May 2016 ASCA News 


Apayo Moore and her children share her Percent for Art work in progress
with Nellie, a Dillingham workshop attendee.

In This Issue
A Note from Shannon
Dillingham Workshop
Bravo!
Vera Starbard at Perseverance Theatre
ASCA Dates and Deadlines
Calls for Art
Grants and Funding
Education and Youth
Professional Development
Residencies
Employment
Articles of Interest
Contact Us
Join Our Mailing List!
Do you have a notice for the ASCA Newsletter?
If you have an article, short notice, call for art or request for proposal that you would like us to consider including in our next newsletter, contact Keren Lowell at keren.lowell@alaska.gov.
A Note from Shannon
I am pleased to announce some good news from this legislative session: Senate Bill 154, which instituted an arts license plate for Alaska, was passed recently! Many thanks go to Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins of Sitka and Senator Bill Stoltze of Chugiak for their tremendous leadership in shepherding this bill through to a successful resolution. This new license plate will help diversify and expand funding for the Alaska State Council on the Arts, while also providing a terrific opportunity to highlight Alaskan artists. To select the artwork, a call for artists will be posted. The submissions will be adjudicated by a panel of Alaskans and finalists will be announced. Then comes the fun part: the public will be allowed to vote on their favorites and will select the winning artwork! The artwork will change every four years, so these plates will become collectors items, while also allowing us to continue to spotlight new Alaskan artists. Keep your eyes out for more details about this new program.
 
In other news, late last month ASCA hosted a convening of peer-group cohorts, including Arts Education professionals, Individual artists, Alaska Native leaders, Arts Organizations and Policy leaders. The purpose of the convening was to ignite a statewide dialogue around how the arts, when working across sectors, can be used as a vehicle to build healthy, equitable communities. The participants generated a plethora of ideas for how ASCA can support this work into the future. Due to the design of the session, participation was limited to 100 people, but rest assured that this is just the beginning of a dialogue that will engage many Alaskans as we move forward. Evaluators were documenting the session and participants' ideas, so a summary of the convening is forthcoming.
 
On a bittersweet note, as many of you know, my last day at ASCA was May 2nd. I have been honored to serve the wonderful people and artists of Alaska for the past four and a half years, and am deeply indebted to you all for the inspiration, insights and cultural riches you have shared with me during my time here. I am forever changed by my experiences here and take great comfort in knowing that Alaska never really leaves you, and you never really leave it. I'll be returning in June to help wrap up a number of projects. I hope to see you then or on what will likely be frequent visits back to the state. As I depart, I have great confidence that our work will continue, in no small part because of our wonderful staff, Saunders McNeill, Andrea Noble-Pelant, Laura Forbes, Gina Brown, Keren Lowell and Janelle Matz. They are doing tremendous work and are committed to ensuring that the bold future we envisioned for ASCA keeps moving forward. I will miss this great place and am honored to have been able to be a part of this agency during a moment of great challenge and opportunity in Alaska. Please keep in touch! I can be reached at shannon.daut@gmail.com. 
 
All my best,
Shannon
Professional Development Workshop in Dillingham
Artists from across the Bristol Bay region gathered in Dillingham to participate in a series of professional development and arts training classes this April. Local partners including the UAF Dillingham Campus, Bristol Bay Native Association, the Dillingham Arts Council and the World Wildlife Fund worked with ASCA staff to host a dynamic group of artists. ASCA staff taught a Professional Development workshop centered on ASCA's newly published Alaska Native Artist Resource Workbook.
 
Bristol Bay region workshop artists

Artists learned from each other and captured information about advancing their work in the market place. Artists and local partners discovered ways to articulate their creative vision and identified new resources to help support their creative economy development efforts.

Apayo Moore describes her State of Alaska Public Art
Bethel Youth Facility proposal and work in progress to workshop artists
 
Three sister artists from Togiak traveled to Dillingham to participate in the Artist Professional Development workshop

The program is underwritten by ASCA and The CIRI Foundation. It is one in a series of three statewide community-based workshops designed to deliver professional development services to Alaskan Native artists.  
 

Bravo!
Congratulations to Shannon Croft of West Anchorage High School, for representing the State of Alaska at the National Poetry Out Loud Competition on May 3-4 in Washington DC! Shannon faced off with 52 state champions from across the United States; Washington, DC; Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, after advancing from a field of more than 317,000 competitors. We are so proud of Shannon, who advanced into the third round of recitations with the poem When I have Fears That I May Cease to Be by John Keats, in the Region 3 Semifinal, putting her in the top 20 POL competitors for 2016. The National POL Competition was live webcast from the Lisner Auditorium at the George Washington University. Thank you to Shannon Croft for being such a wonderful poetry ambassador for our state!

