Embracing Community Change Through the Arts Draws Sell-out Interest

Advance registration for the April 18 - 19 colloquium, Embracing Community Change Through the Arts, has reached maximum attendance, and the Indiana Arts Commission is now developing a waiting list of attendees. "The response to the colloquium has been incredible, and speaks to the interest arts organizations and community leaders have in advancing diversity," said IAC Executive Director Lewis C. Ricci. The event is a partnership effort by the IAC with the Ohio Arts Council and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and is made possible through the generous support of The Joyce Foundation: Improving the Quality of Life for People in the Great Lakes Region and Across the Country; the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities; Arts Midwest; the University of Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center; the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture; and the National Endowment for the Arts. A second capacity building colloquium is currently being planned for early June. Creating Vibrant Communities through the Arts will explore why the arts are important for community development, and examine steps for developing a community plan for innovation and growth through the arts. The colloquium will be held at Hanover College and is cosponsored by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Kentucky Arts Council, along with Ball State University's Building Better Communities. More information on this workshop and advance registration will be coming soon.

Hoosier Artland for Economic Growth Conference Planned for May

The Tippecanoe Arts Federation (TAF), with support from the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) and the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation, will present a peer-to-peer conference May 8, 2013 focused on teaching rural stakeholders proven strategies for achieving arts and community development success. The one-day conference will be presented in "Stellar Community" award winner, Delphi, Indiana at the Wabash and Erie Canal Conference Center at 1030 W. Washington St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check-in is from 9:30 to 10 a.m. The conference is designed for community stakeholders including civic leaders, business leaders, arts and cultural administrators, local elected officials, and individuals ready to effect change in their community. Registration is $10 for individual participants. Registration includes lunch and refreshments for each participant. For additional information, or to register, please visit the TAF Conference website. For more information, please contact Paige Sharp, Arts Education and Regional Services Director, 765-423-2787 or email: rsd@tippecanoearts.org.

Nominations Close Soon for National Medal of Arts

Nominations will remain upon until April 5, 2013 for the 2013 National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest award given to artists, arts organizations, and arts patrons. Anyone may make a nomination by visiting the nominations section of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) website. The awards are presented annually by the President with the NEA managing the nomination process. Since the inception of the awards in 1984, the annual program has recognized 290 individuals for their creativity, inspiration, and hard work. Past recipients have included such noteworthy artists as Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Van Cliburn, Jesse Norman, and Hoosier dancer Twyla Tharp. Arts organizations and elected officials have also been among previous recipients. Nominees for a National Medal of Arts must be U.S. citizens with a distinguished professional career that merits receiving the nation's highest honor in the arts.Posthumous nominations are not accepted. All nominations must be submitted online.

Walker Theater Hosts Special Film Screening of Dark Girls

The Madame Walker Theater will host a special screening of the film, Dark Girls: the Story of Color, Gender, and Race April 5, 2013. The film explores the color complex with which many women of color struggle. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and doors will open at 6:30. There will be a post viewing dialogue featuring producer and director D. Channsin Berry, and actress and advocate Vanessa Williams. General admission for the screening and dialogue is $15 per person. VIP seating for the screening and dialogue, and a VIP reception at 6 p.m. costs $25 per person. Tickets may be purchased online here.  For more information about the film, visit the official film website. Madame Walker Theater is located at 617 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

Fort Wayne Ballet and University of St. Francis Announce New Partnership for Dance Degrees

Fort Wayne Ballet and the University of St. Francis (USF) announced this month two new dance degrees offered through their new collaboration. The university will offer a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a two-year Associate of Arts in Dance through the Fort Wayne Ballet Conservatory at the University of St. Francis. It is the region's only four-year degree of this type. The programs will prepare students for professional dance careers while delivering a sound liberal arts core curriculum for a well-rounded education. The degrees feature study of a full range of dance styles - classical ballet, contemporary dance, jazz, tap, character and repertoire - along with dance history and theory, pedagogy and choreography. The dance technique sore, supplemented by an intense curriculum, positions students to perform in a professional dance company, attend graduate school in dance, teach in a public or private dance school, or choreograph. Dance courses will be held at the new facilities of Fort Wayne Ballet at the Auer Center for Arts and Culture. The new space includes state-of-the-art, large mirrored dance studios with pianos for live accompaniment, dance flooring, and observation windows. Fort Wayne Ballet instructors will be the program's USF faculty members. Academic courses will be taken in the USF School of Creative Arts, a creative, collaborative learning environment known for highly competent graduates in a broad spectrum of media, arts and business professions. Registration has begun for the new fall dance program. Those who wish to learn more can visit the school's website, or contact USF Office of Admissions at 260-399-8000 or email admis@sf.edu.

