North Dakota Council on the Arts

		June 2008
North Dakota Council on the Arts, Celebrating 40 Years! (1967-2007) Welcome to e-Prairie Arts! This electronic newsletter supplements our printed newsletter, *Prairie Arts, which is published 3 times per year. e-Prairie Arts* will be distributed during the months of February, March, April, June, July, August, October, November and December. If you know of anyone else who would like to receive *e-Prairie Arts*, please e-mail mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=Add an Email Address. If you wish to unsubscribe, please e-mail mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=Unsubscribe.
STATEWIDE NEWS Writing Workshops Sponsored by Read North Dakota Scheduled for July Statewide Read ND will be sponsoring three workshops in July by authors Jo Ann B. Winistorfer and Cathy A. Langemo. With extensive backgrounds in writing, publishing and genealogy, award-winning authors and avid genealogists Jo Ann and Cathy will present information from their popular Tracing Your Dakota Roots: A Guide to Genealogical Research in the Dakotas, winner of a national book award, to get attendees excited about creating and recording their own family stories. They will concentrate on the "why?" for publishing their family stories and the organizational steps necessary to get the project done. Because family stories are meant to be shared, the program will emphasize the importance of recording and publishing the wonderful and exciting stories and other information the attendees have gathered. Early registration is encouraged. Registration fee is $35 per person, which includes a copy of Tracing Your Dakota Roots ($15 for the workshop only). Locations and dates of the writing workshops are: Bowman Public Library - July 7, 1:00-4:00 p.m. (MST), 18 East Divide, Bowman. Contact Sarah Snavely at 523-3797, or sarah@artofthegreyhound.com; Three Affiliated Tribes Museum - July 8, 1:00-4:00 p.m. (CST), Highway 23, New Town. Contact Marilyn Hudson at 627-4477, or mhudson@restel.net; and Sweets 'N Stories - July 12, 1:00-4:00 p.m. (CST), 509 Main Avenue, Oakes, ND. Contact Heather Roney at 742-2007, or phroney@drtel.net. These workshops are part of a series of events scheduled for 2008 to promote and celebrate reading and writing in North Dakota. A website hosting a suggested reading list of North Dakota books, book discussion points, curriculum resources for use in the classroom, and much more is available at http://www.readnd.org/. North Dakota Governor's Photo Contest North Dakota Tourism Week was celebrated in May and Gov. John Hoeven and the North Dakota Tourism Division announced the North Dakota Governor's Photo Contest. Any amateur photographer who lives in North Dakota is invited to submit entries to the Governor's Photo Contest. Winning photographers will receive a $100 cash prize and their entry will be featured in North Dakota Tourism's marketing materials. "This contest is a great opportunity for amateur photographers in our state to demonstrate their talents, while showcasing North Dakota's legendary people, places, events and natural wonders," said Hoeven. "I look forward to another exciting contest as our citizens capture the unique things to see and do across our state." According to Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman, photographs will be judged on their ability to showcase North Dakota as a Legendary destination in the following categories: spring, summer, fall or winter scenery; people; outdoor adventure and activities; attractions; events; and wildlife. Entries will be judged on originality, interest of the subject matter, visual appearance and consistency with the category theme. The deadline to enter is September 8, 2008. Entries should be mailed to North Dakota Department of Commerce, Tourism Division, Attention Heather LeMoine, at P.O. Box 2057, Bismarck, ND 58502-2057. Complete contest rules can be found on the Tourism Division Web site at http://www.ndtourism.com/smartmail/news-releases/detail.asp?newsID=251. For more information, contact the Tourism Division at 328-2525. 2008 Summer Teacher's Institute "Keepers of the Land" The North Dakota Teacher Resource Coalition announces their 2008 Summer Teachers' Institute, "Keepers of the Land." The institute will be held at the Turtle Mountain Outdoor Learning Center, Lake Metigoshe State Park, June 16-18, 2008. Nationally recognized storyteller Michael Caduto, author of the "Keepers of the Earth" books will be one of the institute presenters. more on Teacher’s Institute… Check out a few of the many activities throughout North Dakota this June! For more Summer events and exhibits, visit www.nd.gov/arts: Bismarck: Jun 21 - 2nd Annual Midsummer Festival, sponsored by Sleepy Hollow Summer Theatre. 