~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Illinois Arts Council eNewsletter
Illinois: HeARTland of Creativity
May/June 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with the Arts
in this issue
Field Notes: Arts-in-Education
Announcements
Upcoming Application Deadlines
In Loving Memory of Carmen Candelaria
Greetings!

 

Welcome to the May/June '08 Illinois Arts Council HeARTland newsletter. Here you will find all the information you need to stay abreast of recent and upcoming Illinois Arts Council happenings, deadlines, and opportunities. In order that we may best tailor this newsletter to your specific interests in the future, please take a moment today to tell us a little about yourself using the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this page.

Field Notes: Arts-in-Education 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As indicated in our Strategic Directions 2007-2012, Illinois Arts Council staff is making a concerted effort to expand our fieldwork. Below, Arts-in-Education Director Tatiana Gant reports back from a visit to John R. Tibbott Elementary School in Bolingbrook where she and Illinois Arts Council Executive Director Terry A. Scrogum recently had the opportunity to attend a multi-cultural fair. The event was the culmination of a school wide project that incorporated a study of geography and culture with each classroom focusing on a different country. 
 
Photo from J.R. Tibbot School Multi-Cultural Fair
 
The students of Tibbott Elementary are no strangers to the arts. In addition to weekly classes in the visual or performing arts, visits from professional artists are a regular part of the school year. Principal Ana Wilson is committed to providing her students with a well-rounded education and has a motivated staff that supports her mission. The hallways are filled with evidence of the children's creativity: from painting and drawings to a collaborative sculptural mural.
 
Turnout for this event could not have been better. Children sat near the stage on the floor, while grandparents and parents filled the chairs and crowded in the doorways. Aisles had to be cleared so that the performers could enter. The program offered performances by students and cultural groups. Classrooms sang songs or performed dances related to their countries of study. Organizations presented dances from Poland, Scotland, and Bolivia, among others. The students were thrilled to see their teachers perform a dance from Mexico. The evening culminated with performances by Illinois Arts Council Artstour and Arts-in-Education Roster artist David Stocker and Arts-in-Education Roster artist Nahui Ollin.
 
Naturally, attendance is only one measure of the support that this event receives. This event also provided an opportunity for the parents and students to celebrate the diversity of their community, and the audience was truly engaged throughout the three-hour event. A favorite moment of mine was watching a young African American boy standing to the side and attempting to mimic the jumps and kicks of the Scottish dancers. Parents and children danced together. The festival was enhanced by donations of refreshments from area businesses. Parents also volunteered a sound system, lighting, and costumes. It was evident that this annual event is much anticipated and appreciated.
 
Tibbott Elementary has a long history of applications to the Illinois Arts Council. They have made good use of the Artstour program for many years. More recently, Tibbott has received support through the Quick Start and Arts-in-Education Residency programs. The Illinois Arts Council has supported visits by artists Linda Gorham, David Stocker, Oba William King, and Nancy Vachon. The required matching funds are raised at fundraisers, by the Parent Teacher Organization, and through awards from the Valley View Education Enrichment Foundation.
 
It was a joy and an inspiration to see the impact of Illinois Arts Council grant dollars. Throughout the evening parents and staff voiced their appreciation for the state funds that help to make the cultural enrichments at Tibbott possible.
 
For more information regarding the Illinois Arts Council's Arts-in-Education programs, please visit our website (www.state.il.us/agency/iac/) or contact Arts-in-Education Director Tatiana Gant at 312/814-6765 or [email protected].
Announcements...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES FY08 LITERARY AWARDS
Quality New Writing by Illinois Writers in Illinois Not-for-Profit Lit Mags
The Illinois Arts Council is pleased to announce the writers and literary publications selected to receive IAC Literary Awards in 2008. IAC Literary Awards recognize the creative excellence of Illinois writers and promote awareness of non-commercial publishing in the state. Companion awards of $1,000 each are given to the writer and publication in which the writer's work was published. 
 
POETRY OUT LOUD CALLS FOR ALL ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOLS
Free Program Available -- Express Your School's Interest Now
The Illinois Arts Council cordially invites all Illinois high schools to participate in the 2009 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, a free national program created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Poetry Out Loud encourages youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. Teachers from throughout the country have found this program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary heritage. In 2008, an estimated 200,000 high school students competed in classrooms nationwide with more than $100,000 in prizes awarded to students and schools at the state and national levels. 
 