Indianapolis Children's Choir Appears at National Convention

The mixed high school ensemble of the Indianapolis Children's Choir (ICC) performed recently at the biennial national convention of the American Choral Director's Association held in Dallas, Texas. The high school choir, the Indianapolis Youth Chorale (IYC), was chosen through a blind audition process to be one of 56 featured choirs. Led by conductor Cheryl West, IYC is comprised of 90 singers who hail from 39 schools in central Indiana. They have been rehearsing for the prestigious honor since September. The choir performed two concerts during their stay in Dallas. They were the only choir representing the state of Indiana. ICC has made an unprecedented four previous trips to the national convention, with appearances in Louisville, San Antonio, San Diego, and Miami under the direction of ICC founder and artistic director Henry Leck. Mr. Leck and the Indianapolis Children's Choir were 2007 recipients of the Indiana Governor's Arts Award.

Kristina Johnson: Dedicated to Advancing Accessibility in Museums

In many ways, Kristina Johnson is not a typical graduate student from IUPUI. She readily admits she was an unmotivated student in undergraduate studies, but she discovered her passion much later in her academic life. Some might say she discovered a new life later in life, and all of it came about with the sudden onset of hearing loss. After completing  her undergraduate studies, she was looking for some career direction. She worked in banking, real estate, and retail for a time while trying to figure out her path. She considered going back to school to pursue a career in education, then her "disability" brought into sharp focus the direction her life was to take. "Then I began losing my hearing, it was easy to think, 'well, what do I do now?'" she said. Through a friend who was doing some writing for an online publication, Johnson decided to try her hand at writing about cultural activities. She soon found that her love of concerts was compromised by her diminished hearing, but decided to give museums a try because she'd always enjoyed the experience. However, she soon discovered that even museums were not "totally accessible" to everyone with a disability. But she did find a group in New York City, The Museum Access Consortium, that inspired ideas for her next step. The group worked with cultural groups to get them engaged and talking about all of the challenges that are missed by just complying with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines. As Johnson states, "meeting the needs of this population goes beyond building ramps or having printed material in Braille." This realization changed her view of her life, her education and career goals. She completed a degree program and, at age 33, entered the IUPUI Graduate School in Museum Studies. The course she chose provided her with the opportunity to pursue and shape three internships at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis where she made significant impact. She has also taken the initiative to visit and network with other Indianapolis area museums and offer consultations with the purpose of raising awareness, offer advice, and build her own knowledge of different museum environments and their accessibility challenges. "I've offered to walk through their facility as a person with a disability, and I often found some accessibility issues," she said. "I'm like the intern who never goes home." In each case, her observations and recommendations have been taken to heart and prompted action. Her advocacy for greater accessibility has also prompted the creation of a roundtable series entitled Access Indy. Founded by Johnson, with support from the IUPUI Museum Studies Department and an advisory committee of local museum professionals, Access Indy is described in their publicity as 'a movement to unite museums and cultural arts professionals as they work toward improving access and inclusion for visitors with disabilities.' A series of panel discussions addressing issues such as Alzheimer's, Autism, and other cognitive disabilities began in November and continued into mid April providing opportunities for discussion and education for the cultural community. If all this sounds like the New York City non-profit model, it has been no accident. "I would like to see Access Indy become a permanent fixture here, and it would be great if every major city in this country established something like it," she said. "A group like this can then reach out to museums and cultural organizations in smaller communities too. The need is everywhere, but how do you break the invisible wall that we don't always think of when we think about disabilities?" To read more of Kristina's story, please click here.

