Artists in Residence Program at I-Park
Deadline: January 11, 2011

The I-Park Foundation, Inc., a 450-acre natural woodland retreat in East Haddam, CT, announces its eleventh season hosting its multi-disciplinary residency program.  Self-directed artists’ residencies will be offered from May through November 2011, with possible off-season sessions in April and December.Residencies are offered to creative individuals working in the following disciplines: Visual Art, Music Composition/Sound Sculpture, Moving Image, Creative Writing and Landscape/Garden Design.

Aaron Copland Fund for Music: Contemporary American Music Recording Program
Deadline: January 15, 2010

The Aaron Copland Fund for Music seeks to encourage and improve public knowledge and appreciation of contemporary American music. The fund’s Recording Program provides grants to document and provide wider exposure for the music of contemporary American composers; develop audiences for contemporary American music through distribution of recorded performances in physical and online media; and support the production of new recordings of contemporary American music and the reissuance of significant recordings that are no longer available.

Seattle Erotic Art Festival: Call for Visual Art
Deadline: January 15, 2011

The Seattle Erotic Art Festival is now accepting visual art submissions for the ninth annual event, to be held May 20-22, 2011 at Fremont Studios. The Festival sells more art than any other erotic art festival,

and stands by its mission to support living artists with low submission fees and competitive commission rates. All exhibiting and invited artists are also featured in the popular Festival Store.All artists age 18+ are encouraged to submit up to five (5) works of erotic art of any medium. Sculptors, multimedia artists and painters are particularly encouraged to apply.

Eastside Association of Fine Arts: Call for Artists
Deadline: January 18, 2011

Calling all Abstract Artists interested in participating in the 2011 EAFA Abstract Open Show at the Seattle Design Center. The Show opens January 26 and will run through February 25. For purposes of this exhibit, we are defining abstract as either non-representational or artwork that is a literal abstraction; that is, the modifying or “abstracting” of an actual object in form, shape or color so that it becomes a part of the design rather than a literal depiction of the object itself.

SOIL: Proposals for 2011
Deadline: January 21, 2011

Soil, an artist cooperative gallery in Seattle is seeking exhibition proposals. Describe in a paragraph the themes and content of the show. It is imperative your description is clear and that it leaves us with a strong impression of what to expect from the exhibition you propose. Include project title, how many pieces in the show, media, and other important details on your plans for the exhibition. We are interested in compelling ideas, concisely stated.

Emerging Artist Fellowship at Socrates Sculpture Park
Deadline: January 24, 2011

Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City is calling for applications for its annual Emerging Artist Fellowship, a two- to six-month residency that provides artists with the space and resources necessary to create a work for public display in the Park’s annual Emerging Artist Fellowship Exhibition in September. The fellowship includes a $5,000 grant.

NEA Shakespeare in American Communities
Deadline: January 25, 2011

Designed to provide high-quality, professional theatre productions of Shakespeare plays and related educational activities to underserved high schools and middle schools throughout the country. Open to professional U.S.-based theatre companies with 501(c)(3) status and a minimum of three years’ experience working with schools or school districts to provide performances of Shakespeare or classically-based repertoire for middle and/or high school students. Standard grant award is $25,000; grants must be matched 1-1 with nonfederal funds.

IMLS: National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
Deadline: January 31, 2011

Institute of Museum and Library Services invites nominations for the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program (NAHYP), which is the Nation’s highest honor for out-of-school, afterschool, and summer arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s youth, particularly those from underserved communities.

The Wassaic Project Residency Program 2011
Deadline: February 1, 2011

The Wassaic Project Residency Program has been created to cultivate and support community for emerging and professional contemporary artists. Housed in a historic re-purposed livestock auction barn, the Residency Program offers nine artists the opportunity to live and work in the heart of a rural community and offers two local artists studio space. Residency Dates: April 1st – October 31st, 2011.

French-American Fund for the Performing Arts
Deadline: February 1, 2011

Etant donnés, the French-American Fund for the Performing Arts is dedicated to encouraging French-American cooperation in theater in the United States and in France. The fund was created by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and CulturesFrance, under the auspices of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Etant donnés offers financial support in the form of grants to American nonprofit institutions producing or presenting theater projects (tours, residencies, translations) either of contemporary French playwrights or with French theater professionals. American institutions must have 501(c)(3) status.

2011 National Leadership Grant Guidelines Now Available
Deadline: February 1, 2011

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting grant applications for the agency’s 2011 National Leadership Grant (NLG) program. The National Leadership Grants program provides support for innovative projects that generate transformative research, new tools, models, services, professional practice, and alliances that advance the awarded institution as well as the field.

Salon Video Prize: Call for applications
Deadline: February 5, 2011

The Salon Video Prize competition is open to Artists working in animation, documented performance, narrative, documentary or experimental film or video art. Applications are welcomed from university graduates, current students, and untrained professionals. Applications can be from anywhere in the world but work should be sent as PAL DVDs or viewable online.

