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November 2017 ASCA News
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The Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation Board joined the Alaska State Council Board of Trustees for a joint meeting and site visit to Cyrano's new location in east Anchorage, October 26-27, 2017. Photo: L. Saunders McNeill
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News for the ASCA Communique?
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Submit articles, short notices, calls for art or RFPs for ASCA to consider including in the next Communique.
Contact Saunders McNeill at
[email protected]
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Recently I had the opportunity to meet with national arts agency peers and field leaders at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Leadership Institute in Portland, Oregon. NASAA is a nonprofit professional association and is a nationally representative policy forum that advances public funding for the arts for all American communities. As arts and culture organizations navigate the new media landscape, NASAA has pulled together a useful tool for communicating about arts controversies and planning before a crisis erupts. These strategies could apply to most sectors
:
Communicating about Arts Controversy
In keeping with ASCA's mission to invest in Alaska's arts industry, we continue to celebrate the work of individual artists who choose to make their creative work in Alaska for the betterment of all residents.
We are pleased to announce the names of nine Alaska artists who have recently received Connie Boochever Artist Fellowships and Alaska Literary Awards. Their names are provided in the Bravo section below.
Congratulations to these dedicated artists
and many thanks to the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, one of ASCA's key partners, for making these awards possible!
Leadership contributions of Alaska individuals enable ASCA to accomplish our work. The ASCA staff and our Council members thank Nancy Harbour, Presiden
 t and COO of Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, who has generously served as an ASCA Council member from 2004-2017.
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BRAVO!
2017 Connie Boochever Artist Fellows & Alaska Literary Awards
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The Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, in partnership with the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA), is pleased to announce the artist recipients of the 2017 Alaska Literary Awards and the 2017 Connie Boochever Fellowships.
Alaska Literary Awards
The following five Alaska literary artists, selected from a pool of 42 applications, will each receive $5,000 awards:
Mary Katzke, screenwriter, Anchorage
Lily Tuzroyluke, fiction writer, Point Hope
Vivian Faith Prescott, poet, Wrangell
Matthew Komatsu, creative nonfiction writer, Anchorage
Don Rearden, fiction writer, Anchorage
The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and mixed genres. Quality of the work submitted is the primary consideration in determining who receives the awards. The annual Alaska Literary Awards are made possible by Peggy Shumaker and Joe Usibelli through their generous donation to the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Connie Boochever Fellows
The following four Alaska performing artists will each receive $2,500 fellowships:
Christy NaMee Eriksen, spoken word artist, Juneau
Ruby Jones, performance artist, Anchorage
Christel Veraart, composer and musician, Anchorage
Stephanie Wonchala, dancer and choreographer, Anchorage
The purpose of the Connie Boochever Artist Fellowship is to recognize and support Alaska emerging artists of exceptional talent. The Connie Boochever Fellowship was established to honor and reflect the spirited passion of the arts Mrs. Boochever consistently demonstrated, and to further the message she championed throughout her life: That the arts are important to the citizens of Alaska and worthy of significant support from individuals, businesses and corporations.
For more information about the recipients of the 2017 Alaska Literary Awards and the
2017 Connie Boochever Fellows, contact the Alaska State Council on the Arts at 1.888.278.7424.
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Rasmuson Foundation: Individual Artist Awards Program
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Rasmuson Foundation is accepting nominations for the
2018 Distinguished Artist Award, part of the foundation's
Individual Artist Awards program. The deadline for nominating artists for this grant award is December 15, 2017. The nomination period is earlier than in previous years, with the change intended to provide greater clarity between the Distinguished Artist Award program and Rasmuson Foundation's Project Award and Fellowship grants for artists.
Rasmuson Foundation offers one $40,000 Distinguished Artist Award annually in recognition of an Alaskan's creative excellence over multiple decades and significant artistic accomplishments. These artists have chosen to make their lives and careers in Alaska, thereby contributing to the state's cultural richness. An Alaska-based arts panel is responsible for recommending the Distinguished Artist each year. Distinguished Artist recipients are full-time professional artists in most cases, and will be recognized by peers and experts across the state as among the most accomplished in their field. Nominees may work in any artistic discipline. Past recipients of the Distinguished Artist Award are Gertrude Svarny of Unalaska; Garry Kaulitz and Don Decker of Anchorage; Peggy Shumaker, Kes Woodward, John Luther Adams and John Haines of Fairbanks; Teri Rofkar of Sitka; Rie Munoz of Juneau; Ron Senungetuk of Homer; Sylvester Ayek of Nome; and Delores Elizabeth Churchill, Ray Troll and Nathan Jackson of Ketchikan.
