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April 2007 |
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In This Issue · Columbus Junction Lands Midwest Folk Fest · Register Now for Grant Writing Workshops · Iowa Dance Fest Kicks Up in April · Buyiowaart.com Blossoms with Spring · Valley Senior Wins Poetry Out Loud Contest in Iowa · Silos & Smokestacks Offers Bus Grants · Academy of Management Publishes Study on Arts-Based Learning · Prairie Arts Management Institute 2007 IAC Calendar
Links In-Box of Artist Opportunities Contact Us 600 E. Locust (515) 242-6194 Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Newsletter Editor: |
No More Starving Artists!
Participants are also invited to attend festivities the
evening of Friday, June 1 in the For more information, e-mail Sarah.Ekstrand@iowa.gov or call (515) 281-4657. A complete schedule of conference events will be available in May at www.iowaartscouncil.org. For the last three years, Columbus Junction has played
host to the Hispanic Cultural Festival. This year, the celebration will
be even greater as the Festival will occur in conjunction with the Midwest
Folk Fest. The two-day event will be held May 12-13 and will include
traditional, authentic food from “Each year, the Midwest Folk Fest rotates among Columbus Junction was chosen to host the Midwest Folk Fest because of the community’s history with the Hispanic Cultural Festival and because of its proximity to neighboring states. “Columbus Junction has been hosting a great festival for the last few years,” said Riki Saltzman, Folklife Coordinator for the Iowa Arts Council. “The Midwest Folk Fest is a tri-state event, so a good site must have reasonable access to all three states. We’re delighted to be partnering with Columbus Junction.” As host of the Midwest Folk Fest, the organizing
committee received a $7,000 partnership grant from the Iowa Arts Council to help
sponsor the collaborative effort. In addition to the grant, the states of “I can’t stress enough how big of a deal this is for the festival committee,” said Jason Hutcheson of Louisa Development Group. “Being selected as the site of the Midwest Folk Fest means more attendees, expanded entertainment, and a grant to expand this to a two-day event. In prior years, the entire festival was contained in a single day.” The Hispanic Cultural Festival began as a project of the
Columbus Junction Development Commission. Since 2004, the festival has
become a partnership of the commission, the Civic Society of Columbus, and a
group of representatives from a dozen organizations around For more information about the event, contact Louisa Development Group at (319) 527-5182 or mldg@louisacomm.net. The Iowa Arts Council will present two grant writing workshops in April. Grant writing workshops are a great way for artists, educators, communities and organizations who are seeking funding for arts-related activities to learn more about applying with the Iowa Arts Council. Open to all: April 24 from 1-4 p.m. at the New! For educators, an ICN workshop April 26 from
3:30-4:30 p.m. will focus on funding for arts education project such as artist
residencies and arts field trips. A great learning opportunity for educators
wondering how to access Iowa Arts Council grant programs. Sessions are free
for those working with, or on behalf of, pre-K through 12 students in
Nora Garda, Iowa Dance Fest includes workshops and
presentations for all age levels, from a kids/youth hip hop workshop to adult
ballet. One highlight of the event will be performances by five dancers from
the Ballet Contemporáneo de “There will be so many opportunities for the public to get involved in Iowa Dance Fest either as spectators or active participants,” McCusker said. “We’re inviting everyone who wants to learn, perform or just play and be surrounded by dance.” Festival buttons costing $25 serve as an all-access pass to festival events. Without a button, workshops are $5 and performances are $10. Buttons can be purchased by calling (319) 400-4695. More information and a complete schedule are available at http://iowadancefest.blogspot.com. The Iowa Arts Council supports partnerships between
schools and communities throughout Now IAC is offering Arts Build Communities in Schools (ABCs) grants to support partnerships between schools and artists or arts organizations in their communities. Grants will be awarded on a three-year cycle to allow the time needed to establish communication and understanding between partners, to find ways to combine existing resources in creative ways and to develop new learning opportunities for students. The ABCs program replaces Arts Partners for Achievement, a pilot program ending in June. ABCs grants are $5,000 per year. The Iowa Arts Council anticipates awarding up to three rants for the 2007-08 academic year. Application deadline is June 1. Visit the Iowa Arts Council Web site for details.
