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May 2007 |
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In This Issue · Midwest Folk Fest May 12-13 in Columbus Junction · Three Students Receive Scholarship for the Arts · IAC Awards $150,000 in Major Grants · Filmmaker Explores “REBIRTH” with new project · Orange City Goes Above and Beyond to Connect Schools with the Arts · Sioux City Youth Theatre Program Ignites Passion · DCA Awards Community Cultural Grants · Target Offers Field Trip Grants 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: |
Midwest Folk Fest May 12-13 in
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Columbus Junction is gearing up for a joint event with
the 2007 Hispanic Cultural Festival and Midwest Folk Fest scheduled for May
12-13. The Midwest Folk Fest is an annual event that rotates locations among
This year’s Midwest Folk Fest at the Hispanic Cultural Festival in Columbus Junction will include performances by Africaribe, a Puerto Rican- and Caribbean-inspired entertainment; Grupo Klandestino, Eugenio Solis and Las Guitarras de Mexico featuring Mexican music; Dave Moore with Tex-Mex inspired music; Matilde Cachiguango representing Ecuadorian |
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culture; Numa Armacanqui & Richard Hildner featuring
the sounds of
In addition, many of the performers will be presenting workshops throughout the day. Saturday begins with a 5K run/walk to kick off the festival at 8 a.m. Ethnic food offerings, carnival rides, children’s parade and cultural exploration area will be ongoing throughout the day May 12. Sunday, May 13 includes a Spanish mass, performances and demonstrations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and tours of Columbus Junction’s historical sites, Chinkapin Bluffs, and culinary sites from 2 to 4 p.m.
For more information on Festival activities and a complete schedule, visit www.cjhispanicfest.org.
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Hungry for the arts? The Iowa Arts Council presents
“No More Starving Artists: A Conference for Visual and Performing Artists”
Saturday, June 2 at the Morning
Schedule: 8:30-9:15 a.m.: Registration 9:15-9:30 a.m.: Welcome/Introduction 9:30-10:15 a.m.: Artist agent Mallory Smith will present on the importance of contracts, tips for writing and how to make sure you're getting what you need. 10:20-11:05 a.m.: John Herbert from Legion Arts in 11:10-11:55 a.m.: Michael Morain from the Des Moines Register will present information about communicating effectively with the media. Noon - 1 p.m.: Lunch |
Afternoon Schedule:
1-1:50 p.m.: Kids Menu - Members of the IAC Teaching Artist Roster will discuss obtaining success as a Teaching Artist and working in the field of Arts in Education.
Visual Arts presenter - Robert Campagna; Performing Arts presenter - Fax Gilbert
2-2:50 p.m.: Got Art? - Presentations and discussions on techniques and tactics on branding and marketing yourself and your artwork.
Visual Arts presenter - John Phillip Davis; Performing
Arts presenter -
3:00-3:50 pm - Hunting and Gathering - Peers share insightful success stories and offer guidance for finding and creating your own opportunities in the arts.
Visual Arts presenter – TBA; Performing Arts presenter - Jason Walsmith
Cost is $25 (includes lunch). To register, go to www.iowatix.com
and click on “
ALSO…Free
workshop for conference registrants only! Limit 15! Write a Grant for the
Friday, June 1, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Classroom A, State Historical Building
You don’t need to be a professional grant writer to write an Iowa Arts Council grant! Please have some concrete ideas for a grant (individual artist, folk and traditional arts, arts in schools and communities) from an individual. You must bring with you a 50-word project description (a draft is more than fine) as well as an outline, bullets, or even a draft of the narrative questions. You should also have some ideas for your budget. We’ll go through the basic information provided in an IAC grant writing workshop (overview, review a real grant, and tips for grant writing) in the morning. We’ll break for lunch (on your own) and spend the afternoon writing, reading, and giving feedback to each other. You should leave this workshop with at least the draft for an IAC grant!
Visit the Iowa Arts Council Web site to register or for more information.
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 or visit www.iowaartscouncil.org.
Each year, the Iowa Arts Council selects students to
receive its Iowa Scholarship for the Arts.
The scholarship is given to graduating high school seniors who will be
attending an
This year’s winners are:
Kelsey Reeve from
William Beyer from Vinton who will be attending
the
Nolan Vallier from
Congratulations to Kelsey, William and Nolan!
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 grants for the 2007-08 academic year. Application deadline is June 1. For more information, visit the Iowa Arts Council Web site.
The Iowa Arts Council has awarded 23 major arts and organizational grants totaling $150,000 to individuals and organizations serving Iowans across the state.
IAC received 78 Major Grant applications requesting $670,959 to fund projects developed by individual artists, arts organizations, schools and other community groups working to bring excellence in the arts to all Iowans. The program emphasizes artistic excellence, service to Iowans, and solid project planning and implementation. Applicants may request up to $10,000 but no more than 50 percent of the project’s total expenses.
“The projects funded in this round are truly exemplary,”
said IAC Division Administrator Mary Sundet Jones. “The hard part about the process is how
many more excellent projects could have been supported had more funds been
available. Based on the reviewers’ scores, we could easily have supported at
least another 30 terrific
The complete listing of recipients and projects will be posted soon at www.iowaartscouncil.org.
