Dubque County Fine Arts Society Letter of SupportMasterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Committee Members,
Dubuque
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AI- America City
1111 LI
2007
Iowa Community Cultural Grant Committee
c/o Riki Saltzman ICCG Program Coordinator
Department of Cultural Affairs
600 E. Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
April 25, 2011
Office of the Mayor
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001 -4805
www.cityofdubuque.org
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of support for the Dubuque County
Fine Arts Society's ICCG grant request. . For over 35 years, the Dubuque County
Fine Arts Society (DCFAS) has provided the citizens of Dubuque with
outstanding free or low -cost arts experiences to both artists and audiences with a
focus on outreach to underserved populations. The DCFAS has grown into a
broad -based not - for - profit arts organization with a variety of affiliate groups and
programs, always with the underlying principles: art is for everyone and art
should be accessible to everyone.
The City of Dubuque has been proud to lend its financial support to these
endeavors by providing operating support funding to the DCFAS since the
inauguration of our Arts and Culture Operating Support program in 2006. The
City of Dubuque understands the importance of art as a critical component of a
community's livability and economic development strategy. Since 2003 the City
Council has made arts and culture a top priority and in 2006 created an
Operating Support Funding program to sustain high quality arts and culture
organizations like DCFAS who can demonstrate a record of programmatic and
administrative stability.5
DCFAS is the sponsor and manager of the extremely popular Voices from the
Warehouse District Art Exhibit, which has exposed hundreds of our citizens to
the potential of the Historic Millwork District. Our goal is to reclaim one million
square feet of historic warehouse space into the premier arts district in the
region. Ten years ago the Dubuque community identified the revitalization of the
Historic Millwork District as one of ten community priorities. Since the adoption
of the Historic Millwork District Master plan in 2009, which at its core includes the
arts, the city and private sector partners have begun work already investing over
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Iowa Community Cultural Grant Committee
April 25, 2011
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$40 million in Phase 1. Our Arts in the District project establishes creative
spaces within this growing district, in conjunction with development, by
establishing plans for cultural and creative sector growth. Arts in the District will
strengthen the livability of our community by engaging local artists, arts
organizations, and thousands of citizens in a number of diverse arts activities, as
well as engaging arts organizations in the future arts expansion in the Historic
Millwork District. DCFAS is a significant partner in these efforts.
Although the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society has had incredible success over
its 35 year history through the work of many committed volunteers, a paid
executive director position will propel the organization to even greater success.
I urge you to seriously consider their funding application.
Sincerely,
Roy D. Buol
Mayor