Elsewhere Museum and Artist Residency's sign encapsulates the national Art+Ag Movement photo: L. Saunders McNeill

What if you could connect two seemingly unrelated professional groups and by doing so elevate and stabilize their economic, social, and creative status? What if that catalyst effort also simultaneously improved the quality of life for all citizens within Alaska? This is exactly what individuals, grassroots groups, organizations, and agencies are doing across the nation - conjoining art and agriculture to diversify regional income streams, galvanize new and beneficial partnerships and enable positive and sustained change within communities of all sizes.

ASCA staff recently attended Cross-Currents: Art+Agriculture Powering Rural Economies, a conference organized by Art-Force and the  National Rural Assembly. The convening gathered "artists-artisans-designers, rural leaders and advocates, elected and agency representatives, CSAs and CDCs, food producers and distributors, policy researchers and scholars, entrepreneurs and small business owners for three days of dialogue, workshops, and exploration of how partnerships between the creative arts and agriculture can produce innovative strategies for economic redevelopment and well-being in rural and economically distressed communities." The Art+AG conference embodied the driving principal that communities, cities, and our nation's citizenry are stronger and more resilient through diversity and interdisciplinary collaboration. In sum, the gathering was spectacular.

Art+Ag attendees swap ideas in front of the conference Crop-Rotation Idea Wall photo: L. Saunders McNeill

Look for more national Art+Ag initiatives in upcoming newsletters. We'll highlight examples that will especially resonate with Alaskans and ignite our imagination around the unique potential for Art+Ag collaboration in our state. 

 Northern Placemaking is pleased to announce the launch of its new website. Click here to find out about the creative placemaking projects happening in and around Anchorage in the coming months.

Creative Placemaking places artists and art at the center of economic development planning, execution and activity in which partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of Anchorage around arts and cultural activities including local fairs and festivals. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates parks, structures, and street scapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to educate, celebrate, inspire, and be inspired. Alaska's creative placemaking projects highlight Alaska's unique northern environment and work to be productive incubators for artistic innovation over time.

Rasmuson Foundation announced the selection of four artists from Alaska who will each spend eight weeks in residence at acclaimed Lower 48 arts organizations as part of the 2015 Artist Residency Program.

Alaska artists selected for the program are writer Ernestine Hayes, visual artist/painter Linda Lyons, visual artist/art therapist Mary Matthews, and media artist/filmmaker Michael Walsh.Read more about the resident artists, the partner organizations and the Rasmuson Artist Residency program here.

We're excited about Alaska Quarterly Review's new 2014 Fall and Winter issue Vol. 31 (edited by Ronald Spatz) and this review of it in the New York Review of Books (posted on October 13). Michael Dirda, a weekly book columnist for The Washington Post, calls AQR one of the nation's best, and most imaginative, literary magazines.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts awarded $57930 in grants to Alaska artists and arts organizations in its second funding quarter of the year.

Career Opportunity Grants - $4,180

Kathryn Russo (Ketchikan) $576

Joan Kane (Anchorage) $664

James Riordan (Anchorage) $1,000

Kathleen Light (Ketchikan) $980

Hanna Craig (Anchorage) $960

Community Arts Development Grants - $31,250

Anchorage Park Foundation for Light Brigade (Anchorage) $4,000

Anchorage Park Foundation for Pied Piper (Anchorage) $4,000

Girdwood Art Institute for Sows Ear (Girdwood) $3,000

Momentum Dance Collective (Anchorage) $4,500

Opera Fairbanks (Fairbanks) $1,250

Pier One Theatre, Inc. (Homer) $4,500

Sitka School District for Sitka Jazz Festival (Sitka) $4,000

Valdez Museum and Historical Archive (Valdez) $3,000

Young Emerging Artists, Inc. (Anchorage) $3,000

New Visions - $22,500

Sitka School District (Sitka) $10,000

Copper River School District (Glenallen, Kenny Lake, Slana) $2,500

Kodiak Island Borough School District (Akhiok, Chiniak, Karluk, Kodiak, Larsen Bay,  

Old Harbor, Ouizinkie, Port Lions) $2,500

Bering Strait School District (Brevig Mission, Little Diomede, Elim, Gambell, Golovin,

Koyuk, Savoonga, Shaktoolik, Shishmaref, St. Michael, Stebbins, Teller, Unalakleet,

Wales, White Mountain) $2,500

Harper Arts Presenting and Touring Fund Grants are available on a rolling deadline. Contact Laura Forbes for more information.  