Rasmuson Foundation Project Award and Fellowship grant application dates have also changed. The period for artists to apply for these grants opens January 15, 2018 and closes March 1, 2018. A Project Award is a $7,500 grant for an artist to complete a specific project, and the Fellowship is an $18,000 unrestricted grant to be used to help in an artist's continued growth and development. Project Award and Fellowship recipients will be selected by a panel of artists and arts experts from across the country. A celebration and announcement of all three Individual Artist Award recipients will occur in May 2018. Visit
Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Awards to learn more about the application process and programs.
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SAVE THE DATE: 2018 Governor's Arts and Humanities Awards
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Each year, any individuals, organizations, or institutions that have made a significant contribution to the arts and humanities in Alaska are eligible to be nominated by the public for an award, with the exception of current ASCA or Forum Council/Board members, staff or prior Award recipients.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts, Alaska Humanities Forum, and the Office of the Governor will select award recipients, based on publicly submitted nominees.
The Governor's Arts and Humanities Awards ceremony will be held at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center in Juneau, Alaska on February 8, 2018.
2018 Arts Award Categories
Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Native Arts and Languages is a
warded to an individual or organization whose work furthers traditional Alaska Native language or culture.
Arts Business Leadership is a
warded to a business whose fiscal generosity and participation has made a substantial impact on the arts in Alaska; a business that has used the arts to propel its success; programs that engage employees with creativity and other community activities that support arts and business partnerships; a business dedicated to promoting the arts through administrative and professional efforts.
Individual Artist is awarded based on artistic leadership, distinction and merit; Recognition of artistic contribution to the state or community through previous honors and awards, reviews or articles; Longevity of impact to state or community.
2018 Distinguished Service to the Humanities Award Categories
Three awards recognize those Alaska individuals or organizations that have worked to connect Alaskans and strengthen communities; whose efforts have contributed to telling the stories of our past, present, and future; and whose work has helped build a more culturally diverse, economically vibrant, and equitable Alaska where people are engaged, informed, and connected. These three awards honor the well-established - as well as those lesser known - that have stepped up and made an impact in our communities and in our state.
Distinguished Service to the Humanities in Education Award recognizes an Alaska individual or organization that has helped strengthen communities by contributing to a better understanding of the world, one another, and the human experience.
Distinguished Service to the Humanities in Leadership Award recognizes an Alaska individual or organization that has helped strengthen communities through their commitment to improve Alaska's social, economic, and civic life.
Distinguished Service to the Humanities in Community Award recognizes an Alaska individual or organization that has helped strengthen communities by forging connections between people across race, class, and cultural divides.
For questions about the Governor's Arts and Humanities Awards, or for more information, contact the Alaska State Council on the Arts at 1.888.278.7424 or 907.269.6610. Or email us at
[email protected]
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Alaska Reads Book Selection Announced for 2017-18!
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Fairbanks, AK -
Fairbanks Arts Association (Fairbanks, AK), in partnership with
Alaska Center for the Book (Anchorage, AK), is pleased to announce that the featured selection for the 2017-2018 statewide Alaska Reads program is
Steam Laundry by Fairbanks poet, Nicole Stellon O'Donnell.
Alaska Reads is a biennial statewide reading program that features a selected publication by a
 livingAlaskan author. The initiative began in 2015 through the efforts of 2015-17 Alaska State Writer Laureate, Frank Soos, and aims to build excitement around contemporary Alaskan authors and the stories they tell. This includes engaging libraries across the state, author visits to communities, and online events with the author to reach wider audiences.
"This is truly a statewide effort, with participation from community librarians and bookstores to statewide organizations," said Jessica Peña, Executive Director, of Fairbanks Arts Association. Already, nearly 400 copies of
Steam Laundry have been distributed to more than 40 libraries across the state thanks to a generous grant from the Alaska State Library.
