The Renaissance Generation is an emerging breed of consumer, and cultural analyst Patricia Martin spoke to an auditorium of businesspeople about how to advertise to this new demographic during the annual MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series June 3 at the State Historical Building.

Martin is the author of the new book RenGen: Renaissance Generation – The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business, in which she outlines how corporations can reach the RenGen group.

Martin stressed using the Web creatively as a communications channel, specifically social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook that can have a viral effect for your message. She also mentioned marketing eco-friendly products and incorporating past knowledge of what does work into new strategies.

According to Martin, it’s not good enough anymore to have good marketing and media exposure; companies must realize that creative consumers seek meaning behind the products they purchase.

Following Martin’s lecture, Rekha Basu, columnist for The Des Moines Register, moderated a panel discussion about advertising to “cultural consumers.” The panelists were Martin; Jeff Chelesvig, president and CEO of the Des Moines Civic Center; J. Barry Griswell, CEO of Principal Financial Group; and Savan Thongvanh, technologist and amateur photographer. The panelists provided their own insights about “RenGen” and answered audience questions about marketing to consumers in Iowa.

The event was made possible through the generous support of MetLife Foundation and was part of Americans for the Arts’ Arts & Business Council’s MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series. Promotional partners included the Des Moines American Advertising Federation, Iowa Chapter of the American Marketing Association, Metro Arts Alliance, Art Directors Association of Iowa, Iowa Cultural Coalition and Greater Des Moines Young Professionals Connection.

--By Tori Watson, Iowa Arts Council intern

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From Pots to Public Art: A Primer

David B. Dahlquist will host a one-day workshop June 27 at the State Historical Building to discuss the evolution of his work from vessel-maker to the design and fabrication of large-scale public art installations and commissions.

“From Pots to Public Art: A Primer” will survey a comprehensive range of issues in public art, from concept development to fabrication and installation. The workshop is designed for emerging and established studio artists who are interested in public art governmental commissions and artists who have some experience in having their work exhibited in outdoor sculpture exhibitions and temporary art installations.

The workshop will focus on how an artist prepares for entering the realm of public art. Does everyone’s studio artwork and museum and gallery installations enable them to succeed in public art? What are the steps that an artist takes to find commission opportunities and how are artists selected?

Registration is $50 and is limited to 20 Iowa artists. Register on www.IowaTix.com by June 13, 2008. The registration includes:

· Lunch and morning/afternoon refreshments

· Workshop handouts

· One-year subscription to Public Art Review. Published by Forecast Public Art, Public Art Review is the only journal focused on exploring the many dimensions of public art. Each issue provides opinion, analysis, criticism and discussion about the nature and trends in public art.

· Public Art by the Book, edited by Barbara Goldstein, is a nuts and bolts guide for artists, local government, arts agencies, arts professionals and volunteers creating public art in their communities.

Visit www.iowaartscouncil.org for more details.

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S.O.S! (Small Operating Support) For Arts, Culture, History

The Department of Cultural Affairs’ new Small Operating Support grants will help small and mid-size arts, history, and cultural organizations to do such things as:

· Pay personnel salaries;

· Purchase equipment that will improve efficiency of the organization;

· Hire a consultant;

· Purchase technology/software;

· General marketing, promotional expenses; and

· Cover expenses for other things like rent, utilities, phones or Web site maintenance expenses, etc.

SOS grants are specifically for nonprofit arts, history, and cultural organizations with annual budgets below $150,000. Applicants may request up to 5 percent of their annual budget, or a maximum of $5,000. Funds must be used between September 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. Applications must be received at the Department of Cultural Affairs by 4:30 pm, Friday, July 25; this is NOT a postmark deadline. For more information and application, visit the DCA Web site or contact Dawn.Oropeza@iowa.gov.

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Iowa Dance Network Gathering and Workshop

The Iowa Dance Network will hold its first gathering Sunday, June 29 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This new group is meant to serve Iowa dancers–from classical ballet to folk and traditional of various cultures, from modern to tap, from jazz to hip-hop, and everything in between and around the edges!

