Arts and Culture Funding 2010_Special ProjectsCity of Dubuque
.2lrts & Cultural.
alts Advisory Commission
June 8, 2009
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Dubuque
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Re: Arts and Culture Grant Program for Special Projects
FY 2010 Funding Competition--Applications and Recommendations
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
Introduction
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission has reviewed thirteen applications
from Dubuque organizations requesting $110,400 in funds from the FY 2010 Arts and
Culture Grant Program for Special Projects. This memo transmits the Commission's
funding recommendations.
Background
There is $35,000 budgeted for the Arts and Culture Grant Program for Special Projects.
This is the sixth round of competitive grants for this program. Last year, the City Council
approved the commission's recommendation to limit funding in this program to no more
than two consecutive years per organization and that applications had to rate at least 75
points out of 100 to be considered for funding.
Discussion
The Special Projects grant program was designed to encourage the development of
new or expanded arts and cultural programs in the Dubuque community. The Arts and
Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission solicited applications for the grant program in
March. Media releases were issued, applications were available on the City of
Dubuque's website, all known arts and cultural organizations were notified of the grant
opportunity, and two grant workshops were conducted.
The Commission reviewed and ranked the applications based on the established
criteria.
• Priority funding will be given to new or expanded programming
• Degree to which proposed project furthers the cultural arts goals of the
City of Dubuque's Comprehensive Plan
• Degree to which proposed project reflects careful planning and can be
implemented in a timely manner
• Impact of project on broader Dubuque Community
• Organizational experience and capacity of applicant
The Commission reviewed the applications and determined final funding
recommendations at their May 26 meeting.
Recommendation
Grant applications receiving a 75 point or above average score in rank order were:
Dubuque Arts Council, Free Family Fun Darwin 90
Dubuque Arboretum, Purchase of Sculpture Germination 85
Get Reel/Rotary, Student film Competition and Festival 84
Northeast Iowa School of Music, New Horizons Band Pilot Program 82
Dubuque County Fine Arts Society, Voices from the Warehouse 2009 81
Dubuque Museum of Art, Alfred Caldwell and Dubuque's Eagle Point Park 81
Tri-State Wind Symphony, Concerts for the Eagle Point's 100 Birthday 79
Dubuque Art Center, free Arts Enrichment Programs and Study 76
Main Street, Fall into Art Gallery Tour 76
Because the requested amount exceeded the $35,000 to award, the Commissioners
recommended awarding the top four grants100% of their requested amount. They
recommended awarding the next two highest approximately 64% of their requested
amounts. These awards, totaling $35,000, are:
Dubuque Arts Council: Free Family Fun: Darwin, $7,215
Dubuque Arboretum: Purchase of Sculpture Germination, $3,500
Get Reel/Rotary: 2009 Student Film Competition and Festival, $10,000
Northeast Iowa School of Music: New Horizons Band Pilot Program, $5,000
Dubuque County Fine Arts Society: 2009 Voices from the Warehouse, $6,397
Dubuque Museum of Art: Alfred Caldwell and Dubuque's Eagle Point Park, $2,288
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission recommends that the City Council
approve these grant awards for the FY 2010 Arts and Culture Grant Program for Special
Projects. An executive summary of each project recommended for funding is attached.
Commissioners expressed regret that there was not sufficient money to fund the
remaining three applicants that had reached the acceptable point threshold.
Additional applications were submitted by the Dubuque Community Y, the Grand Opera
House, Holy Family Schools, and Loras College. Although these projects all had merit,
they did not rate over the 75 point threshold.
The Commission feels that its strategy undertaken last year to require those
organizations that had applied two years in a row to sit out for a year and to formalize
scoring of the applications to require 75 points to be funded had been successful. This
strategy was undertaken to encourage a wide range of creative projects from varied
non-profits, including first-time applicants, and to keep the quality and artistic merit of
those projects high. Applications rose from 8 to 13 this year and included 5 first-time
applicants.
Action
The Council is requested to approve the six FY 2010 Arts and Culture Grants for
Special Projects and authorize the City Manager to sign the grant agreements.
