MCACA Boasts New Website

Maybe you've already noticed that MCACA's online presence got a major facelift this summer! MCACA's website, housed under the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, underwent a fantastic overhaul in the last few months which has allowed MCACA to add a little more color, and a lot more pizzazz as the state government's lead agency charged with developing arts and culture policy and grant-making.

But this also means those of you who use our website to access grant guidelines, reminders about final report deadlines, or to access any of the thousands of arts and cultural events taking place across the state, you may want to log on and poke around a bit to familiarize yourself with where things are now located. 

We hope the public will love the new look of MCACA online, and if you have questions about where to find things, want to send us your fantastic pictures to be featured on our site, or just want to tell us how much you love it, send notes to Program Manager Alison Watson at watsona11@michigan.org. You can find MCACA online at www.michigan.gov/arts.   

NEA Announces 2018 National Heritage Fellows - Including Michigan Artist

Master Folk and Traditional Artists Celebrated at Free Events Next September

The National Endowment for the Arts announced the newest recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowships, who range from an old-time fiddler to a Day of the Dead altar maker to an R&B musician. The NEA National Heritage Fellowships, awarded annually by the National Endowment for the Arts, highlight the breadth and excellence of the artistic traditions found in communities all across the United States. The 2018 recipients will receive a $25,000 award and be honored in Washington, DC at an awards ceremony on September 26, 2018 and at a free concert on September 28, 2018. The concert will be streamed live at arts.gov.

The 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellows are:

• Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim (Milwaukie, OR)—Palestinian embroiderer

• Eddie Bond (Fries, VA)—Appalachian old-time fiddler

• Kelly Church (Allegan, MI)—Anishinabe (Gun Lake Band) black ash basketmaker

• Marion Coleman (Castro Valley, CA)—African-American quilter

• Manuel Cuevas (Nashville, TN)—rodeo tailor

• Ofelia Esparza (Los Angeles, CA)—Chicana altarista (Day of the Dead altar maker)

• Barbara Lynn (Beaumont, TX)—R&B musician

• Don & Cindy Roy (Gorham, ME)—Franco-American musicians

• Ethel Raim (New York, NY)—traditional music and dance advocate

“The 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellows have dedicated their lives to mastering these distinctive art forms and sharing them with new audiences both within their communities and nationwide,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts. “We look forward to celebrating them and their incredible artistic accomplishments this fall.”

In addition to their artistic value, each of the Heritage Fellows’ art forms also reflects the community they come from and the history of the tradition, whether it’s a material art form—such as Manuel’s iconic suits and the patterns of Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim’s embroidery—or a musical art form—such as Don and Cindy Roy’s Franco-American music. These artistic traditions and the stories behind them will be shared at two events in Washington, DC, both of which are free and open to the public.

The NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert will take place at Sidney Harman Hall at 610 F Street NW in Washington, DC on Friday, September 28, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. The concert will also be webcast live at arts.gov. More concert details and ticket information will be available later this summer.

The Bennett Prize Celebrates Figurative Realist Paintings By Women

The Bennett Prize, created in 2018, awards $50,000 to a woman artist to create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which will travel the country. The Prize will propel the careers of women painters who have not yet realized full professional recognition, empowering new artists and those who have painted for many years. The Prize will expand opportunities for the public, who may not be familiar with figurative realist painting, to learn more about the creative vision of talented women painters in this increasingly popular genre. The Prize will encourage women painters to take their place among the most celebrated painters, often men, dominating the art world today.

The Prize is not open to hobbyists, students or artists who have been paid, or received an award, of $25,000 or more for any single work of art.

The Muskegon Museum of Art will be the event's kick-off location, and house the winning art work from May 2 - September 8, 2019.

The call for entries for the inaugural presentation of The Bennett Prize runs from April 13 - Sept. 28, 2018. Click here for more info.

RFP For Public Art Project In Front of State Capitol

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing and the Capital Region Community Foundation announce a request for qualifications/proposals (RFQP) for a new public art project. The project, a signature sculpture in partnership with the City of Lansing, will be installed in the roundabout at the intersection of Washington Square and Michigan Avenue in downtown Lansing – one block in front of the State Capitol. They are seeking an innovative sculpture that will reflect the welcoming spirit of Lansing, beyond its status as the capital city.   

The RFQP is open on a national level to all professional sculptors, with a preference given to artists who live or work in Ingham, Eaton and/or Clinton County.  Interested artists will have demonstrated the capacity to create and install three-dimensional artworks that are innovative, unique and highly visual.

The commission budget for the sculpture is $100,000 USD.  The project is a fully turn-key operation and the budget is all-inclusive of artist’s fees and materials.

Deadline to submit an RFP is Monday, July 23, 2018. Find all of the information about this opportunity at the Arts Council of Greater Lansing website.