Steam Laundry is Fairbanks poet Nicole Stellon O'Donnell's history of a Gold Rush family, based on the true story of Sarah Ellen Gibson. This novel in poem form weaves together the voices of Sarah Ellen Gibson and other characters with historical photos and documents to breathe life into Gibson's odyssey from Dawson City to Fairbanks.
As the inaugural Alaska Reads author and current Alaska State Writer Laureate, Ernestine Hayes traveled through Alaska from Ketchikan to Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow) leading discussions and reading from her book,
Blonde Indian, in 2016. Hayes' visits were uniformly well-received, proving a wonderful debut for this exciting new literary program. "Reading events and discussions of
Steam Laundry are being organized now. We hope to have Nicole Stellon O'Donnell visit as many communities as she is able in February and March 2018," said Peña. "With her background as a teacher, Nicole is a dynamic reader and a wonderfully engaging speaker."
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| Steam Laundry Author, Nicole Stellon O'Donnell of Fairbanks. Image courtesy Fairbanks Arts Association. |
"It's an honor to have
Steam Laundry selected as the Alaska Reads book. I'm looking forward to meeting readers across the state," said Nicole Stellon O'Donnell. "Writing requires so much time alone at the desk, so it's exciting to follow the book out into the world and talk to readers."
Alaska Reads is a program of Fairbanks Arts Association in partnership with Alaska Center for the Book and is funded in part by the Stroecker Foundation, the Alaska State Library, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
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Cultural Collaborations Access and Excursion Grants Now Open for FY18
Harper Arts Touring Fund Grants Now Open for FY18
Cultural Collaborations Project Grants FY18 RoundII
Draft Review Deadline: November 15, 2017
Application Deadline: December 1, 2017
Alaska State Poetry Out Loud Competition | Juneau | March 7, 2017
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Calls for Art and Requests for Proposals
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Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation: On Screen/In Person Call for Film Submissions
Deadline to apply: November 20, 2017
Apply for the opportunity to take your film on the road with Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's film touring program. All-expense-paid tours connect filmmakers with new audiences across the mid-Atlantic region. On Screen/In Person provides opportunities for independent filmmakers to tour throughout the mid-Atlantic region with their recent films and foster greater understanding and appreciation of their work through direct audience engagement.
Nonprofit venues and arts organizations in the mid-Atlantic region apply to partner with Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and serve as host sites for the touring filmmakers. Six films and filmmakers are selected to tour by the appointed host sites through a competitive review process. Each selected filmmaker is scheduled to visit between five and ten host sites during a tour of approximately two-to-three weeks. Each engagement on a tour includes a public screening preceded or followed by a question and answer session with the filmmaker, and a community engagement activity collaboratively developed by the filmmaker and the local host site.
Filmmakers receive paid travel expenses, a $200 per diem for each calendar day the filmmaker is on tour and a $400 stipend from each host site/screening engagement.
Chilkoot Trail Residency Call for Submissions
Deadline: February 1, 2018
Mark your calendar as February 1st, 2018 is the deadline to apply for the 9th edition of the program, if you are a visual artist and you want to spur your creativity on the Chilkoot Trail. Together, the Yukon Arts Centre, Parks Canada and the US National Park Service and the Skagway Arts Council seek three visual artists to participate in a cross-border creative journey within Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska and Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site in British Columbia.
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center: All-Alaska Biennial 2018 Call for Entries
Deadline: June 15, 2018
The All-Alaska Biennial features contemporary work by Alaska artists. This juried exhibition is a continuation of the Anchorage Museum's
All-Alaska Juried and
Earth, Fire & Fibre exhibitions, which began more than 30 years ago to encourage the creation of new works by Alaska artists in all media. The process is open to Alaskan artists working in all media, including digital and new media.
This exhibition will open to the public November 2, 2018 in the 3rd floor galleries of the
Anchorage Museum. The All-Alaska Biennial will travel to other venues in Alaska after it closes in Anchorage March 3, 2019.
