North Dakota Council on the Arts

		February 2007
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Statewide News Save the Dates - NDCA Statewide Arts Conference March 5-6, 2007 Please make plans to join us for North Dakota's biennial Statewide Arts Conference that will take place at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck on March 5-6, 2007. This conference will include an intensive, four-hour workshop by Creation in Common co-founder consultant, Carlo Cuesta, titled "Effective Participation Building: Creating a Strategy for Growing Your Organization's Audiences and Supporters." Carlo will also be giving the luncheon keynote "From Me to We: The Arts as the Ultimate Community Development Tool." Ben Klipfel, Director of the Arts Marketing Services in Grand Forks, will give you arts marketing ideas that work; Craig Dunn, VSA Minnesota, will share information on the VSA national program and how to make your organizations places where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts; insurance representatives will hold a discussion on the insurance needs of artists and arts organizations; and a new statewide communication tool, Culture Pulse, will be explored. Visual Artists, Performing Artists and Literary Artists Showcases will be featured in conjunction with the arts conference. During the Showcases, artists will show samples and/or demonstrate an art form; and describe what they do in the classroom and community during a school residency. In addition, an exhibit hall will also be set up during the conference for participants to visit with the showcase artists. more on NDCA conference... ND Governor’s Awards for the Arts Kicks off NDCA’s 40th Anniversary! The North Dakota Governor’s Awards for the Arts Dinner and Awards Ceremony also kicks off the 40th Anniversary celebration for the North Dakota Council on the Arts! The North Dakota Governor’s Awards for the Arts program is presented by the Governor’s Office and the North Dakota Council on the Arts to recognize individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to the arts in the state. The 2007 Governor’s Awards for the Arts Dinner and Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck honoring: Little Country Theatre/NDSU Theatre of Fargo, in the Arts Organization category; Laurel Reuter of Grand Forks, and Beth Gigante Klingenstein of Valley City, in the Individual Achievement category; and Cynthia Schumaier-Jelleberg of Belcourt, in the Arts in Education category. Reservations are required and tickets are $25. To order your tickets, please fill out the registration form, call (701) 328-7590 or email jwebb@nd.gov. Social hour starts at 5:00 p.m., followed by dinner and awards ceremony at 6:00 p.m. Four Additional NDCA Grant Programs Now Available Online As you may have heard, the North Dakota Council on the Arts is transitioning to a new online grant system. The Special Projects and Institutional Support grants were launched in December 2006. Recently the Community Arts Access, Individual Artist Fellowship, Presenter Support, and Professional Development grants were added to the system. The remaining arts education and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant programs will be available by the end of March 2007. This new online grant system is designed to simplify and expedite the grant application process for everyone! All grants (with the exception of Institutional Support) are still available in pdf format at http://www.state.nd.us/arts/grants/grants.htm. While it is not mandatory at this time, it is preferred that applications are completed via NDCA's new online system. As of November 1, 2007, it will be mandatory that all grants are completed through NDCA's new online system. To access the new grant system please visit http://northdakota.cgweb.org/. Once there, review the instructions on the home page for completing an online grant application, after you have reviewed this information you will need to enter your profile information. To do so, scroll to the bottom of the home page where you will find "New to the site? Click Here to create a new profile." Once the profile information has been entered, you can now start your application. To do so, click on the "Current Programs & Applications" menu tab. Click on "Start Application" under the grant program you wish to apply for. If you have questions, there is a "Tech Tips" icon on the top right hand section of each page, or you can email amschmid@nd.gov and/or call NDCA's office at 328-7590. Two Former Governor's Award for the Arts Recipients Pass Away at Age 80 and 84 Rosemary Landsberger, 84, a well-known Bismarck artist and art teacher died November 30, 2006, at St. Alexius Medical Center, in Bismarck. Rosemary was born December 7, 1921, in Hazelton, ND. She received the 1991 Governor's Award for the Arts presented by Governor George Sinner on behalf of the North Dakota Council on the Arts. James D. Ployhar, 80, a world-renowned music composer and arranger, died Tuesday, January 2, 2007, in his Fargo home. James was born September 22, 1926, in Valley City, ND. He was commissioned by the North Dakota legislature to write a state march, the Flickertail March, and the Centennial Overture. James received the 1995 Governor's Award for the Arts presented by Governor Ed Schafer on behalf of the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Rosemary and James' legacies will live on forever. New Bohemia North Dakota Featured in "Prairie Business" Magazine Susanne Retka, a freelance and business writer from Langdon, ND, interviewed artists Jon Offutt (Mayor of New Bohemia), and Jason Lindell (Community Manager of New Bohemia), for an article in the November 2006 edition of "Prairie Business" magazine. The article focuses on arts as an economic development tool and how New Bohemia, ND is making more of the arts by raising awareness of the economic impact the arts play on not just a community, but on the entire state. Tourism in North Dakota ranks second in economic impact, and the arts are a tourist attraction. Art also plays a role in attracting and retaining the brightest and the best. "There is a reason that a company like Microsoft donates millions to the arts in the Seattle area," states Lindell. New Bohemia currently consists of mainly visual artists, but welcomes other art disciplines, and encourages non-artists to join as well. To read the complete article, please visit: www.prairiebizmag.com/article.asp?id=1094. more on New Bohemia ND... New Additions to the Artist-in-Residence Roster Five new North Dakota artists/organizations have been added to the Artist-in-Residence roster, they include: Folk Anthony R. LaFromboise, Mandan Literature (Performance Poetry) Lisa A. McCool-Grime, Minot Air Force Base Theatre Dakota Stage Ltd. Children's Theatre/Shade Tree Players, Bismarck; and Dragon Jane, Bismarck Visual Monte Yellow Bird Sr./Black Pinto Horse, Devils Lake For more information on the above new artists and organizations, existing artists and organizations, and program details, please visit: http://www.state.nd.us/arts/arts_ed/roster.htm; or contact Linda Ehreth at 701-328-7593.