CLP Applications due July 2 The Cultural Leadership Partners (CLP) Program (formerly the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Enrichment Partners Program and the Iowa Arts Council’s Operational Support Program) provides multi-year funding support for the general operating expenses of well-established arts and cultural organizations. This core support is an investment in the future and
sustainability of Expectations of organizations receiving funding through this program include: ·
Assuming an active leadership role in their
community and the state and be perceived as proactive in advancing and
elevating the role, value and quality of the arts and culture in · Making programming and managerial choices that clearly demonstrate an artistic or cultural vision and a desire for growth, innovation and excellence; · Adopting management practices that reflect professional practices and standards expected within their fields; and ·
Establishing and strengthening networking and
mentoring relationships with each other and with other arts and cultural
colleagues in Applications from new organizations are accepted every three years. The next deadline is 4:30 p.m., July 2, 2007. Because the application process can last a year or longer, potential applicants are encouraged to contact Bruce Williams at bruce.williams@iowa.gov to discuss the process prior to completing an application form. The review process includes a one- or two-day on-site visit that typically includes extensive conversations with the organization’s staff, board and community stakeholders. When deemed necessary by the evaluation team, additional visits may be scheduled to continue the review process or provide the team an opportunity to attend specific programs and services of the applicant. Organizations that successfully complete the application process and are determined ready to be a Cultural Leadership Partner are eligible, but actually funding is not guaranteed. DCA’s first priority is to fulfill multi-year funding commitments with current Cultural Leadership Partners. Funding of new organizations is dependent upon DCA receiving additional funding for the program. Grant dollar amounts are based on the organization’s average operating budget for the three previous years; the current range is from $4,732 to $23,700. Applicants must show they have met all eligibility requirements for at least three years prior to the application deadline. Guidelines, eligibility requirements and application forms are available at www.culturalaffairs.org or www.iowaartscouncil.org. For more information, contact Bruce Williams at Bruce.Williams@iowa.gov. A report from Gordon Hendrickson, the DCA’s legislative liaison, on March 28, 2007: I believe we are making progress on many of our initiatives, although we are clearly a long way from the end of the session. The Department of Cultural Affairs’ budget is included in the Economic Development appropriations bill, Senate File 562. The Senate Appropriations Committee has moved this bill to the floor of the Senate but I do not expect floor action until very late in the session. All budget lines related to the Iowa Arts Council are even with Fiscal Year 2007. I am fairly confident there will be amendments to this bill before it is signed but I do not expect any negative impacts. One of the bills that was pre-filed by our department is a corrective amendment to the Iowa Cultural Trust code which, if adopted, will allow the Cultural Trust Board and the department to begin using interest generated by the Trust on educational programming related to endowment building, planned giving programs, capacity building and sustainability when the principal in the Trust reaches $3 million. We expect to reach that level during fiscal year 2008. At this time the bill, Senate File 205, has passed the Senate and has been reviewed by a subcommittee of the House Economic Growth Committee. I hope the full committee will consider the bill this week and bring it to the floor for debate. Another bill pre-filed by our department addresses the Iowa Great Places program. Under current law, the department was authorized to name six additional Great Places in fiscal year 2007. We have named those places. In order to continue the program, the department has asked for authorization to name additional Great Places on the basis of readiness rather than on the basis of a competitive process. We also have asked that requests for technical or financial assistance submitted from Great Places be awarded additional consideration when being reviewed by state agencies. This legislation has passed out of both houses and, as of this writing, is on its way to Governor Culver for his signature. Three other bills have been introduced that impact the Department of Cultural Affairs budget. · House File 695 would appropriate $75,000 to the department for cultural grants for culturally diverse festivals and celebrations. · House File 727 would appropriate $150,000 to the department for the creation of an interactive web site to allow public access to departmental programs, collections, publications and services. · House File 728 would appropriate $100,000 to the department for support for out-of-school arts programs. All three of these bills are in the House Appropriations Committee so they are funnel-proof. I will be watching these bills as the session continues in hopes that we can move one or more of them if additional resources become available. I know it will be extremely difficult to secure any additional resources as the entire budget situation is very tight.
never done anything like this before and I wish I’d started
sooner. It was a rush and I can’t wait to go to
A good evaluation plan is key to good planning & implementation. Think from the beginning about how you will know if your project is a success; make sure that your evaluation actually measures that. If you want students to learn about an art form, but all you ask them afterward is whether they liked the artist, then you haven’t measured whether or not they learned anything. If you want your community to broaden its understanding of a particular culture, then it’s not enough to just count how many people attended the event – you need a measurable way to determine whether understanding really did change. ·
Mary Sundet Jones and Dawn Martinez Oropeza
will go to ·
Mary Sundet Jones and Dawn Martinez Oropeza will
join Arts Partners for Achievement teams from ·
Dawn Martinez Oropeza will attend a retreat
with members of the Iowa Cultural Coalition on April 14 at ·
·
Sarah Ekstrand, Dawn Martinez Oropeza and Mary
Sundet Jones will be in · Sarah Ekstrand & Dawn Martinez Oropeza will conduct the ICN workshop on grants info for teachers on April 26 ·
Mary Sundet Jones will attend the Office of
Tourism’s Unity Day conference in ·
Mary Sundet Jones will travel to Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA)
will begin offering field trip transportation grants of up to $350 beginning
Aug. 1. The grants will fund field trips from schools located within the
SSNHA to other sites within the SSNHA, including the Applications will be accepted from Aug. 1 through May 1, 2008 or until funds are depleted, whichever comes first. Applications must be postmarked at least six weeks prior to the date of the proposed field trip. For more information and an application, visit www.silosandsmokestacks.org and click on “Grants” at the bottom of the page. With the rapid changes taking place in today’s global economy, society and technology, there is an increasing recognition in the business world that companies will need to radically rethink their methods of innovation, leadership and problem-solving in order to survive in the future. As it becomes clearer that innovative thinkers are a scarce resource, business schools worldwide are adding arts-based courses to their curricula, top recruiters are scouting M.F.A.s, and major corporations are engaging artists to develop creative new business models. In the Academy of Management’s Learning and Education Journal (Vol. 5, No. 4), Professor Nancy Adler explores the reasons behind the growing use of artists and artistic processes in business, stressing that “the time is right for the cross-fertilization of the arts and leadership” if companies want to thrive on the challenges of the future. Read the complete article by clicking: The
Arts & Leadership: Now That We Can Do Anything, What Will We Do? During this weeklong institute for arts administrators
from the Midwest, national arts leaders will provide in-depth training for
arts organization staff in areas of management, finances, fundraising and
programming. The Institute will be held June 5-8 at |