Rasmuson Foundation Cultural Collaborations Project Grants for FY15 | Round II Deadline - December 1, 2014 | Visit http://education.alaska.gov/aksca/ccp.html for information or contact Laura Forbes  

ASCA Quarterly Grants for FY15 | 3rd Quarter Deadline - December 1, 2014 | Community Arts Development, Workshop, Career Opportunity, Walker Arts, and Master Artist and Apprentice Grants  

Go to www.facebook.com/ArtsAlaska to find out about ASCA opportunities, events and intriguing arts-related articles from across the web.

Artist in Schools Grant Panel Teleconference  - December 5, 2014  

ASCA 3rd Quarter Teleconference - December 19, noon - 1:30 PM

2015 Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities - January 29, 2015, Juneau AK

Art-Off-Site sponsored by Blue Holloman Gallery, Anchorage AK (pdf)

Deadline: November 15, 2014, 5:00 pm

Art-Off-Site is open to all professional artists - emerging, mature, as well as group exhibitions. All media must be original; not created under instruction; and able to hang by the parameters for each venue as listed below. Artist(s) must not have had a solo show at Fire Island Bake Shop or Snow City Cafe six months prior to scheduling an ART-OFF-SITE exhibit through blue.hollomon gallery. Artists must wait a year after exhibiting in one of these venues before reapplying.

Application requirements:

This completed application

Artist biography or resume

CD or attachment with up to 10 images of past or current work

Image list - include the title of your work, approximate sizes, pricesand year completed.

Email applications to info@bluehollomon.com  with the subject line ART-OFF-SITE PROPOSAL 2015

Mail or deliver application to blue.hollomon gallery, 3555 Arctic Blvd, C-5, Anchorage, AK 99503

Polar Lab: Arctic Comfort Design Competition

Deadline: December 1, 2014

Proposals will be reviewed by the Polar Lab Creative Team and designers will be notified of their inclusion by January 31, 2015. Recipient of Arctic Comfort Award will receive a cash award of $1000. Criteria for judging includes degree of innovation, aesthetic quality, functionality and usefulness, emotional content, and impact. Works will be on exhibit at the Museum from  

May 1-31, 2015.

How to Enter

Proposals must include a sketch, description of the object or installation, description of how the public will interact, proposed location for the work, description of durability (relative to indoor/outdoor and public interaction). All proposals must be digital. The Museum may contribute up to $500 for supplies/realization of design ideas, but a proposal of these costs must be detailed in the proposal. For a complete description of the call, click here.  

Email proposals to northerninitiative@anchoragemuseum.org

Dave Bown Projects - 9th Semiannual Competition

Deadline: December 6, 2014

Prizes: $10,000 USD (1 artist will receive $5,000 USD and 5 artists will each receive $1,000 USD).Dave Bown Projects will be buying works of art from artists as submissions are received.

For the prospectus, go to  davebownprojects.com 

Jurors: Steven Matijcio, Curator, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati; Dominic Molon, Curator of Contemporary Art, RISD Museum; Marina Pacini, Chief Curator and Curator of American, Modern, and Contemporary Art, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

For questions about the Dave Bown Projects, call 1-917-365-5265, or email info@davebownprojects.com 

Bethel Public Art Call

Budget: $150,000

Deadline for Entries: Received by December 19, 2014 9:59 pm Alaska Time.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts on behalf of the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is requesting qualifications from artists for interior artwork to be commissioned for the new Bethel Youth Facility (BYF) in Bethel, Alaska.

This RFQ is open to all professional visual artists residing in the United States. Applications will be accepted online only through CaF� at www.callforentry.org.

Alaska artists in the Bethel region are encouraged to apply. Alaska artists not already registered on www.callforentry.org may request assistance from the Alaska State Council on the Arts 1-888-278-7424 or 907-269-6601. Artists must have photos of their work to apply.

The City of Cordova | Request for Proposals

Budget: $50,000

Deadline for Proposals: December 30, 2014, 4:30 pm

Notification By: January 15, 2015

The City of Cordova is requesting proposals for art work to be installed in the Cordova Center for the purpose of recognizing project donors. This multi-use facility is currently under construction, with completion anticipated during the summer of 2015. Click  here for complete RFP.