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Grants and Funding
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IMLS Applications Open | African American History and Culture and the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services
Deadline: December 1, 2017
Foundation for Contemporary Arts | Emergency Grants
Deadline: Monthly
In keeping with
FCA's mission to encourage, sponsor, and promote work of a contemporary, experimental nature, applicants must demonstrate that their artistic practice falls within this context. Created in 1993, Emergency Grants provides prompt funding for innovative visual and performing artists who:
- Have unanticipated, sudden opportunities to present their work to the public when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding
- Incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates
Emergency Grants is the only active, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate assistance of this kind to artists living and working anywhere in the United States or U.S. territories, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad. Grants range in amount from $500 to $2,500. For complete information about the Emergency Grants, visit the website at
Alaska Community Foundation Strengthening Organizations Grant
The
Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) offers the
Strengthening Organizations grant program with the goal of funding projects that will help Alaska nonprofits become better equipped to meet their missions. This program seeks applications for projects that will directly enhance the work of the applicant organization, making it stronger with well-organized systems in place and skilled employees who have the training and resources to successfully provide services.
Eligible nonprofit organizations apply for grants to build the capacity of their organizations. Eligibility is limited to 501(c)3 nonprofit, or equivalent, organizations located in the state of Alaska. Equivalent organizations may include tribes, schools, churches, local government agencies and programs.
To best position your application for success, applicants are strongly encouraged to speak with ACF staff ahead of time to discuss their project and to submit a draft proposal for review by ACF staff. Draft reviews are available. Please contact ACF program staff via email:
[email protected] or by phone: 907-334-6700 for a draft review. More information and links to the online application system are available at
www.alaskacf.org.
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Education and Youth
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National Guild for Community Arts Education: Conference for Community Arts Education
November 15-18, 2017 | San Francisco/Oakland
Registration Open
The Conference for Community Arts Education is registering now. The Conference for Community Arts Education addresses the specific needs of nonprofit arts education organizations and provides support for expanding equitable access to arts learning opportunities in communities across the country. Join more than 800 leaders from across the country-staff, teaching artists, trustees, students, and our partners in other sectors-as we explore innovative ideas and practical strategies for growing programs, securing financial support, and increasing impact and participation. For complete information including registration, prices & policies and the complete program, visit their
website
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Classics for Kids Foundation Matching Grants | Musical Instruments for Youth
Deadline: December 31, 2017
The mission of the Classics for Kids Foundation is to empower young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high quality instruments. The Foundation is offering matching grants to K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States to help purchase stringed instruments. Grants will not exceed 50% of total instrument cost. Requests are reviewed quarterly; the upcoming application deadline is December 31, 2017. Visit the Foundation's website at
https://classicsforkids.org/ to learn more about the grant program.
National Endowment for the Arts | Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge Open to High School Students
Deadline: January 5, 2018
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is a national competition for high school students who have a passion for writing songs that could be part of a musical theater production. Launched in 2016 as a pilot program in three cities (Dallas, TX; Minneapolis, MN, Seattle, WA), the Songwriting Challenge offers six finalists mentorship opportunities with professional songwriters and musicians and the opportunity to have an original song performed by those musicians. Finalists will also receive scholarship awards and more. Applications are open on October 2, 2017 and due by January 5, 2018. Finalists will be announced in February 2018 and the national competition will take place in New York City in April 2018.
Letters About Literature 2018 Contest for students grades 4-12
Deadline: January 12, 2018
Students in grades 4 through 12 are invited to enter Letters About Literature 2018, a national writing contest sponsored by Alaska Center for the Book and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. The contest has levels 1-3, and To enter, students must write a letter to an author-living or dead-explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves.
Alaska state winners at each level will receive a $100 cash prize. They also advance to national competition. Runners-up receive $50 cash. Six national winners (two per competition level) and 12 national honorable mentions (four per competition level) will be selected. National Winners in each competition level will receive a $1,000 cash award, and National Honor Winners in each competition level will receive a $200 cash award.
Each letter must be accompanied by an official entry coupon or copy of one. Entry coupons will be available at your local participating library or online at
www.alaskacenterforthebook.org. Guidelines and teaching supplements are also available for teachers, parents, or librarians at the site.