Call for Proposals: Environmental Sculpture Installations in Taiwan
Deadline: February 11, 2011

Artists from all countries are invited to send a proposal for a site-specific outdoor sculpture installation that will involve working with local elementary school children to create an artwork focused on making the Cheng Long Wetlands a ‘greener’ place where biodiversity can flourish. This year the emphasis will be on sculpture installations in the waters of the wetlands that can improve the habitat for wildlife and increase biodiversity as well as provide aesthetic enjoyment and raise public awareness about the importance of wetlands.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods: Large Projects Fund
Deadline: February 14, 2011

The Large Projects Fund provides awards up to $100,000 to support community members in building community relationships around a project. Large Projects Fund activities may be physical projects as well as less tangible but equally significant educational, cultural, and relationship-strengthening activities. All projects must demonstrate its capacity to build a stronger and healthier Seattle community.

Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs: Youth Arts
Deadline: February 15, 2011

Funds and technical assistance from this program help experienced teaching artists lead training programs and projects in all arts disciplines-from visual arts to theater to dance and film. These programs give young people a chance to shine, to express themselves and to develop positive goals for the future. Youth Arts prioritizes youth or communities with limited or no access to the arts. Funding awards range up to $10,000.

Artist Trust: Fellowship
February 25, 2011

Artists practicing in Emerging Fields & Cross Disciplinary, Performing, Visual and Traditional & Folk Arts in Washington State are eligible to apply for the Artist Trust Fellowship Program.  This program recognizes practicing professional artists of exceptional talent and demonstrated ability, acknowledging an artist’s creative excellence and accomplishment, professional achievement and continuing dedication to their artistic discipline. The award amount is $7,500.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/TCG: Global Communications Program for Theatre
Deadline: February 28, 2011

Designed by the Theatre Communications Group and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Global Connections program will award travel grants and project development grants to U.S.-based theaters and individual artists. The program is designed to foster new relationships by way of cultural exchange and to further pre-existing international collaborations. Theater organizations and individual artists may apply to one of the two initiatives of this new program.

The Kresge Foundation: Arts and Culture Program’s Facility Investments and Building
Deadline: March 1, 2011

The Kresge Foundation’s Arts and Culture Program is inviting preliminary applications for its Facility Investments and Building Reserves grants. The opportunity is part of the program’s Institutional Capitalization focus area, which is designed to strengthen the long-term financial health of arts and cultural organizations.

© 2010, Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City

Saturday’s article in the Washington Post shares highlights from Landesman’s ongoing “Art Works Tour” of cities across the country. He’s looking for the impact of arts on communities, figuring out what the best impact of NEA funds could be, and is encountering empowering stats and stories:

“Last week, I was in California, and I learned that nonprofit arts organizations there have annual revenues of $2.4 billion, which is roughly equivalent to the revenues of California’s convenience stores. That is significant,” said a smiling Landesman. “But arts workers make more than Slurpees, they make places.” The arts, Landesman said, help “change the ethos of a town or community. They enliven it, they activate the public life.”

Read the whole article

Today 4Culture announced distribution of federal stimulus funding totaling $250,000 to help preserve jobs at 40 arts and cultural organizations throughout the region. The funds, provided to 4Culture from the National Endowment for the Arts, will help organizations extend or restore threatened salaried and contract jobs, ranging from executive directors and curators, to actors and artists.

4Culture’s funds will be distributed to a diverse range of organizations and communities including: Bellevue Arts Museum, The Attic Theatre in Bothell, The Burien Arts Commission, Kirkland Art Center, Fall City Arts, Arcade (NW Architectural League), Arts and Visually Impaired Audiences, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Town Hall, ArtsWest, Langston Hughes, Northwest Film Forum, Seattle International Film Festival, and Giant Magnet.

View the complete list of 4Culture funded organizations

With 99 applications to consider, the selection process was especially challenging as panelists tried to extend the funding as far as possible throughout the county while still hoping to have some impact on the organizations. They were unable to fund many deserving organizations.

Read the full press release

Photo: Still from March Point, a film by Annie Silverstein, Tracy Rector, Nick Clark, Cody Cayou and Travis Tom, presented at the NW Film Forum’s Local Sightings Festival, © 2008

What do you think KC Cultural Community? An outrage or a yawn? Weigh in on the comment chain below.

“Rocco Landesman, the colorful head of Broadway’s Jujamcyn Theaters, has been approved by the Senate to assume the top position at the National Endowment for the Arts. The Senate also unanimously confirmed Jim Leach to head the National Endowment for the Humanities.”

Read more

4Culture is pleased to announce an opportunity for Current Sustained Support program recipients to apply for American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding through 4Culture to support job preservation and artist contracts. 4Culture applied for and received the maximum award of $250,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to redistribute to King County non-profit arts organizations and local arts agencies.

Organizations may apply for up to $15,000 to preserve, restore or extend salaried positions or contract jobs that are in jeopardy or have already been eliminated or cut back due to the current economic climate. Proposals will be evaluated on the significance of the position(s) to the mission and core services of the organization, the potential of the position(s) to have an immediate impact, and the organization’s ability to manage the funds. 4Culture expects to make 16 – 25 awards.

“Make no mistake about it, regionally, arts nonprofits employ thousands of citizens and stimulate spending in various sectors of the economy, from restaurants and hotels to construction and retail,” said King County Executive Kurt Triplett. “The NEA funding will help 4Culture preserve local arts jobs, which will have a positive impact on the recovery of other industries. Throughout the county, from our largest cities to our rural areas, access to the arts creates excitement, nourishes a sense of pride and drives economic traffic for all communities.”

image: © Courtesy of the Kent Arts Commission