This gathering, which is free and specifically aimed at dancers 18 and over, will offer a variety of sessions: grant writing for IAC grants, information about IAC performing and teaching artist rosters, how to use new media for marketing, and more. There will be opportunities to network and collaborate with colleagues from across the state as well as dance breaks!

Schedule (subject to minor changes):

· 10-10:30: Coffee/Tea/Snacks/Introductions

· 10:30-12:30: Iowa Arts Council Grant workshop (overview of IAC grants, grants review exercise, Q & A)

· 12:30-1:30: Lunch break/networking

· 1:30-2:30: Iowa Arts Council Rosters (Performing and Teaching Artists)--information and Q & A

· 2:30-3: Dance Break

· 3-4: Marketing & New Media

· 4-4:30: Evaluation--where do we go from here?

To register, please go to www.iowaartscouncil.org and look at “Quick Clicks.”

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Artist Team Sees “Green” For State Building

A California design team has been selected to help a new state office building “go green.”

Jeff Reed and Jennifer Madden of Albany, Calif., were chosen by the Iowa Utilities Board and the Office of Consumer Advocate, with assistance from the Iowa Arts Council, to integrate art into the new Iowa Utilities Board/Office of Consumer Advocate building.

Specifically, the art will integrate various aesthetic elements that will demonstrate the importance of utility services to Iowa’s economy. The new building will also feature strategies to reduce energy consumption and show Iowans the value of using energy responsibly.

Husband-and-wife team Jeff Reed and Jennifer Madden created “Sunflowers” in Palo Alto, Calif. Above, solar panels nesting within the bronze petals harvest the sun's energy for the evening, when dozens of tiny lights in the flower's collar illuminate each blossom and tabletop.

Formulating and deciding on a design was a “unique challenge,” said Bruce Williams, IAC public art and design coordinator. Williams said the concept is “new territory” because the IUB/OCA building is one of the first to opt for a “green” theme.

Reed and Madden, a husband-and-wife duo, specialize in creating sculptures by blending art, architecture and nature. Their site-specific designs often convey an environmental or educational theme.

IAC facilitated the project’s artist selection and concept design phases. Reed and Madden were selected from 27 artists who responded to an IAC Request for Qualifications.

The 44,500-square-foot building will be constructed on the southeast corner of the State Capitol Complex. The estimated completion date is late 2009 or early 2010.

The building will be designed to obtain LEED certification. LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System—is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

The Iowa Legislature enacted the Art in State Buildings program in 1979 to ensure that fine arts play an integral role in state construction projects. Iowa’s legislation requires one-half of one percent of the total cost of state construction projects be used for the inclusion of fine arts in state building projects.

The program provides building designers and planners, artists, state agencies, state employees, arts professionals and other Iowans the opportunity to collaborate in planning and implementing public art projects for a specific public site or place.

The total art budget for the $9.93 million IUB/OCA building is $48,650.

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After 30 Years, Sage Artwork Moves from Hoover Building

Historical Museum Conservator Pete Sixbey carefully removes “Tinctorial Spiral” from the Hoover State Office Building in Des Moines.

A piece of public art that has greeted workers and guests to the Hoover State Office Building in Des Moines for the past 30 years was carefully removed recently.

The reason? The piece, by fiber artist Priscilla Sage, will be featured in upcoming exhibit at the Brunnier Museum in Ames.

Sage installed her public art piece, titled “Tinctorial Spiral” in the new Hoover Building in 1979, after being selected by the then Art in State Architecture Committee. She is best known for her colorful stuffed fiber and webbing creations resembling the shapes and brilliance of butterflies, birds and flowers.

Historical Museum Conservator Pete Sixbey helped remove the artwork and transport it to his office for cleaning before being shipped to Ames. Sage was on hand to oversee the process, but was often interrupted by workers walking through and commenting. One woman recalled meeting Sage the day the artwork was installed; and was sad to see it leave.

The artwork will be returned to the Hoover Building following the close of the Brunnier exhibit.