The Commission is very appreciative of the City Council's support of this grant program.
We are extremely pleased with the quality of the grant applications and the multitude of
quality arts and culture projects that have been funded through this program. We are
very pleased to be working closely with the City of Dubuque in promoting arts and
cultural activities in our community.
Sincerely,
Louise Kames
Chairperson
Encl.
FY 2010 ARTS AND CULTURE GRANT PROGRAM FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS
Executive Summary of Projects Recommended for Funding
Dubuque Arts Council Free Family Fun: Darwin, $7,215
The Arts Council will offer a new program called Free Family Fun which is designed to
provide children and families, who may not otherwise have the opportunity to connect
with the arts, a free, fun and family friendly arts and cultural experience. The event will
feature Darwin, a truly unique and innovative theatre experience where
electroluminescent crayon-like creatures light up the stage with the heart-warming tale
of a dinosaur discovering the true meaning of love. To tell Darwin's story, asix-person
theatrical group uses flexible electroluminescent wire to create an array of creatures
and characters along with music, dialogue, choreography and visual effects.
Dubuque Arboretum Purchase of Sculpture Germination, $3,500
The arboretum will purchase Germination, a sculpture from the 2008 Art on the River
Exhibition, to be permanently installed in the rose garden at the Dubuque Arboretum
and Botanical Garden. The addition of public art will enhance the artistic experience of
all visitors to the garden. The Tri-State Garden Club will contribute to the purchase and
will be recognized by the sculpture for their past and current volunteer work in
developing and maintaining the rose gardens. With over 30,000 visitors to the
arboretum each year, the impact of this public art installation will be great.
Get Reel/Rotary: 2009 Student Film Competition and Festival, $10,000
In 2007, the first ever Get Reel Film Festival was offered for high school students and
was the first of its kind in our community ever offered. The Get Reel 2009 Festival has a
powerful purpose to give students an outlet to focus their film-arts interests by providing
the opportunity and experience to create careers in film and associated industries.
Based upon feedback from the previous festival, the competition has been expanded to
accept submissions from college students will include submissions up to 10 minutes in
length to give students greater options during their concepting process. Another new
component will be workshops for participants or the general public on topics relating to
film arts. The Festival is scheduled for October 16-18, 2009.
Northeast Iowa School of Music (NISOM): New Horizons Band Pilot Program,
$5,000
NISOM will begin a new band wind ensemble through the New Horizons International
Music Association (NHIMA), a national organization that seeks to bring the arts to adults
over the age of 55 through group lessons and ensemble training. It will be open to those
with no musical background, those who may have been active in high school, and those
who still peruse the hobby at the beginning or intermediate level. Many adults would
welcome the opportunity to learn music and perform in a group setting usually only
available in schools to children.
Dubuque County Fine Arts Society: 2009 Voices from the Warehouse, $6,397
Voices from the Warehouse District is a fine-art exhibit featuring 15 regional and
national artists in a converted temporary gallery space in the Historic Millwork District to
run from September 12 through October 4, 2009. Programming has been expanded
from previous Voices offerings to include increased educational aspects and the 24-
hour play project, a newly created collaboration offering area writers, actors and
directors access to stage and audience. Children's educational opportunities will be
enhanced by offering them multi-lingually. The new architectural preservation lecture
series explores architecture as an art form and educates the public on the necessity for
architectural reuse.
Dubuque Museum of Art
Alfred Caldwell and Dubuque's Eagle Point Park, $2,288
In March 2009, the Museum received 89 original architectural drawings completed by
nationally recognized landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, completed in the 1930s of
Dubuque's renowned Eagle Point Park. The grant will assist with special curatorial
assistance for four weeks to examine, document, photograph, note conservation needs
of and select 45-50 of the drawings for a Museum exhibit in 2010, the 75th anniversary
of the Parks' completion. Paul T. Young, a licensed architect who began his study in the
Chicago firm of Mies van der Rohe in 1967, will serve as guest curator. Young
eventually worked with Caldwell and remained his friend until Caldwell's death in 1998.