s family may not write letters.
4. ARTISTIC WORK SAMPLES
Follow the instructions below based on your discipline.
• Visual Artists
1. Submit 8 images of your work using the Scholarship PowerPoint.
2. Additional instructions are included in the PowerPoint.
3. Applicants must use the PowerPoint to submit visual artwork.
• Writers
1. Submit literature samples from 3 different bodies of work. Do not submit more than 3 pages from any given piece (There should be no more than 9 total pages). For example: include an excerpt from a chapter, scene or poem.
2. Include a one page cover sheet that lists Title of Work, Type of Work, and a Brief Description (use 150 characters to describe the concept for the work) for each sample included.
3. Documents must be saved as PDF or MS Word files.
• Performing Artists
1. Submit 2 recordings of recent performances. Edit the video or audio sample to provide no more than a 3 minute sample of each work. The applicant should be easily identifiable in each sample.
2. Include a one page cover sheet that lists Title of Work, Applicant’s Role (character, instrument or part), and a Brief Description (use 150 characters to describe the concept for the work) for each sample included.
3. Video files must be accessible online or saved in one of the following formats: QuickTime (.mov), Real Player (.rm), Windows Media Player (.wmv) or .mpeg.
4. Audio files must be accessible online or saved in one of the following formats: MP3 or WAV.
5. Documents must be saved as PDF or MS Word files.
5. SUBMIT
Email the Application Form, Essay, Letters of Recommendation, and Artistic Work Samples to: veronica.ohern@iowa.gov by 4:30 PM, February 1st with the subject line: “Scholarship Application for (Applicant’s First and Last Name)”.
• Send all materials as attachments in one email.
• Test electronic materials on various computers to ensure they will work for reviewers.
• Applications that are late, incomplete, illegible, handwritten, mailed or faxed will not be accepted.
• Applications that contain materials deemed by staff to exceed the above limits and formats will not be accepted.