Artists interested in being considered for selection shall submit a letter of interest with the following information:

• Letter of interest and rough sketch. This may be in any medium of the artist's determination which best illustrates the project intention. Maximum size for submitted material shall be 8.5" x 14" to facilitate committee review.
• Professional resume, three references and digital images of previous work (up to 10 under 2 MB each). Image sheet must state: Title of work, media, and year created.
• An estimated cost for this type of project and/or a budget range.

For more information, contact Cathy Sherman, Project Leader, 907-424-6665, acm@cityofcordova.net  

Applications Open for American Music Abroad: Promoting Cultural Diplomacy Through Music

Deadline: January 9, 2015

American Music Abroad (AMA)'s application round for the 2014-15 season in now open! Bands and ensembles are encouraged to apply at http://amvoices.org/ama/apply.  The deadline for applications is January 9, 2015.

American Music Abroad is designed to communicate America's rich musical contributions and diverse culture to the global music scene. Each year, approximately ten ensembles are selected to embark on month-long, multi-country tours, where they will engage with international audiences through public concerts, interactive performances with local musicians, lecture demonstrations, workshops, jam sessions and media interviews. 

Ensembles from any characteristically American musical genres, including, but not limited to Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Country, Folk, Latin, Native American, Gospel, Hip Hop/Urban, Indie Rock, Jazz, Punk, R&B and Zydeco are welcome to apply. Ensembles will be selected for artistic quality, a strong education and interactive component, and a dedication to cultural engagement.

Previous American Music Abroad ensembles have reached audiences in more than 75 countries who had little or no access to live American music. To learn more about AMA visit americanvoices.org/ama.

Call for Submission: "Fusion" National Juried Exhibition 2015

Deadline: February 22nd, 2015

Categories: sculpture, painting, drawing, photo, printmaking, ceramics, assemblage, collage, mixed media, fiber art, artist book

Click here for complete prospectus. Go to ARC's website for more information:

http://www.arc-sf.com/calls-for-artists.html

Arc Gallery, 1246 Folsom St, San Francisco 94103 

NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grants  

Deadline: December 3, 2014

The National Endowment for the Humanities invites applications from nonprofit museums, libraries, archives, and educational institutions in the United States to the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program. This grant program supports planning and implementation of sustainable preventive conservation projects that pragmatically balance preservation goals, cost, and environmental impact. All projects should be designed to be as cost effective, energy efficient, and environmentally sensitive as possible.

The National Endowment for the Our Town grant application and Exploring Our Town online resource is now available

Deadline: December 15, 2014

Art works to support creative, economically-competitive, healthy, resilient, and opportunity-rich communities. Excellent art is an essential part of building a strong community, as important as land-use, transportation, education, housing, infrastructure, and public safety.  Artists and community development practitioners across our nation --sometimes one and the same, sometimes working together -- are striving to make places more livable with enhanced quality of life, increased creative activity, a distinct sense of place, and vibrant local economies that together capitalize on their existing assets. The NEA defines these efforts as Creative Placemaking.

Through Our Town, subject to the availability of funding, the National Endowment for the Arts will provide a limited number of grants for creative placemaking projects that contribute towards the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core. Our Town prioritizes partnerships between arts organizations and government, private, and nonprofit organizations to achieve livability goals for communities.

Our Town offers support for projects in two areas:

• Arts Engagement, Cultural Planning, and Design Projects that represent the distinct character and quality of their communities
• Projects that Build Knowledge About Creative Placemaking

Through Our Town projects, the NEA intends to achieve the following outcome: Livability: American communities are strengthened through the arts. Go to our new  Exploring Our Town online resource, which includes case studies of more than 60 Our Town grants with an insights section of lessons learned.

The next deadline for Our Town applications is December 15th, 2014.  Visit the website for complete information and application.  

Classics for Kids Foundation - Stringed Instrument Grants

Deadline: Quarterly

Studies show that kids who play a stringed instrument:

• Score higher on standardized tests
• Enjoy more parental involvement at school
• Develop better self-discipline

Despite this, school music programs, especially strings programs, remain vulnerable to budget cuts. Classics for Kids Foundation aims to bridge the funding gap and enhance school music programs by providing matching grants for beautiful new stringed instruments.