News Around the State

Marion Raising Money for Downtown Arts District
Community leaders have a plan to reinvent downtown Marion into an arts and entertainment district with the help of state and federal funds available through Indiana's "Stellar Communities" program. The city submitted a letter of interest detailing the three year plan that will encompass a nine-block area near the banks of the Mississinewa River. Downtown anchors listed in the letter include Community School of the Arts, Family Service Society, Main Street Marion and the Grant County Family YMCA. Projects in five categories: recreation and attraction, connectivity and circulation, economic growth, streetscape, and beautification and housing. Marion is one of several communities that have filed paperwork in hopes of becoming one of only two communities that will receive funding. (source: Indiana Economic Digest)

New Emphasis on Local Art in Shelbyville
Doing business at the Shelbyville City Hall is going to be something of a culturally rewarding experience thanks to a display by Shelby County artists. The exhibition is the brainchild of Mayor Tom DeBaun, who thought City Hall and other public buildings should be filled with the art of the city and county. Soon after winning office in 2011, DeBaun initiated a collaboration with the Shelby County Art Guild Association and others to make the exhibition happen. The exhibition opened in late September 2012 and, unless pieces are sold or returned to the artist, all work will remain on display through October of this year when a new rotation of work will be installed. The mayor said local artists responded enthusiastically to the idea, and while he is uncertain how many pieces were provided for the exhibit he says there is very little wall space that doesn't contain the work of a Shelby County artist. Local art dealer and former Indiana Arts Commission commissioner Lee Marks was part of the initial discussions and hopes to be involved with the project in the future. "I think it's important for the mayor of a place to be supportive of the arts," Marks said. "A lot of people go through his office and it's good for them to see he places a strong emphasis on the arts." (source: Indiana Economic Digest)

'Hoosiers' Producer Returns to Milan and Advocates for Film Tax Credits
The movie "Hoosiers" was released more than 25 years ago, but the film remains a popular classic in basketball crazed Indiana, particularly this time of year. Producer Angelo Pizzo recently returned to Indiana, specifically to Milan Indiana, for the first time since 1982. Pizzo's visit to the Milan '54 Museum was planned to help the community raise money to secure the largest collection of uniforms and props from the film. During his visit, Pizzo told Indiana Business Television that the state needs to reconsider the idea of tax credits to spark Indiana's film industry. Pizzo says states like Michigan are providing credits and he hopes that can serve as an example of how a similar approach could boost Indiana's economy. Previous efforts to introduce such legislation in recent years have failed to materialize into law. Pizzo was a 1995 recipient of an Indiana Governor's Arts Award. (source: Inside Indiana Business)

New Mural Project in Terre Haute to Have Year of the River Theme
A new outdoor mural will be coming to downtown Terre Haute that will highlight the "Year of the River", a celebration of the Wabash Valley. The new mural is an initiative of Indiana State University's Department of Art, through its ongoing Gilbert Wilson Memorial Mural Project. The mural will be created by artists Michael Neary and Amy McLennan, with help from ISU art students. Painting is scheduled to begin in early May with a completion by the end of that month. The project is expected to cost about $15,000. (source: Indiana Economic Digest)

Arts United Receives Continued Support From Lincoln Financial Foundation
Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne is the recipient of a multi-year grant from Lincoln Financial Foundation totaling $280,000 over two years.The award provides major support for Arts United's Fund Drive and continues Lincoln's long-standing sponsorship of the Nonprofit Arts Internship Initiative. In addition to the grant, employees of Lincoln Financial Group participate in an annual employee giving campaign to benefit Arts United. (source: Inside Indiana Business)

National News

Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Seeks Survey Input
Southern Exposure: Performing Arts of Latin America provides up to $25,000 to presenters across the Unites States in support of engagements in the communities by dance, music, and theater artists from Latin America. Your feedback is crucial as Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation explores options to increase participation in the program. To ensure your voice is heard on how to make the program more attractive to your organization, the Foundation has created a brief survey of multiple choice questions that will take less than five minutes to complete. Please use the following link to access the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Southern_Exposure_Feedback. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Brigid Zuknick at 410-539-6656 x 113, or email: Brigid@midatlanticarts.org.

Sequestration Impact on the NEA
In a recent letter to state and regional arts agency directors, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Director for State and Regional Partnerships, Laura Scanlan confirmed that overall funding for the NEA will be reduced by 5% ($7.3 million). Sequestration requires the Obama administration to reduce spending from all federal domestic discretionary accounts equally, while also imposing cuts to defense and certain mandatory programs like Medicare. The NEA plans to implement the sequestration cuts by reducing grant allocations by 3.2% and Partnership funds to state arts agencies will be reduces by 2.7%. The NEA said it is able to mitigate the effect of sequestration on states by applying funds that were "de-obligated" in the prior year. The NEA confirmed that sequestration reductions will apply only to state arts agency grants awarded in the federal Fiscal Year 2013 grant cycle. Cuts will not be applied retroactively.