7-11:30pm. Free community event in celebration of the longest day of the year complete with continuous entertainment including excerpts from "High School Musical" and "Les Miserables," Midsummer Night’s Dream Ballet in cooperation with Northern Plains Ballet, Sons of Norway Dancers and Singers, Prairie Rose String Quartet, storytelling, horse-drawn wagon rides, art projects with instructors, gourmet midsummer dinner, and a "Dance Under the Stars" with Dave Thompson. Sleepy Hollow Arts Park Fargo: Jun 27-29 - Nordic Culture Clubs Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival. Experience the creative play, traditions, and contemporary cultures from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Saami Land. For more info call 218-299-5452 or visit http://www.scandinavianhjemkomstfestival.org/ Minot: Jun 21 - 2008 Integrity Jazz Festival. It's going to be a great day of jazz music! Headlining will be the Jeni Fleming Acoustic Trio. Popular local talent such as Dakota Dixie and Steve Veikley with Java Jazz will be performing. 1-8pm, Roosevelt Park. For more info on how you can be a part of the festival, call MACA at 852-2787 or visit http://www.integrityjazzfestival.com/ New Rockford: Jun 25-Aug 10 - DPRCA burns up the stage with the music of Johnny Cash in the regional premiere of "Ring of Fire." Check out the calendar at http://www.dprca.com/ for specific dates and times, or call 947-2174 Pekin: Jun 26-29 - Pekin Days Art Show, for more information, call Brenda at 296-4515; email bebjorlie@stellarnet.com; or visit www.pekinnd.com/nelsoncountyartscouncil.html. The New Bohemia Annual meeting takes place Sunday, Jun 29 at 9am. For more info on New Bohemia, contact Jon Offutt at Mulciberglass@hotmail.com, or call 298-3936 Rugby: Jun 23-26 - "Cats" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, presented by Village Arts, all performances at 8pm. For tickets and more info, call 776-ARTS, tickets available after Jun 10 Walhalla: Jun 28-Aug 3 - Frostfire Theatre presents "Les Miserables" the international smash-hit which may be the most popular musical in the world. Saturdays at 6pm, Sundays and Wednesdays at 2pm. For more info, call 549-3600 or visit http://www.frostfiretheatre.com/ Williston: Jun 24-26 - Summer Shorts III, A popular YES festival featuring YES performers of all ages in a series of 10 minute plays. Call 577-3179 for more info CHARISM Awarded $235,000 Bush Grant CHARISM Neighborhood Resource Centers of Fargo is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $235,000 grant from the Bush Foundation. The grant will be distributed over the next three years and will be used to fund CHARISM’s youth enrichment programs including Helping Children Learn, Giving Youth a Voice, the Boys & Girls Activity Groups, and CHARISM Summer Camp. The Bush Foundation serves it communities as an independent grantmaker with a special focus on the needs of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Since 1953, the Foundation has provided more than $710 million in grants and fellowships to strengthen the work of nonprofit organizations and the development of individuals. Why is it Important to Have a Website? The World Wide Web is the fastest growing source for information. According to a 2007 report by Netcraft, an Internet research company, there are 108,810,358 distinct websites that make up the World Wide Web. Without a website, your organization risks never being found by your audiences. Here some additional reasons why your organization should have a website: a web presence is a great way to compliment your existing communications; websites can make your organization look and act bigger than it really is; the Web is two-way, interactive and quick communication; websites can also help you educate your audiences; and having a website can provide 24/7 access to your organization. A Website Toolkit (PDF) is now available here to help you create and maintain simple, eye-catching websites with almost no money. Learn the language to speak with your website developer, and find out the best ways to layout your website content. (Toolkit created by the Kansas Arts Commission and used by permission.) NATIONAL NEWS National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2008 National Winner of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest With a fan club including family, friends, her English teacher, poetry coach, and members of the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, 16-year-old Shawntay A. Henry of the United States Virgin Islands captured the audience with her poetry recitations and received the title of 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Champion. Along with her title, Henry receives a $20,000 scholarship prize and her high school, Charlotte Amalie High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The Poetry Out Loud National Finals were held last night at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. Henry was among 12 finalists and 52 state champions from around the country who participated in the third national poetry recitation contest, sponsored by the National Arts Endowment and the Poetry Foundation. The second-place winner was Sophia Elena Soberon of Brookings-Harbor