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Arts and Cultural Affairs Grant Program_Special Projects FY 2011City of Dubuque & .Arts & Cu turn Affairs Advisory Commission June 16, 2010 The Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Dubuque 50 W. 13 Street Dubuque, IA 52001 Re: Arts and Culture Grant Program for Special Projects FY 2011 Funding Competition -- Applications and Recommendations Dear Mayor and City Council Members: Introduction The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission has reviewed a record fourteen applications from Dubuque organizations requesting $85,141 in funds from the FY 2011 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 seventh round of competitive grants for this program. Two years ago, 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 score 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 February. 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 at their May 25 meeting and determined funding recommendations at their June 10 and June 16 meetings. Recommendation Grant applications which met all eligibility requirements and received a 75 point or above average score in rank order are: Friends of the Mines of Spain, Meskwaki Interpretation 91 Bell Tower Productions, Kids for Kids Summer Production 88 Loras College, Project Runway: Dubuque Style 88 Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Madama Butterfly 87 Dubuque County Historical Society, Women & Spirit Exhibit 86 Dubuque Art Center, Art Market 83 Rising Star Theatre Company, 2010 Summer Season 80 Dubuque County Fine Arts Society, Exquisite Art Project 77 The Commission determined that two applicants, the Tri State Wind Symphony and Grand Opera House, did not meet program guidelines of a minimum grant request of $2,500, and therefore are not eligible for funding. The cumulative requests from the 8 organizations meeting the funding criteria are $55,590. Since there is only $35,000 available, the Commission is recommending that grants be awarded to the top 6 ranked applicants. The Commission is recommending that the top 5 ranked applicants be funded at their full grant request and the remaining funds of $2,995 be awarded to the 6 ranked applicant. Recommended grant awards are: Friends of the Mines of Spain, Meskwaki Interpretation $5,000 Bell Tower Productions, Kids for Kids Summer Production $7,516 Loras College, Project Runway: Dubuque Style $3,547 Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Madama Butterfly $10,000 Dubuque County Historical Society, Women & Spirit Exhibit $6,000 Dubuque Art Center, Art Market $2,937 An executive summary of each project recommended for funding is attached. Commissioners expressed regret that there was not sufficient money to fund the remaining applicants that had reached the acceptable point threshold. Additional applications were submitted by the Dubuque Museum of Art, Northeast Iowa School of Music, Get Reel, and the Dubuque Cultural Corridor. Although these projects all had merit, they did not rate over the 75 point threshold required for funding. The Commission feels that its strategy undertaken two years ago 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. There was a record fourteen applications submitted this year. Action The Council is requested to approve the six FY 2011 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, Geri Shafer Chairperson Encl. Executive Summary of Projects FY 2011 ARTS AND CULTURE GRANT PROGRAM FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS Executive Summary of Projects Recommended for Funding Friends of the Mines of Spain $5,000 Meskwaki Exhibit at the Mines of Spain The project will provide tactile, written, graphic, and visual interpretation of the Meskwaki people and their relationship to the Mines of Spain. The permanent exhibit will consist of a three - dimensional wikiup model and a graphic panel in the main exhibit area of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center. The three - dimensional wikiup structure will be large enough to walk into. There will be a digital picture frame inside the wikiup. It will introduce the history of Native homelands in Iowa and the region. The project will tell the story of the Mines of Spain from the Native American perspective. The project provides an expanded indoor exhibit that is available and accessible to visitors year - round in the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center, and unique to museums in the area. Bell Tower Productions $7,516 Kids for Kids Summer Production, Charlotte's Web This grant will fund the sixth - annual kids - for -kids summer musical, "Charlotte's Web," specifically, for the pre - production work on the program (including scripts, music rental, royalties, marketing, costumes, props and set materials). The actual performances will take place in July 2011. Loras College $3,547 Project Runway: Dubuque Style The Loras Players were founded in 1910 by the Rev. I.J. Semper, becoming the first amateur theater company west of the Mississippi River. For the past century, the Loras Players have brought high - quality theater to Dubuque and have served as a leader in the artistic community of the City. Hundreds of individuals have graced the Loras Players stage with talents ranging from acting and directing to set building, costume design, light board operation, and more. To commemorate the company's 100 anniversary, the Loras Players will host alumnus Barak Stribling, Broadway costume designer, who will showcase his own original theater costumes and those of the Dubuque community. The Loras College Loras Players will commemorate their centennial by celebrating the art and drama of the costume. In so doing they will engage other area theater organizations and schools in participating in a unique, entertaining, and educational costume design show and contest entitled "Project Runway: Dubuque Style," to be judged by Broadway costume designer Barak Stribling. The event will take place in February, 2011 on the Loras College campus. The event will be promoted in such a way as to attract the general public and underserved populations. Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 Madama Butterfly The Dubuque Symphony Orchestra will present a fully- staged opera production as part of their signature Classics series. Madama Butterfly is scheduled to be performed at the Five Flags Theater in April, 2011, the fourth opera for the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra in ten years. Approximately 40 contracted musicians from the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra will be involved in the production which features four major characters along with several minor characters and a chorus of no more than twenty. All will be under the direction of Maestro William Intriligator, Music Director and Conductor for the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. Dubuque County Historical Society Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Exhibit $6,000 Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America is a humanities -based exhibit which is touring the country. With the support of the Special Projects Grant and the support of others, the exhibit will be presented in Dubuque from February to April, 2011. It is the story of women who contributed to the founding of America through their work within their religious sphere. Women & Spirit reveals the role played by spiritual women in the settlement and formation of our nation, both culturally and socially. Dubuque Art Center, $2,937 Art Market On Eight Saturdays throughout the summer, Art Market will bring fine and functional art, music, and theater produced by local and regional artists to the Port of Dubuque River Walk. This high profile event (with free admission) will draw cultural tourists from throughout the Midwest and highlight Dubuque's commitment to being a premier arts and cultural destination.