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September 2007 |
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In This
Issue A Story of
Citizen Advocacy: New DCA Funds Major
Grant Applications Due October 1 IAC & Iowa
Writer’s Workshops Collaborate to Bring Writing to Iowa High Schools
New IAAE Director
Correlates Arts, Business for Future Workforce Sillau
Reaches Students With Art Poetry Out Loud
Looks for Participating Schools Quite
Possibly the Best Job Ever: Food Judging at the Iowa State Fair Historical
Museum Announces Film Series artstop Celebration
of the Arts Sept. 7-8 Richard
Florida Speaks in Ames Sept. 19 2nd
Annual Mississippi River Scenic Drive 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: |
A Story of Citizen Advocacy: New DCA FundsImportant news from
the The best citizen advocacy happens when relationships are built over time, allowing elected officials to really know and understand the needs of their constituents. Then, when legislation is introduced, all legislators need to hear from their constituents about its benefits (or detriments) to them. This was the case with an amendment to House File 2791
in the 2006 legislature. The amendment was introduced by former
Representative Don Shoultz, a Originally, we did not expect these funds to be available until the 2008-09 year. However, we were happily surprised to learn recently that the Iowa Department of Management these funds should be available to the DCA by mid-September of 2007. This money provides an incredibly important infusion of
support for the operations of arts, culture, and history organizations in An additional 10 applicants to the Iowa Community Cultural Grants program for the 2007-08 year were informed in July that they would be receiving funds for their projects after all, even though they had received denial letters a couple of months earlier. There is no more wonderful news to give! Sixteen major cultural organizations in A new DCA grant program, providing small operating support grants to small- to mid-size arts and cultural organizations, will be launched this fall. This begins to fill a void that has existed for some time. Watch for news soon about this new program! Grant applications and support materials are due in the
IAC offices, Projects submitted under the October 1 deadline must occur between January 1 and June 30, 2008. Contact Linda Lee at linda.lee@iowa.gov or 515-242-6194 for more information. IAC Major Grants are designed to provide financial assistance for projects developed 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. Applicants must match the amount requested. The Iowa Arts Council has begun an exciting new
partnership with the acclaimed Iowa Writer’s Workshop at the One teacher has told Clark, “Many students in To date, Clark has made arrangements to visit schools in
Diane Franken is poised to tell Iowans that arts education is essential to transforming the future workplace and providing students the necessary skills to compete in the 21st century global economy. Franken will begin her duties as the new executive director of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education (IAAE) September 1. She says it is vital that educational curriculum reflect what employers of the future are seeking. “The schools have been concentrating on core subjects without realizing the arts have become a core subject,” Franken says. “Business is looking for people who are creative. And what better place to find that than in the arts?” She’ll begin her part-time duties by looking for new
people to engage in advocating for arts education. Franken was most recently
the arts resource coordinator for “I’m going to be branching out into new areas,” she said. “I’m looking to expand our message to people you wouldn’t think of immediately as advocates of arts education, people who aren’t quite so directly involved, like PTA presidents and art supply companies who can support us with a membership.” To prove her point, Franken references Robert Lutz, CEO of General Motors. In the book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, author Daniel Pink uses Lutz as an example of using creativity to turn around the ailing automaker. Asked by the New York Times how his approach would differ from his predecessors, Lutz responded “It’s more right brain…I see us being in the art business. Art, entertainment and mobile sculpture, which, coincidentally, also happens to provide transportation.” “If you look at those skills, they’re all about working collaboratively, being creative, being innovative, thinking outside the box – that’s a whole lot more than rote learning, and those are the kinds of jobs that are being taken up by other countries,” Franken said. “We need to reach policy makers and make contact between business and education so that they begin to hear it and not necessarily from me. Our students are a product, and to sell the product you need to find a buyer. Well, the buyer is business.”
volunteer hours to make each 1st Friday a success. “Celebrating the event’s 5th anniversary in October, 1st Fridays Art Walk has been supported entirely by donations used primarily to cover advertising and event costs,” said Holly Moore, president of the board of directors. “ICCG funds will help free up talented and stretched volunteer board members from daily administration responsibilities to those of identifying, attracting and securing new sustainable funding sources.” In 2006, the City of Fairfield was named one of Iowa’s Great Places, an initiative that combines local assets with state resources to make Iowa communities great places to live, work and play. Fairfield Mayor Ed Malloy said the success of 1st Fridays Art Walk and the city’s Great Places designation have driven the redesign and restoration of the central business district.
and international exhibits and performances, including
work from more than 500 resident artists. Each event has a theme centered on
music, film, dance, historical art & antiquities, culinary arts, literary
arts and more. September’s theme, “All Things Local,” incorporates food and
art with a celebration of the For more information, visit www.fairfieldartwalk.com.
