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Applications for Individual Artist Fellowships Now Available
The Fiscal Year 2010 Individual Artist Fellowship application is now available online. The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. on August 3, 2009. For more information, visit www.artsdel.org/grants/artistgrants.shtml.
Arts Summit 2009
Mastering the Moment: Smart Strategies Today to Benefit Tomorrow
The 2009 Arts Summit will be held on Monday, October 26 at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino. An exciting array of speakers, workshops, activities, performances, and more is being planned – all focused on helping Delaware's arts community to Master the Moment!
Join with Delaware's artists, arts administrators, arts patrons, community leaders, state officials, and representatives from regional arts organizations to exchange ideas, obtain knowledge, network and celebrate the arts!
For updated information on the Summit, keep checking back to www.artsdel.org/summit.
Update on Fiscal Year 2010 Grant Process
The Delaware State Arts Council met on Wednesday, June 17 to review FY2010 grant panel recommendations and funding scenarios. Once the budget bill has been approved by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, which has a deadline of midnight on June 30, funding decisions will be finalized to correspond to the approved budget. Applicants will be notified in writing of grant awards by mid-July.
Delaware Arts Organizations Receive Local and National Grants for Arts Programming
Winners of the 2009 Norman A. Lockman Award for Excellence in the Arts, named for the longtime president of the Gridiron board, are:
- University of Delaware's Indian Students Association ($500)
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware Pegasus Art Works ($5,000)
- Delaware Theatre Company ($10,000), the Delaware Symphony ($5,000)
- Wilmington Children's Chorus ($10,000).
The National Endowment for the Arts announced that three Delaware organizations received grants.
- In the Access to Artistic Excellence category, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts received a $30,000 grant for community-based artist residencies to create work that explores the theme "In Reality." The Delaware Symphony Association received a $7,500 grant for outreach performances in Lewes and Dover.
- In the Learning in the Arts category, Christina Cultural Arts Center received a $25,000 grant for staff arts teachers and visiting artists to teach a curriculum integrating dance, music, and spoken word poetry.
Orchestrating Arts Advocacy
In early June, more than 30 arts leaders from throughout the state met informally at the Schwartz Center in Dover to explore ways that they and others could have more impact by working cooperatively on arts advocacy issues. The roundtable featured a presentation by Jay Dick from Americans for the Arts, a national arts advocacy group. The presentation and follow-up discussion clarified the vital need in Delaware for more intensive and coordinated efforts to educate the public, the business community, and government leaders about the civic and social importance of the arts. The participants came to a strong consensus that a professionally-staffed formal structure for advocacy was preferable, and they laid the foundation for an open and aggressive planning process to occur over the next few months. If you are interested in learning more or becoming involved, please contact Mark Fields (the current group convener) at mfields@grandopera.org.
United We Serve — An Opportunity for Arts Participation
President Obama announced a new national service initiative called United We Serve to encourage volunteerism and support economic recovery. The initiative was launched on June 22 and wraps up September 11, 2009. By participating in United We Serve, artists and arts organizations can demonstrate the unique and vital contributions the arts make to every aspect of community life. Volunteer efforts may be centered on cultural activities or on those relating to one of United We Serve's areas of focus: education; health; energy and the environment; and community renewal. In addition to the inherent benefits of volunteerism, either by engaging volunteers or serving as volunteers, artists and arts organizations can strengthen their community ties and make the arts more visible in local recovery efforts. Click here for ideas on how to participate.
National Studies Released on Arts Participation and Arts Education
The National Endowment for the Arts released highlights of a survey, Arts Participation 2008: Highlights from a National Survey. The 2008 survey reveals dwindling audiences for many art forms, but it also captures new data on Internet use and other forms of arts participation. The Nation's Report Card: Arts 2008, the first arts education study since 1997 from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is available.
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