Quality Stringed Instruments

CFKF provides grants for high quality instruments because of these attributes:

• They're easier to tune and play
• They contribute to a better and more effective classroom
• They're tonally superior
• Better durability and longevity
• They inspire kids to practice and stay involved with their program

Visit the website for more details about the kinds of instruments we offer support toward the purchase of, visit Quality Stringed Instruments 

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NEA Interagecency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development to host live webinar

Topic: Arts Education helps bilingual students thrive

November 18, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST

America's public schools instruct more than four million students who are English language learners. How can dance and theater arts education help these 'emerging bilinguals' learn English and flourish in school? Find out at the latest webinar from the NEA Task Force on the Arts and Human Development. 

Carol Morgan, Deputy Director for Education at ArtsConnection and Jennifer Stengel-Mohr of Queens College, New York will discuss findings from their research on the ArtsConnection's DELLTA program (Developing English Language Literacy through the Arts), which reaches English Language Learners and their teachers in 15 New York City public schools. This work was developed with the support from the U.S. Department of Education's grant programs Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination and Professional Development for Arts Educators. 

The webinar takes place on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET. It is free and open to the public. Please register in advance. Media may RSVP to Sally Gifford, NEA Public Affairs Specialist at giffords@arts.gov. An archive of the webinar will be available at http://arts.gov/videos/webinars .

2015 National Artist Teacher Fellowship

Deadline: November 19, 2014 for letters of intent

The NATF program provides grants of up to $5,500 to enable selected arts teachers from all disciplines to rejuvenate their own art-making. A complementary grant of $1,500 is awarded to each Fellow's school to support post-fellowship activities in the classroom.

Eligibility for NATF:

Schools must:

Be a public arts high school, magnet school, or charter school with the primary mission of fostering the development of artistic talent; or a Title 1 middle or high school with a sequential arts program.

Offer sequential arts courses as a requirement for graduation

Employ artists as teachers

Arts Teachers must:

Be permanently assigned full or part-time faculty (teaching a minimum of 6 hrs/week in an arts discipline)

Be minimally in their fifth year of teaching arts at the high school or middle school level (middle school educators must be from a Title 1 schools)

Previous NATF and Surdna Fellows (Rounds 1-14) are ineligible to apply for 2015 NATF program. 

For complete program information, please visit our website: www.natf-arts.org 

Letters About Literature

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress 22nd Annual Writing Contest for Young Readers

Theme: How did an author's work change your view of the world or of yourself?

One national award of $1000 for each level

One national honor award of $200 for each level

Deadlines:

December 15, 2014 - Level 3 (Grades 9-12)

January 15, 2015 - Level 2 (Grades 7-8)

January 15, 2015 - Level 1 (Grades 1-6)

Click here for detailed information and entry form. Mail entries with entry form to:  

Letters About Literature Competition

Level _______ (indicate level 1, 2 or 3)

P.O. Box 5308

Woodbridge, VA 22194

NAEA Lesson Design Challenge

NAEA invites art educators to share their outstanding art education lesson designs through the NAEA's Lesson Design Challenge Pinterest Board.   

Here's how you can participate in the NAEA Lesson Design Challenge:
* Sign up by completing a quick survey.
* Download a Lesson Design Challenge Template: Choose 8.5 x 11 or GO BIG with 11 x 17.
* Complete the template as creatively as possible: Draw, collage, digitize it...The sky's the limit!
* Take a photograph of your completed template and save the image as a .jpg, .png, or a .gif with the following information in the title: firstname_lastname_school.jpg.
* Pin it on the NAEA Lesson Design Challenge Pinterest Board.

Lesson Design Challenge Templates pinned to the NAEA Lesson Design Challenge Board become eligible for peer review and possible inclusion in the curated NAEA Instructional Resources Gallery.

The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards

• Receive a one year complimentary EdTA professional membership 
• Receive a complimentary registration to the event at which you present
• Share the transformative experience of theatre with others
• Increase your experience and exposure as a teaching artist on the national level
• Network and gain connections
• Most teaching artists at EdTA events are eligible for a presenter's stipend

For more information and to submit proposals visit the website. 

Community Outreach Manager
Under the general direction of the Director of Education and Interpretation the Community Outreach position is responsible for the integration of innovative pathways increasing visitor knowledge by leveraging museum resources through a multidisciplinary, multicultural approach to community engagement.   

Chief Financial Officer

This position has the primary responsibility to establish and direct the day-to-day financial operations, and related programs and services of the organization, as well as the operational activities associated with museum expansion. This position also assists the Museum Director/CEO in the development and implementation of the organization's mission, vision, strategic plans and goals.