and Benchmarks. His residencies accommodate all types of learners in different settings, working in places such as inner-city schools, long-term care facilities, youth clubs and special education classrooms. He has the ability to use theatre as a tool to help every child, disabled or not, to see the good and power within. Visit his Roster page at www.iowaartscouncil.org. The
Iowa Arts Council and Poetry Out Loud Coordinator Donna Davilla invites Poetry Out Loud builds on the recent
resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as demonstrated by the slam poetry
movement and the immense popularity of rap music among our youth. The program
encourages youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and
performance, which help students master public speaking skills, build
self-confidence, and learn about our literary heritage. Starting
at the classroom level, teachers receive free multimedia curriculum materials
– a poetry anthology, audio guide, teachers’ guide, posters, and
comprehensive Web site, www.poetryoutloud.org,
all aligned to national standards –augmenting their
regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation and a classroom-level
competition. School-level recitation champions advance to the state and then
national levels. In 2007, Poetry
Out Loud awarded more than $100,000 in prizes to students and schools at
the state and national levels. This
year’s Teacher’s Guide incorporates a simplified rubric and optional creative
writing lesson plan. The Iowa Arts Council will also be offering workshops
for teachers in October and November, to provide tips on bringing the program
into their classrooms. This year’s state competition will be held March 8,
2008 at the Teachers
interested in participating in By Riki Saltzman,
folklife coordinator
ladies tasted and compared a variety of yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, pies, cookies, and candies. At the end of an exhausting but fun day of tasting, talking and scoring, the group decided on the grand prize winner—a light and refreshing lemon cake. I swore at the time that this entry won because it stood out in a sea of heavy, decadent, and otherwise delectable baked goods; as in any artistic endeavor, aesthetic context comes into play as much as competent performance. In August 2005, I served my first stint as an Iowa State
Fair food judge. Sue Futrell of One Backyard Publishing and co-author of the
Leopold Center-funded Jams and jellies judging day arrived and with mercifully few entries for a great category (and some good prizes). I arrived early, registered with the officials, met my “writer” who would jot down my scores and comments, and then it was time to taste and judge.
preparation. An entry might look great but not taste all that good, and vice versa. Winning entries must score high in both categories as well as in whatever other criteria noted in the premium book (which specifies categories and how to enter). Some tips if you ever try to be a food judge: don’t
volunteer to judge foods you don’t like or have little experience with; watch
and listen to experienced judges (remember those muffin making rules from
home economics class—if you don’t, there’ll be at least one other judge who
will remind you that flat tops and large tunnels do not make for good looking
muffins); and make positive and constructive comments. Do make sure to
congratulate all the entrants—it’s a brave baker who’s willing to attempt an
angel food cake on a hot and humid The Iowa Arts Council has been collecting information on internship opportunities at arts and culture organizations around the state. If you are interested in this kind of internship, click here for more info. Any organization (or individual artist!) interested in listing internship openings on the IAC’s Web site should submit the following information: Organization
name Any other information the intern should know. Think you might like an intern, but don’t have a formal position description to submit? We can help you put your thoughts together. Requests for information and/or questions can be e-mailed to Sarah Ekstrand at Sarah.Ekstrand@iowa.gov. Sept. 5: Dawn Martinez Oropeza attends meeting at
Cattell Elementary in Sept. 5–8: Sarah Ekstrand and Cyndi Pederson travel to Sept. 6: Bruce Williams is in Sept. 7-8: Riki Saltzman goes to Sept. 8, 13: Bruce Williams is in Sept. 10-11: IAC Strategic Planning Retreat in Sept. 14: IAC Board Meeting, Sept. 19 & 26: Dawn Martinez Oropeza in Sept. 21: Cyndi Pederson, Mary Sundet Jones and Bruce
Williams in Sept. 23-24: Mary Sundet Jones and Cyndi Pederson travel
to Sept. 24: Riki Saltzman in Sept. 27: Riki Saltzman in Sept. 28-29: Dawn Martinez Oropeza presents a session on
afterschool arts programs at Afterschool Transformation: Results for
Kids through High Quality Programs, Iowa Afterschool Conference in
The In Mississippi Blues, filmmakers Robert Parrish
and Bertrand Tavernier document their journey through Co-sponsored by the Central Iowa Blues Society, Mississippi
Blues will be shown at 7 p.m. Sept. 6 and 2 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Following the Sept. 8th matinee, Tom Gary, author of DePatten is the son of Robert E. Patten, who operated a
Des Moines printing business serving the African-Am In addition, the museum also will receive donations
Sept. 6th and 8th for the Jimmy Pryor Music Scholarship Fund, which supports Following is the September: October: Special World Premiere – Lost
Nation: The Ioway November: BRATS December: Anthem: An January: The War Room February: Genghis Blues March: Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme April: Our
Brand is Crisis May: In the Mirror of Maya Deren Visit www.iowahistory.org for complete schedule and movie information.
District,
For details, visit www.myspace.com/artstop.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Visit the Iowa State University Web site for more information. Seven towns. Two states. One river. The weekend of Sept.
21-23 will burgeon with fall color and activity along the Nestled along the River, the quaint communities of Nauvoo,
For details, visit www.mississippiriverdrive.com. |