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP FOR ARTISTS AND EDUCATORS 
Powerful Connections: Learning In & Through the Arts with Zephyr Dance
Join your peers from throughout Illinois September 5-6, 2008 for Powerful Connections: Learning In & Through the Arts with Zephyr Dance. A variety of art forms - dance, music, visual arts, theater, media arts, and writing - will be used to give each participant an experience integrating academic and art curricula. Participants will be introduced to academic and arts standards along with strategies for working in a variety of grade levels, and building a template based on planning, classroom practice, assessment, and documentation. This unique arts integration workshop, hosted by the Hinsdale Center for the Arts with support from the Illinois Arts Council, is open to educators and artists. Your $100 registration covers the two day workshop, including materials and lunch. CPDU credits are available. For more information and to register, visit www.hinsdalearts.org.
 
Now available online! Follow the link above to download the pdf, or email [email protected] for a hardcopy.
 
REMINDER: OCTOBER IS ILLINOIS ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH
Illinois Arts & Humanities (AH!) Month Logo/ID
The Illinois Arts Council and the Illinois Humanities Council present this statewide celebration to encourage all Illinoisans to establish, deepen, and expand our relationships with the arts and humanities. Together, we can make the arts and humanities a visible and vital part of everyone's everyday lives in the Land of Lincoln. Illinois Arts & Humanities Month marks the expansion of Illinois Arts Week, established in 1978 to focus attention on our state's vast cultural resources and to increase public awareness of the arts. More information regarding marketing materials and other resources will be available from your local arts agency or the Illinois Arts Council and Illinois Humanities Council websites later this summer. Mark your calendars now and help us spread the word!
Upcoming Application Deadlines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 1, 2008
Youth Employment in the Arts
                         
The Youth Employment in the Arts Program offers direct funding to Illinois not-for-profit organizations to offer high quality employment initiatives (internships) for high school students. These projects will provide youth with positive cultural experiences and paid on-the-job training in the arts to enhance their personal development.
 
September 1, 2008                                 
Artists Fellowships                              
State of Illinois Recognizes and Rewards Artistic Talent
The Artists Fellowship Program operates on a two-year rotating cycle. The following discipline categories are being accepted for this application cycle (FY09): Interdisciplinary/Computer Arts, Music Composition, Photography, Poetry, and Visual Arts. New for FY09: Online Applications! Check the IAC website in mid-July for application instructions and materials.
 
September 1, 2008
Ethnic & Folk Arts Master/Apprentice Program
Preserving Illinois' Cultural Heritage
The Master Apprentice Program recognizes the need for structured opportunities to pass on traditional arts as part of the preservation of the Illinois' cultural heritage. The program fosters this traditional teaching and learning relationship by providing a $2,000 honorarium to the master artist and a $1,000 stipend to the apprentice.
 
Please visit the Illinois Arts Council website at www.state.il.us/agency/iac and contact appropriate staff for further information regarding grants, program guidelines, and the review process.

In Loving Memory of Carmen Candelaria 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carmen CandelariaCarmen Candelaria joined the Illinois Arts Council staff as a receptionist in 1981. She brought a friendly disposition to the workplace, and was recognized right away as a great fit for the agency. In 1983, she joined the Grants Office staff, where she served the rest of her twenty-seven years with the agency. Many constituents knew Carmen as the helpful voice on the phone when calling the IAC for guidance on your grant agreements. She was also our Spanish speaking liaison to the Latino community, answering questions for the entire agency.

Carmen was truly proud of her work. She worked hard everyday to help people satisfy government requirements so the IAC could accurately and efficiently get those grant funds to her constituents.

Of course, for those of us who work at the IAC, Carmen wasn't just a colleague. She was a friend. And when she showed up in the office with her Tres Leches Cake or flan, she became our best friend!
 
No memory of Carmen would be complete without noting her exceptional talents in the kitchen. Carmen made some Puerto Rican dishes that were simply unbelievable: alcapurrias, pasteles, arroz con gandules, bacalao y verdura, rellenos de papa (or "potato puffs," as she called them), and - though not really a Puerto Rican dish - great tamales. She even catered the office holiday luncheon a number of times, and, being Carmen, she always made sure there was enough food for people to take some home afterwards.  

Carmen loved to dance, especially the merengue. She loved Latin music. She raised three wonderful daughters who in turn gave her beautiful grandchildren and were especially precious to her and the source of a great deal of pride and joy in her life. She was a good listener, and remained concerned with our lives and families even as her own health was failing. We were blessed to have known Carmen, and now we're blessed with her memory. She will be missed.  

Carmen was affected by an inflammatory disease called sarcoidosis and passed away on May 9, 2008. May she rest in peace. 

 

Carmen's family encourages people to learn more about sarcoidosis. Once thought rare, sarcoidosis is now known to be common and affects people worldwide. While progress has been made in understanding the symptoms and better diagnosing the disease, little is known about who is susceptible to sarcoidosis and the cause remains unknown. Awareness and early diagnosis increase chances of minimizing the effect of this disease. To learn more about this condition visit the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research website at www.stopsarcoidosis.org.

Quick Links...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join Our Mailing List