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Teacher Reflects on D.C. Trip & Poetry Out Loud

By Denise Biechler

High School teacher Denise Biechler was able to accompany her student, Roland-Story High School Senior Emily Mortvedt, to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC, April 27-29. Here are her reflections:

The recent trip to Washington, D. C., to attend the Poetry Out Loud National Finals proved, once again, the value of perspective. When I told people about the trip, they would immediately respond with the thrill of seeing the usual sites – the White House, The Smithsonian museums, the capitol building, and the cherry blossoms. I, too, thought revisiting some of these sites would be a highlight. But when I took my seat in the dark Lisner Auditorium on the George Washington University campus, all the revered buildings and memorials were paled by the beautiful young people who, one by one, took the middle of the stage, and looked us all in the eyes and started reciting poetry “by heart.”

I was there to support my own student, Emily Mortvedt, of Roland-Story High School, the Iowa champion. She is tiny and she is powerful. She took her place in the middle of that stage and recited with beautiful dignity Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life.” Her next poem, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s, “Time Does Not Bring Relief, You Have All Lied,” is a poem that could have different meanings for each person listening. As she left the stage, the emcee told the audience Emily selected the poem because it expresses the feelings she had after a family tragedy when others had long dismissed her feelings of sorrow and longing.

On the night of the finals, the celebrity judges such as Luis Rodriguez, Leslie Schwartz, and Garrison Keillor initially bedazzled the crowd. Our master of ceremony that night was National Public Radio’s Scott Simon. But as the evening

Photo by James Kegley

Emily Mortvedt competes at the National Poetry Out Loud competition.

progressed, the focus was on the performers. After each finalist recited two poems, the judges’ scores were tallied and the five top contestants got to come back and recite a third poem. Before they returned, each of us from the Iowa contingent made our choices and compared. They were all so good, that we each had different selections. The winner was Shawntay Henry, the tiny contestant with the huge presence from the United States Virgin Islands. With this title, she wins $20,000 in scholarships – and a whole auditorium of fans. The second place winner was Sophia Elena Soberon from Oregon. Her Latino ancestry, no doubt, played a role in her perfect pronunciation of the Spanish words sprinkled in her prize-winning recitation of “Bilingual/Bilingue,” by Rhina P. Espaillat.

It was a privilege to go to the contest. I appreciate the chance the Iowa Arts Council gave me to attend and also appreciate the company of Dawn Martinez Oropeza from the Iowa Arts Council as my companion and guide. She is, unashamedly, a city girl and was a great help in getting around the city on the Metro and on foot. She’s also a good judge – she picked the winning performer!

As I reflect on the experience, it is still the sound of those young people’s voices and the poetry they recited that stays with me. I know so much better what to expect from my own students. I can help them dig through the 600 some poems on the Poetry Out Loud web site to choose a poem that will not only captivate them, but will captivate an audience. I hope to inspire more teachers in the state of Iowa to participate in the program. This way more students can gain the confidence that comes through memorizing words that will live in their hearts for life.

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Gateway Dance Theater Brings World Cultures to Iowa

Penny Furgerson majored in chemistry, but she’s spent the last 35 years teaching dance.

As owner of the Gateway Dance Theater, a cozy studio in Des Moines’ East Village, she teaches students from a variety of backgrounds about dances across the world.

The India native studied Indian classical dance as a child. In the late 1950s, Furgerson represented India by dancing at the International Festival of Arts in Scotland.

She and her late husband, Lee B. Furgerson, Jr., whom she met while pursuing her master’s degree at Drake University, together founded the Gateway Dance Theater in October, 1972. Together they sought to create a dance school that was a refreshing alternative from the standard ballet schools. Today, classes blend styles from India, Africa and the Caribbean. Gateway Dance Theater offers weekly classes, holds workshops and performances, hosts nationally recognized dancers and performs at locations across the state.

“Training in the arts is essential to a complete education” is a prominent statement on the organization’s Web site, illustrating how the school focuses not only on dance, but on raising self-esteem and building relationships with others.

