April 2007
RISCA 40th anniversary logo
RISCA News

The E-Newsletter of the
Rhode Island State
Council on the Arts
Greetings!
It's mid-April, and if the chilly temperatures outside make you a non-believer, rest assured that it will get warmer, and spring will finally arrive.  April, May and June are some of the busiest months in the arts community, and you should spend some time getting out to some extraordinary cultural events.  But, for now, here's some of what's happening with us. 
RISCA's Annual Report is Out!
RISCA's FY06 Annual ReportRISCA's FY06 Annual Report is out -- in electronic form -- and available for viewing.  Click here for the .pdf version (free Adobe Acrobat software needed).

The report is full of information on grants we've awarded in practically every community in our state, along with valuable statistics on our many programs and services. 

For example, if you go to page 9 you'll learn that last year RISCA received 643 applications for support, totalling $5,148,762 in requests.  That's about three times more than what we had available to award in grants.

So, visit the report, and impress your friends with your RISCA knowledge.

In This Issue
RISCA's annual report
Want to be a panelist?
Our new state poet
Poetry Out Loud
A workshop you should attend
Join Our Mailing List!
Want to be a RISCA panelist?
RISCA panelists at workThe April 2nd deadline is past, and we've received another exciting set of grant applications from all over the Ocean State.

Those applications are being prepared for review by our peer review panels during the month of May and June, and applicants will hear something from us by early July (depending on the passage of the state budget).

If you are interested in serving on one of our review panels click here.
 
Governor Carcieri Appoints Lisa Starr of Block Island as new State Poet
Lisa Starr (photo by Block Island Times)Governor Donald L. Carcieri has appointed Lisa Starr of New Shoreham as the State Poet. She replaces Thomas Chandler, who served as the State Poet since 1999.

Starr has published two full-length collections of poetry, Days of Dogs and Driftwood (1993) and This Place Here (2001). She received the Rhode Island Fellowship in Poetry in 2002 and 2004 and is a two-time recipient of the University of Rhode Island Nancy Potter Prize for Fiction.
 
Starr lives and writes on Block Island, where she and her husband, Champlin, own and operate the Hygeia House, a small inn, with their children, Orrin, 10, and Camille, 9. She is the founder and director of the Block Island Poetry Project, which each weekend from March 22 through May 6, features a different theme centered around poetry.

In responding to the Governor's appointment, Lisa said, "I am honored, flattered, and pleasantly surprised to be selected as the State Poet.  I have always been drawn to and compelled by language, and poetry, in particular. When I am teaching, shaping, and sharing it, I feel like I am doing my part to make this world a better place."

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts organized the panel to select a State Poet, which consisted of poets, writers, and librarians to review nominations that were submitted by Rhode Islanders. The selection panel submitted three recommendations to the Governor, who then selected Starr. She will serve a five-year term.
And speaking of poetry, congratulations to Rhode Island's Poetry Out Loud Champion
grant dropoffSpeaking of poetry, Rhode Island's Poetry Out Loud winner, Jean Paul  Lagace of Providence Country Day School in East Providence, will be representing the Ocean State at the National Finals of Poetry Out Loud.

The National Finals are May 1st in Washington, DC. This is a big deal, with our champion competing against winners from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  If you want some idea of how this all works, click here to view an excellent video (produced by WGBH) from last year's competition.

Jean Paul is a busy member of the PCD community.  He is a member of PCD Players, participates in "Page to Stage", a summer writing program, sings in the PCD choir and is also active in the mock-trial program.

Best wishes to Jean Paul, the Rhode Island Poetry Out Loud champion!

For more information on Poetry Out Loud, click here.
Learn about being an "artist in residence"
Alliance of Artist Communities logoEver want to add the title "Artist in Residence" to your resume?  The Alliance of Artist Communities will hold a public information session on Monday, April 30th from 5:30pm to 7pm at the RISD Met Center, where you can "learn about the hundreds of artists' residency opportunities available for artists of all kinds and every career stage, in your backyard and around the globe."

This workshop, which features a panel of artists, writers and program directors, is presented in partnership with the RISD alumni and career services office, and open to all Rhode Island artists through a grant from RISCA.

Visit http://www.artistcommunities.org for more information.
Showtime's Award-Winning Brotherhood series is back to film in Rhode Island
Showtime's Brotherhood series returns to Rhode IslandBrotherhood is back!  The Showtime cable TV series, which received a prestigious Peabody Award, returns to Rhode Island for a second season of filming in Providence and locations throughout the Ocean State.

Steven Feinberg, director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office (a part of the State Arts Council), welcomed the stars and producers of the series back with a press conference held in the State House rotunda on April 8th.

Lots of things happening in film and TV in Rhode Island.  Stay tuned here, or click below to visit the Film & TV website.

Click here to visit the RI Film & TV Office website, http://www.film.ri.gov.
So, enjoy the rest of the month, and let us know if you have any questions...
 
Sincerely,

Randy signature
Randall Rosenbaum
RI State Council on the Arts