National News March is National Youth Art Month National Youth Art Month is an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art education and to encourage public support for quality school art programs. The focus of this month is to convey to the public that art education develops self-discipline, self-esteem, and a sense of pride in self-expression. Youth Art Month has been observed nationally since 1961. more on Youth Art Month... Research Services: Creative Industries - SIGN UP AND BE COUNTED! A National Campaign to Register Artists and Nonprofit Arts Organizations with Dun & Bradstreet Americans for the Arts urges all individual artists and arts organizations to get their own free Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) number—or if they already have a D&B number, to ensure that they are accurately coded as an arts organization or artist. Since 2004, Americans for the Arts has produced the Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts report, a study of the nonprofit and for-profit arts-related businesses in America. In 2006, their analysis revealed that roughly 548,000 arts businesses employed 2.9 million people. Which is an undercount! more on research services… National Art Education Association Conference National Art Education Association (NAEA) will hold its annual convention March 14-18, 2007 in New York City. The NAEA annual convention is to provide substantive professional development services that include the advancement of knowledge in all sessions, events, and activities for the purpose of improving visual arts instruction in American schools. As such, it is the world's largest art education convention. The 5-day convention includes over 850 participatory workshops, panels, seminars for job-alike groups...research reports, discussions, exhibits, and tours...keynote addresses by world-acclaimed educators, artists, researchers, and scholars...a once-a-year opportunity to meet in a major American city and meet colleagues from all over the world. To register, or for more information, please visit: www.naea-reston.org/convention.html. NDCA Professional Development grant funds (up to $500) are available for this conference if submitted (postmarked) 4 weeks prior to March 14. For more information on a Professional Development grant, please visit: http://www.state.nd.us/arts/grants/prof_dev_howtoapply.htm; or call Amy Schmidt at 328-7594. United States Artists (USA) USA is a new organization dedicated to the support of America's finest living artists. Artists now have a home where they may find significant private funding to ignite the creativity that makes this country great. USA was launched in September 2005 with $20 million in seed funding provided by a coalition of leading foundations—Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential, and Rasmuson—in an act of unprecedented private investment in individual artists and the creative potential of America. Their initial investment enables them to pilot the USA Fellows program, awarding unrestricted $50,000 grants to fifty artists each year beginning in 2006. USA's long-term vision is to create an organization dedicated to the unlimited promise of our finest artists. Their horizon line is not three, five, or 25 years, but rather 100 years and beyond. Building on their base of private funding, their aspiration is to be permanently endowed. more on United States Artists… Opportunity to Exhibit Photographs to the Public "Millions Taken Daily Photographs from Everyone and Everywhere" July 13 – October 6, 2007. The University of Maine Museum of Art is currently accepting submissions for "Millions Taken Daily Photographs from Everyone and Everywhere." The exhibition explores the idea that photographs are an integral part of daily life and that we all have a hand in creating and collecting them. Millions Taken Daily...will display photographs from all over the globe, submitted by anyone (yes, anyone). There is no particular theme or subject and each person may submit up to 20 photographs. Images will be installed from floor to ceiling in the museum. There is no fee to enter. No telephone calls. Deadline for submissions is June 25, 2007. For Submission Rules and Guidelines please visit: http://www.state.nd.us/arts/enews/2007/02-07/photoexhibit.htm. Artists Be Aware of Internet Fraudsters Most people are sadly becoming aware of fraudsters using the internet to take money from unsuspecting victims across the country and world-wide. Now it seems fraud is putting the livelihood of artists at risk too. Following is a message the Maine Arts Commission received, and passed along, from an artist warning of a fraud being perpetuated across the country. All artists should be weary when receiving orders, and check details if anything looks suspicious. "Today I received a $4000 cashier's check for paintings seen on my web site. It turned out to be fraudulent, and it seems that this person has been scamming artists in other states as well....and may be finding them from searching the internet and using online directories. Fortunately I was skeptical enough to have someone check out its validity before depositing it and then writing a check to the bogus shipper. I would have lost $2400 plus three original paintings. I checked on this person using an online search, her name was Elaine Holly, and I found reports from several other artists who were not so fortunate, but had been given the same story. I hope there is some way you can get the word out to everyone, fast." Following is the web site where a Minnesota artist told what happened to her: www.mnartists.org/forums/showthread.php?t=199, December 11, 2006.