Penny Fergerson

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Over the years, Furgerson has exposed her students to world-class theater performances in Kansas City, Iowa City and Minneapolis because, she says, “the arts help you cross cultural barriers.”

“My late husband and I always felt…that you don’t have to understand the language to enjoy a performance,” she said.

On June 25, Gateway Dance Theater will perform “Water is Life,” a dance suite at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Conference at Simpson College in Indianola. The complete schedule of their performances can be found at www.gatewaydance.org.

In her dance classes and performances, Furgerson promotes understanding of others and different cultures.

“Our skeletal system is the same, no matter what part of the world we come from,” she said.

--By Tori Watson, Iowa Arts Council intern

Co-operative Marketing – Bring Travelers to You!

Iowa’s Tourism Office has once again negotiated prices with a number of magazines and newspapers with target markets that may be just the people you need to tell about the great arts opportunities you offer. Whether your organization’s budget allows you to spend a couple of hundred dollars or several thousand, those who make use of this co-op marketing program report getting LOTS of calls – and therefore adding many names to their contact lists. Deadline is November 1, but it’s not too early to get signed up now. See the complete information at http://www.traveliowa.com/downloads/2009_sell.pdf or contact Kathy Bowermaster at (515) 242-4708.

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Letter of Gratitude

It’s not often we toot our own horns here at the Iowa Arts Council. But when Dawn Martinez Oropeza, arts education and community programs coordinator, received a nice email of gratitude for funding that made possible an arts education program in the Keokuk community, we had to share:

Dear Ms. Oropeza,

I am a teacher in Keokuk, Iowa and we just had the pleasure of hosting Switchback in our schools. Tom Seabold told me that their visit was made possible by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council and I wanted to thank you. Many of the children I work with are from families of working poor and would never get the opportunity to see artists like the ones that we have had visit our buildings. The two gentlemen who preformed for us most recently were wonderful with the kids. They told them the correct way to enjoy the music and how to allow others to enjoy it as well; they explained the songs and the history that shaped the music. There were plenty of tidbits that I learned right along with the students! Marty and Brian had a comfortable manner and a great sense of humor that made it easy for the kids to relate to them. Their talent was far and away above any that our little people could hope to see locally.

Switchback also gave a concert for the community in the evening which my husband and I got to attend. It was really fun and we both walked away hungry for more!

I just wanted to let you know how much my fellow teachers and I appreciate what you are doing for our kids!

Thank you,

Lydia O’Neal

Elementary Art, Wells-Carey, George Washington, and Torrence Schools

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IAC Staff Out & About

June 2: Dawn Martinez Oropeza to Ames for Poetry Out Loud meeting

June 4: Bruce Williams, Lara Kramme, Dawn Martinez Oropeza and Cyndi Pederson to Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines, for Cultural Leadership Partners site visit

June 4-8: Riki Saltzman to New Orleans, La., to present information at Association for the Study of Food & Society

June 5: Bruce Williams, Cyndi Pederson, Sarah Ekstrand, and Mary Sundet Jones to Waterloo Center for the Arts for Cultural Leadership Partners site visit

June 5-6: Cyndi Pederson , Mary Sundet Jones, and Bruce Williams in Waterloo and Cedar Falls for IAC Board meeting

June 9-13: Cyndi Pederson to Denver, Colo., for meeting of executive directors of state arts agencies

June 10: Bruce Williams to Spencer for Great Places coaching

June 18-23: Bruce Williams to Philadelphia, Pa., for Americans for the Arts annual conference

June 23-25: Dawn Martinez Oropeza and Sarah Ekstrand host regional meetings with roster artists; various locations

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Help for Artists Affected by Tornadoes

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) is providing grants and loans to any professional craft artist who may have been seriously affected by recent tornadoes.

CERF’s programs include:

· Grants up to $1,500;

· Loans up to $8,000;

· Booth fee waivers at craft shows;

· Discounts on materials and equipment from craft suppliers;

· Assistance with business development.

For eligibility requirements and more detailed information, please visit www.craftemergency.org or call (802) 229-2306.

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