Iowa Arts News is a monthly publication of the Iowa Arts Council. If you would like to subscribe, please send us a blank e-mail.
Tips for Writing Your Iowa Arts Council Grant
When you’re considering applying for a grant from the Iowa Arts Council, it is to your great advantage to include support materials and work samples to illustrate your project. Applications are scored, in part, on artistic quality, which cannot be determined without examples of your project. Assume the panelists who are scoring your application have no prior knowledge of the scope and quality of your art form, unless you are already an IAC rostered artist or are using a rostered artist.
When submitting work samples and support materials, make sure they are of good quality, relevant to your project, and labeled appropriately. You might also note that any support materials submitted will not be returned to you unless this is specifically requested on your Support Materials Form.
For more information on IAC grants, visit the funding
overview page.
Grant News and Announcements
IAC Announces Community Music Development Program
The 2005 Iowa Legislature appropriated $25,000 to the Iowa Arts Council, to be
awarded as two grants of $12,500 each to nonprofit, community-based music entities
that advocate for and are working to implement a unified music agenda and an independent,
progressive live music economy in a local community.
Visit the Community Music Development Program page for more information and to access the request for proposals form.
Character Counts! Is E-Z 1-2-3!
Looking for grant funds to support a Character Counts!-trained artist in your
school? We’re adding more flexibility with these grants by creating a new
category in our popular EZ 1-2-3 Grant program: EZ 1-2-3 Character Counts! grants.
In the past two school years, the Iowa Arts Council provided $200 grants to schools
wanting to hire one of the teaching artists who are trained to use Character Counts!
principles in their work. The program was very popular, but limiting because of
the prescribed amount of money available. By folding the Character Counts! Through
the Arts program into the EZ 1-2-3 format, schools can now apply for up to $500,
giving more freedom to create an arts learning activity that is meaningful for
students. All EZ 1-2-3 grants must have a dollar-for-dollar cash match.
IAC Announces Two More Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Teams for 2005-2006
Each year, the Iowa Arts Council’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program
awards funds to individuals so that they may pass on a time-honored system by
which skills, techniques, values and artistry are learned under the guidance of
a recognized master.
In addition to awards already made to Dwight Lamb of Onawa (traditional fiddle)
and Tim Britton of Fairfield (Uillean pipes), two Master Artist/Apprentice teams
have been awarded these funds for 2005-2006:
· Master Artist Ms. Vilay Nguyen of Des Moines will teach advanced Tai
Dam dances and techniques to Young Tai Dancers; and
· Master Artist Inpanh Thavonekhan of Des Moines will teach Von Manivanh to play traditional Lao music on the phin, a plucked 3-string instrument.
Apprenticeships are for an eight-month period of study. All teams will participate in a public demonstration and/or performance in their home towns once the apprenticeship period is completed.
For more information, visit the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program page.
Iowa Great Places
Iowa Great Places coaches from all over state government will be sent out across
the state throughout the remainder of this summer working with the 145 places
that submitted Great Places invitations. Places that move forward in the process
will present “offers” to the Great Places Citizen Advisory Board in
September, and the Board will select there pilot Great Places in October. Many
of the invitations focused on places’ visions for incorporating the arts
and enhancing cultural opportunities in their places. For more information about
Iowa Great Places, visit www.iowagreatplaces.gov.