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Professional Development
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National Arts Marketing Project Conference Registration Now Open
Memphis, TN | November 11-13 | Americans for the Arts
On November 10-13, join more than 650 of your fellow arts marketers to explore and answer the question, What's next? New skills, new tactics, new ways to tell stories and new visions - the 2017 NAMP Conference is THE conference to take your career to the next level and help define what is next for arts marketing.
This year, over 100 experts and more than 30 sessions will focus on cutting edge technology and the latest innovations across:
- Storytelling
- Cultural Equity
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media
- Evaluation and Analytics
- Growth and New Revenue Streams
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Employment
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Alaska Humanities Forum
Deadline to apply: Until filled
The Alaska Humanities Forum, whose mission is to connect Alaskans through stories, ideas, and experiences that positively change lives and empower communities, has announced hire openings for a number of professional positions including Public Programming Coordinator and Leadership Programs Manager. Go to
https://www.akhf.org/employment for more information about the positions and how to apply.
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is Hiring
The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center has multiple job opportunities for which they are hiring until filled including: Curator of Contemporary Indigenous Art and Culture, Guest Curator, William E. Davis Internship, Senior Collections Manager, Visitor Services Assistant.
Visit their
website
for extended position descriptions and application.
Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation
Deadline to apply: Until filled
BBNCEF is seeking a Program Officer for Cultural Heritage, a new position reporting to the executive director. The ideal candidate will have a track record of expertise in cultural heritage, a curiosity for the arts, deep community involvement, and a passion for the BBNCEF's cultural mission. The Program Officer for Cultural Heritage is responsible for implementing and managing all aspects of the Foundation's Cultural Heritage grants programs. To learn more about the position and apply go to BBNC Education Foundation.
Palmer Museum of History and Art (PMHA) hiring an Executive Director
This position is responsible for implementing strategies and directing activities of the PMHA and the Palmer Visitors' Center in downtown Palmer, AK. The ideal candidate will have museum or comparable nonprofit executive experience, skills in creating and maintaining strategic partnerships, and expertise in grant writing and management. The position supervises employees, budgets resources, and helps the Board of Directors make PMHA a vital part of area culture.
For complete information and application materials visit the website at
http://palmermuseum.org/, and look under the tab "At the Museum."
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Items of Interest
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Hiland Mountain Lullaby Concert: Inspiring and Empowering Incarcerated Mothers
Hiland Mountain Correctional Center
For more information about the program and the partnership with Alaska artists, Keys to Life Alaska and the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute initiative go to
Keys to Life Alaska. Concert tickets may be purchased at
tickets.centertix.com/lullaby
Createquity Discusses Arts Careers with a Compilation of Resources
Createquity is a think tank and online publication investigating the most important issues in the arts and what we, collectively and individually, can do about them. On November 2, Createquity posted a set of research in support of the belief that a "healthy arts ecosystem should provide opportunities for everyone to participate in the arts at their own individual level of skill and interest. This includes allowing more "scarce" opportunities - like making art for a living - to be available to those people for whom it matters most (i.e., making art is most meaningful) and whose work in the arts offers the greatest benefit to others - by connecting to a large audience, winning acclaim from experts, adding something unique to the cultural diet of humanity, or improving people's lives in other meaningful ways."
Alaska's Education Challenge Committee Recommendations Available Online
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ASCA Staff
Andrea Noble-Pelant, Executive Director
L. Saunders McNeill, Community and Native Arts Program Director
Laura Forbes, Arts in Education Program Director
Keren Lowell, Administrative Assistant III
Janelle Matz, Alaska Contemporary Art Bank Manager
ASCA Council
Adelheid "Micky" Becker (Anchorage)
Alice Bioff (Nome)
Benjamin Brown, Chair (Juneau)
Peggy Ferguson (Fairbanks)
Charlotte Fox (Anchorage)
Cordelia Kellie (Wasilla)
Patrick Race (Juneau)
Charles "Charlie" Sears (Anchorage)
Jeffry Silverman (Anchorage)
Mary Wegner (Sitka)
Kes Woodward, Vice Chair (Fairbanks)
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Copyright © 2017, Alaska State Council on the Arts, all rights reserved.
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