Grantwriting Tip
Major and Mini Grant applications include a 50-word
Budget Summary. No need to make this
too complex (50 words isn’t much) – but be sure you identify BOTH what you
plan to do with the IAC grant funds, AND your sources of match. Here’s an example (in just 39 words!):
“We’ll use IAC grant funds to pay artist stipends and some marketing
costs. Match will come from ticket
sales (estimate $X,XXX), donated volunteer time (estimate $X,XXX), and
donations from local businesses ($X,XXX already received and $X,XXX more to
raise).”
Francesca Soans, an assistant professor in the
Department of Communication Studies, is herself an immigrant from
Soans’ personal experiences led her to the stories she
is putting on film: the main characters adjust to a new world where suspicion
and compassion exist side by side and where community can be both a source of
strength and an obstacle to living. As a minority woman, Soans saw this as an
opportunity to shed light on the subject while engaging
“Despite the explosion of interest in filmmaking in
Soans has had her films and videos screened at
international festivals in the
With “REBIRTH,” Soans hopes to appeal to a new audience and provide them with opportunities to engage each other in positive ways.
“The film will bring to the national and international
stage an awareness of the rich diversity of
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When IAC Arts Education/Community Programs Coordinator Dawn Martinez Oropeza sent out a call to community arts organizations for information on programs within school districts, the Orange City Arts Council was one of the first to respond. With five schools within its school district, |
Executive Director Joyce Bloemendaal said the OCAC is active in encouraging art experiences for the students. Bloemendaal sends letters to each of the schools providing information on the Artists-in-Schools programs through the Iowa Arts Council, and then works with schools to research the possibilities and make recommendations on programs. Once an artist or program is chosen, Bloemendaal advises on writing the grant application which, if approved, lays the groundwork for community publicity and event planning.
“The Orange City Arts Council provides several evening activities for our community such as musical performances, dance, theatre, etc.,” Bloemendaal said. “We try very hard to have the performers for the evening either do a master class or mini-concert during the day of, or the day before, the community event. This is very easy for the schools because they don’t have to search out artists for these activities. And it helps us considerably because most grant applications are not funded for an individual concert with no community interaction. This way, more of the community becomes involved.”
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Anyone who has ever participated in a theatre program knows it can be a cathartic experience. To don costumes and transform yourself into a character provides a sense of release and creativity that no other kind of performance can. So when children in Sioux City sign up for the Sioux City Community Theatre (SCCT) Youth Theatre Program, they know they are going to learn – through the art of theatre – how to express themselves, be comfortable with who they are and appreciate other’s ideas and feelings. The program was highlighted in the Report to the Governor and General Assembly on the Status of Out-of-School Arts Programming for Youth, prepared by the Iowa Arts Council. |
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With classes for children pre-K through 12th grade, the SCCT Youth Theatre Program has also recently added a Partnership Class or Sioux City Community Schools Home School Assistance Program. The program provides supplemental arts education at an affordable price for families, and gets results that go far beyond just a love for the theatre.
“The freedom in becoming somebody else as an actor allows you to do things you might not normally be comfortable doing,” said Tim Hess, Youth Theatre Director. “In a fun and creative way, we’re able to draw from the children a sense of confidence and social experience that proves to be of immeasurable value throughout their lives.”
The Youth Theatre community is bound tightly by family participation. Many families have multiple children involved. Parents are readily available to assist with productions, fundraisers and other projects. The Youth Theatre also benefits from community partnerships that not only provide financial assistance, but also offer marketing opportunities and material donations.
SCCT Youth Theatre offers two class sessions each school year; one fall and one spring. Sessions are eight weeks in length and include specialized classes in theatrical make-up application, musical theatre and diction. Each season there are two youth productions that draw 175 participants and employ 16 artists.
“My oldest daughter began taking theatre classes and attending summer theatre camps offered by SCCT at 8,” said parent Joni Vondrak. “She quickly became ‘hooked’ due to the enthusiastic teachers and the wonderful experience she had.”
For more information on the Sioux City Community Theatre programs, visit www.scctheatre.org.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs has awarded 22
Iowa Community Cultural Grants totaling $225,000 for arts, historical and
cultural programs in 19
Projects in
DCA received 79 eligible ICCG requests totaling $1,258,036. The awards will be given July 1, 2007, pending legislative budget approval.
A complete listing of recipients and projects will be posted soon at www.culturalaffairs.org .
Target Field Trip Grants can take teachers and students on fabulous field trips – from art museums and environmental projects to cultural events and civic experiences. As part of the Target commitment to supporting education, this new program awarded 800 educators grants of up to $1,000 each to fund a field trip for their students in 2006-07.
Applications for the 2007-2008 school year will be available in August. Visit www.target.com and click on “community,” “education,” “field trip grants” to view details.
The Value of Volunteer Time
Independent Sector has announced that the value of a volunteer hour in 2006 reached $18.77 per hour, up from $18.04, or 4 percent, in 2005.
The estimate, which is updated annually, is based on the average hourly wage (plus 12 percent, to allow for fringe benefits) for all non-management, non-agriculture workers as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The announcement by IS coincides with preparations for National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, which recognizes and celebrates America's legacy of volunteerism and the value that Americans place on helping others.
"The true value of volunteer time is the vital role that they play in helping millions of charitable organizations and communities across the country," said IS president and CEO Diana Aviv. "Volunteering is about giving, contributing, and helping others. The new estimate helps put into perspective the enormous contributions provided by our nation's volunteers."
"Independent Sector Announces New Estimate for Value of Volunteer Time." Independent Sector Press Release 3/30/07.