Event and Exhibit Calendars, and Arts Opportunities Upcoming Events and Exhibits calendars on the NDCA web site. If you have events, exhibits or artist opportunities that you would like included on the NDCA web site, please email them to mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=e-Prairie Arts: Upcoming Events. Check out the current Arts Opportunities available on the NDCA web site!
Did you Know... Music lessons can help children as young as four show advanced brain development and improve their memory, even when it sounds like a budding musician is banging out little more than noise, a new Canadian study suggests. (September 20, 2006, The Canadian Press) more on music lessons and children... A report from the National Endowment for the Arts confirms that arts and civic participation work together as integral components of community life across America. The report, based on analysis of trend data from longitudinal surveys of public arts participation and other sources, reveals that literary readers and people who frequent movies, plays and classical or jazz concerts, are more engaged in community activities than those who opt out of these art events. The report is careful to point out that its findings do not prove a causal relationship, but highlights a strong link between arts participation and engagement in several categories of civic activities. more on arts and civic participation... (December 5, 2006, NASAA Notes, Volume 13, Issue 1)
Other Resources Free Interactive Website for the Fine Art Industry FineArtAmerica.com is a FREE interactive website created specifically for the fine art industry. The site is designed to bring together artists, art galleries, and fine-art collectors from the United States and Canada! For artists and art galleries, FineArtAmerica.com provides an unprecedented opportunity for you to promote your artwork, advertise your events, and gain exposure to a national audience of fine-art collectors. As a member of the site, you will gain access to an online control panel which will allow you to: 1) build a comprehensive profile page which includes your logo/headshot and a description of your gallery/biography; 2) upload your artwork, complete with images, titles, keywords, sizes, and prices; 3) advertise your upcoming events; 4) issue online press releases; 5) view questions and quote requests from fine-art collectors throughout the U.S.; 6) post job openings in the fine art industry; 7) participate in our online discussion forum; and much more! Wallace Foundation Searching for ways to expand participation in the arts? Visit The Wallace Foundation's online Knowledge Center, where you will find a wealth of ideas for effective ways to increase audiences for the arts. www.wallacefoundation.org/arts. Tools for Nonprofit Organizations Idealist.org has compiled a list of the most useful sites they have found on the Web for individuals starting, managing and funding a nonprofit organization. "Tools for Results" Tool-Kit - a Resource for Non-profit Arts and Cultural Organizations The Texas Commission on the Arts "Tools for Results" Tool-kit was developed as a resource for non-profit arts and cultural organizations in Texas and beyond. The Tool-kit is a collaborative project made possible with the help of many organizations that generously agreed to share their resources. The Tool-kit covers six topic areas: Fundraising & Development, Programs & Exhibitions, Cultural Tourism, Marketing, Advocacy, and Nonprofit Basics. Each section covers the basics, relevant concepts, best practices, things to consider, ideas for implementing change, common mistakes, ways to get started, do’s and don’ts, and how-to’s on a variety of topics. The “tools” are the sample forms, letters, documents, checklists, templates, and other resources. The intention is for nonprofits to take these “tools” and adapt them for their own purposes. Online Classifieds Opportunities & Services for Artists The New York Foundation for the Arts' Online Classifieds Opportunities & Services for Artists, is a free national online sources for artist opportunities and services. Additional online resources for artists and arts organizations are available on NDCA's Art Opportunities page. The following Web sites have resources that may be of service to educators, individual artists, and arts organizations including funding and other opportunities, publications, arts events, etc. National Endowment for the Arts Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Arts Midwest Arts Education Partnership
The North Dakota Council on the Arts is the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout North Dakota, and is funded by the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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