Opportunities

Vice President of Finance - Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis, IN
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra seeks a Vice President of Finance to join its Executive Leadership Team. The Vice President is responsible for the effective functioning of financial systems; analysis, monitoring, and measuring the financial impact of strategies and initiatives developed by the Board of Directors and artistic and business leadership of the Society. This position requires a person who has excellent technical and communications skills, has the ability to deal with multiple projects, and has strong problem solving capabilities. A B.A. or B.S. in Business or related field is required, graduate degree preferred. CPA desirable. Minimum 10 years experience in senior management, strategic planning, and budgeting required. Proven leadership skills required; experience in working with non-executive directors preferred. For a complete job description, required duties, and other required qualifications, please click here.

Vice President of Development, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis, IN
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indiana's largest performing arts organization, is seeking a VP of Development to lead its successful development department. The VP is responsible for all fundraising and supporting programs with priority focused on major gift solicitation and will effectively lead the development team who are collectively responsible for an annual fund, corporate and foundation sponsorships, grants, major and capitol gifts, planned giving, and donor recognition and appreciation. The full job description can be found here. The successful candidate will have strong interpersonal, written and verbal communications skills, excellent skills in strategic planning and budget preparation and a minimum of five years fundraising and eight years of management experience. To apply for this position, please click here.

Administrative Assistant (part-time), Young Actors Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Young Actors Theatre is hiring a part-time administrative assistant to help with office and production related tasks. Young Actors Theatre is Indianapolis' oldest youth theatre with a mission to instill confidence, creativity and discipline in youth through the art of theatre. The administrative assistant will be someone with a flexible schedule who will be available to attend all performances and aid in production set-up if needed. Previous administrative experience is required. Experience with Adobe programs, Outlook, Word, iMovie, iMAC, iCalendar, Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop a plus. All work will be done on a Mac computer. For a complete job description and other details, please click here.

Bookkeeper (part-time) Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, Indianapolis, IN
Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, a nonprofit arts organization, seeks to inspire filmmakers and audiences through the transformative power of film. Its flagship event, the Heartland Film Festival, launched in 1991 and runs each October in Indianapolis, screens independent films from around the world. The part-time bookkeeper (25 hours per week avg.) supports the mission and all staff by providing accounting services and maintaining efficient office systems, including those related to correspondence, membership, ticketing and donations. The successful candidate must have a strong proficiency in Quickbooks, eTapestry and Microsoft Office, and experience with Outlook, Agile Ticketing, ServiceU, Shiftboard and Vocus is a plus. A four year degree is also required along with at least two years of professional experience. To see a complete job description and list of essential jobs functions, please click here.

Human Resources Manager, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
The Indianapolis Art Center promotes life-long learning through hands-on art classes, workshops and art activities. The Human Resources Manager has overall responsibility for designing, implementing and managing effective human resources programs, plans and initiatives to attracts and retain people of talent, in support of the Art Center's mission. The ideal candidate will have outstanding verbal and written communications skills, work effectively with others, and be highly trustworthy, professional and self-directed. Proficiency in a variety of computer software packages is preferred, especially Microsoft Office and payroll systems. A Bachelor's degree in business, human resources, or the equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred, as well as at least three years' experience as a human resources generalist. Employee must be able to move freely about the work site and perform routine physical and manual tasks associated with the position including ability to lift 25 pounds. Must be able to function in an environment with some paint fumes and dust. For a complete job description, and to apply for this position, please click here.

Director of Development, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota, FL
Arts Consulting Group requests your interest in, or candidate recommendations for the Director of Development position at Sarasota Opera in Sarasota, Florida. The Director of Development works closely with the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Board of Trustees to raise funds for the company. This position plays a vital role in developing sophisticated contributed revenue strategies, as well as actively soliciting funds that will impact the growth of the Opera over the next five years. To apply, click here.

Performing Arts Fellow, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park, CA
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, seeks a Fellow for its Performing Arts Program. This is a two-year term position. The Performing Arts Program makes grants to sustain artistic expression and encourage public engagement in the arts in the San Fransisco Bay Area. Bill and Flora Hewlett began with a commitment to support key performing arts organizations in San Fransisco. With an annual budget of more than $14 million, the Hewlett Foundation's diverse Performing Arts Program is now one of the the Bay Area's largest funders of the performing arts. This Program continues the founder's core belief in the power of art to infuse life with meaning, value, and pleasure. To apply, click here.