High School in Brookings, Oregon, who received a $10,000 scholarship prize. The Utah State Champion, Madison Niermeyer, of Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, received the third place prize and a $5,000 scholarship. In addition, each of the top 12 finalists received a $1,000 scholarship prize. The twelve finalists' schools received $500 each for the purchase of poetry books. North Dakota was well represented by Devany Schulz of Shanley High School in Fargo, ND. Devany was the first place winner at the North Dakota State competition. more on Poetry Out Loud… National Endowment for the Arts Announces More Than $77 Million in Grants for the Second Round of Fiscal Year 2008 Funding In its second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2008, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that it will award $77.4 million to fund 1,014 grants. The Arts Endowment will distribute $77,452,700 in this round of FY 2008 funding to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations across the country, funding grants in the categories of Access to Artistic Excellence, Arts on Radio and Television, Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth, Partnership Agreements (State and Regional), and American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius. "NEA support enriches the civic life of the nation by making the best of the arts available throughout the United States," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "From traditional arts apprenticeships for youth to online museum resources for the public, the range of support represents a valuable investment in American art that will serve the American people." more information on NEA FY08 Grant Awards… Americans for the Arts, Ad Council and the NAMM Foundation Launch New PSAs Championing Arts Education The Advertising Council, joined by Americans for the Arts and the NAMM Foundation, announced the launch of a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to promote the benefits of arts education. The PSAs, part of the award-winning "The Arts. Ask for More." campaign, will debut at Advertising that Changed a Nation, an exhibit at the New England Institute of Art in Brookline, Massachusetts. The arts provide children with life skills that are a foundation to their and our nation’s future success. According to key findings from a forthcoming report conducted by The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators, an overwhelming majority of school superintendents and employers (99 and 97 percent respectively) agree that creativity is increasingly important in the workforce and that an art training is crucial to developing creativity. However, according to the research, most schools in our country only provide arts training on an elective basis. Additionally, a 2005 Harris Poll reported that 40 percent of parents say they do not know how to get involved with promoting arts education. The PSAs direct parents to visit http://www.americansforthearts.org/ where they will find 10 simple ways on how to include the arts in their children’s lives, including registering their children for school and community programs, reinforcing the benefits of the arts in their conversations, and communicating the importance of the arts with teachers, principals and elected officials. The site also features an Online Resource Center to help parents, teachers, school board leaders, and advocates increase the presence and quality of arts education in the schools. All creative ads for the campaign are available for viewing on the websites of both Americans for the Arts (www.AmericansForTheArts.org/public_awareness) and the Ad Council (http://www.adcouncil.org/). American Egg Board Call to Artists American Egg Board is searching for artists to participate in the 2009 White House Decorated Egg Event. While it is not certain if the new administration will continue the event, nonetheless they must secure the eggs early. Each year they secure a decorated egg from an artist in every state. Ranging from painted, to beaded to carved the eggs are truly a sight to behold. You may view last years eggs at www.whitehouse.gov/easter/2008. There are a small number of rules and guidelines, but no restrictions are made on the type of artist. If you are interested in learning more about the event, or how you can participate, please contact the following for the rules prior to July 1, 2008: Jacinta LeDonne, American Egg Board, 1460 Renaissance Drive, Suite 301, Park Ridge, IL 60068. Telephone, 847-296-7043 or email: jledonne@aeb.org. 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... In fiscal year 2006 state arts agencies awarded 26,150 grants totaling over $270 million in 5,451 communities. Approximately 18% of these grants went to organizations for general operating support and 11.5% went to individual artists. Check out NASAA's 2008 Funding and Grantmaking Report (PDF) for more information on state arts agency funding and grantmaking statistics. OTHER RESOURCES Applying for 501(c) Status Without a Lawyer The IRS has created a new website (http://www.stayexempt.org/) that enables new organizations to apply for 501(c) status without using a lawyer. This site is helpful and easy to follow. Sell Your Arts/Crafts Online at PrairieWorksMall.com Prairie Works is organized to empower rural and isolated North Dakota artists and artisans to market their crafts and gain access to professional networks. Its purpose is to promote access to, and development of, arts in rural and tribal communities in North Dakota. Prairie Works is an organization founded to continue the art and craft heritage of rural ND artists by providing a source to market and sell their creative products. Prairie Works is providing the On-Line Gallery, a web site to sell art and craft work that ND artists, crafters and art entrepreneurs have created. The arts/crafts of Prairie Works will consist of quality, originality, creativity, and use of appropriate techniques. All work must be handmade by the ND artisan. For more information; to become a member; and/or to sell your arts/crafts online, please visit http://www.prairieworksmall.com/. Online Arts Job Resource Americans for the Arts have created an online arts job resource for employers and employees to come together. This new resource can be accessed by visiting http://jobbank.artsusa.org/search.cfm. Prairie Independent Introducing the "Prairie Independent" Bismarck-Mandan's newest community newspaper of people, places and events. The "Prairie Independent" is available at over 130 locations including community coffee shops, restaurants, waiting rooms, bars, entertainment centers, convenience stores, churches and at the Prairie Independent office. The "Prairie Independent" is a Free publication, if you are interested in advertising availability or offering the "Prairie Independent" to your customers, please contact Don Morrison at don@ndpeople.org, or 701-527-0060. Self Employment in the Arts (SEA) The focus of SEA is on the business of art. SEA was created with the idea that more artists will succeed if they have business skills, knowledge, resources, and contacts. Through artist-led conferences, a website full of resources and articles, and educational tools like the award winning Entrepreneurial Artist DVD; SEA helps artists turn their passions into a living. SEA is for college students, serious high school students, artists, and educators. Their mission is to provide educational resources to help aspiring artists gain the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed to establish and maintain a career as an independent artist. more on SEA... "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. 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… Artists' Health Insurance Resource Center The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) database was created in 1998 by The Actors’ Fund of America, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, as a health insurance resource for artists and people in the entertainment industry. Since then, with support from The Commonwealth Fund, it has expanded to include resources for the self-employed, low-income workers, the under-insured, the uninsured who require medical care and many other groups. For more information visit: http://www.ahirc.org/; for a direct link to North Dakota resources, visit: www.ahirc.org/state_indx.cfm?st=ND. Online Legal Primers on the Arts A new web site, http://www.thelawportal.info/, offers legal primers for artists and arts organizations, covering topics that range from the traditional and familiar (such as copyright) to the new and sometimes obscure (two-way broadband network access), and from the personal (how to find healthy materials) to the professional (how to develop contracts) to the political (free speech). 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. These include calls for entry, services such as photography of art work and accounting, space for rent, and many others. New listings are posted daily (designated with an orange "new" icon for one week) and remain on the site until they expire. Organizations posting listings are solely responsible for the content of those listings. Additional Web Sites 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.

If your email service does not accept graphics, please request a text-only version by emailing mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=e-Prairie Arts: Text-Only. e-Prairie Arts is sent automatically to Prairie Arts readers who have an e-mail address on file with the NDCA. If you would like this sent to a different address, email mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=Address Change. If you wish to unsubscribe, email mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=Unsubscribe. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding the e-Prairie Arts online newsletter, please email them to mailto:comserv@nd.gov?subject=e-Prairie Arts: Comments-Suggestions.