Congratulations to the Baranov Museum's Summer Youth Film and History Intensive in Kodiak, named a Finalist for the 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards! The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and its cultural partners - the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services - recognize 50 outstanding programs all over the country for their work in providing excellent arts and humanities learning opportunities to young people. From big cities to small towns, the 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Finalists reflect the diversity of disciplines and settings of these exceptional programs that are taking place from coast to coast.

Four students from Alaska were awarded National Medals in the 2016 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Brian Britt, West High School, Anchorage, awarded a Silver Medal in Photography
for "Night Spins"
Kacy Grundhauser, Steller Secondary School, Anchorage, awarded an American Visions Medal in Sculpture for "Tosho"
Anna Lance, West High School, Anchorage, awarded a Gold Medal, American Voices Medal in Poetry for "The Resurrection"
Margaret May, North Pole High School, North Pole, awarded a Gold Medal in Painting for "New Shoes, Old Dog"

The Scholastic Awards are the largest, longest-running scholarship and recognition program for creative teens and are presented annually by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers with generous support from our title sponsor, Scholastic Inc.

From an initial pool of nearly 320,000 submissions, 2,400 works of art and writing earned a National Medal. Students receiving top Awards and their educators will be honored at a National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 2, 2016. Artwork from students earning Gold Medals will be featured in an exhibition at Parsons School of Design at The New School and Pratt Institute's Pratt Manhattan Gallery. A portion of that work will be on display in a traveling exhibition that will visit four cities next year. A selection of students receiving Awards for writing will have their work published in our annual anthology The Best Teen Writing.
 
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant to Support
Playwright Vera Starbard at Perseverance Theatre
Perseverance Theatre was awarded a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support Alaska playwright Vera Starbard joining the staff full-time during a three-year residency. Starbard will fulfill a three-play commission for Perseverance Theatre during her residency, each focused on Alaska Native topics and issues. In addition, Starbard will assist Perseverance Theatre in its goal to produce more theatre written by Alaska Native playwrights. She will also help Perseverance build even stronger ties with Native organizations the theatre has partnered with for years, as well as develop new relationships in Alaska, and with Native theatre companies around the nation.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with the goals of allowing playwrights space to create their art, and to encourage a theatre culture that embeds playwrights within theatre companies, funds three-year salaried positions for playwrights within regional theatres across the nation. Of the 24 playwrights who have been selected for this national program since its inception, Starbard is both the first Alaskan, and the first Alaska Native or American Indian playwright chosen for the residency.

Starbard wrote Our Voices Will Be Heard, which recently premiered in Juneau, Hoonah and Anchorage, produced by Perseverance Theatre. She is Editor of First Alaskans Magazine, and is co-founder of the Alaska Native theater group Dark Winter Productions. Starbard is Tlingit and Dena'ina Athabascan, born in Craig, Alaska, and now lives in Anchorage. She completed a novel in 2010 after winning a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award, and has won numerous statewide and national awards for her journalism and public relations writing. For the residency, Starbard will split her time between Juneau and Anchorage, two communities in which Perseverance Theatre has offices and regular season productions.

Perseverance Theatre has been working with Starbard for the past three years through Dark Winter Productions, and in producing Our Voices Will Be Heard and other short play projects. Perseverance's goal with the residency is to incorporate Starbard into the staff, mentor her in play production, and partner on Native theatre building goals.

"Vera is both a terrific writer and an effective advocate for Alaska Native voices in the theatre. Indigenous writing is woefully under-represented on American stages, but thanks to The Mellon Foundation and talented emerging writers like Vera, we can begin to write a new chapter in our story as a theatre field including vital Native voices. This work matters because not only are Alaska Natives master storytellers and performers, Alaska Natives and Native Americans have histories too often misunderstood, hidden, or, worse yet, appropriated by others. Three years of residency and three plays by a Tlingit writer in residence at Perseverance is a great beginning to what I hope will be a much larger effort including other Native writers, performers, and theatre artists, to make an equitable theatre that honors and sustains the voices of Alaska Natives as generative artists on our stages," says Perseverance Theatre Executive Artistic Director Art Rotch.

The full award amount of $205,000 covers a three-year salary, benefits and research time. Starbard also has the opportunity to apply for a development fund to learn and hone skills. The award includes annual gatherings and week-long development residencies at Boston's Emerson College throughout the residency. The residency begins July 2016 and runs through June 2019.
 
For more information, contact Amy O'Neill Houck, Perseverance Theatre, (907) 364-2421 x226 Amy@ptalaska.org  or Art Rotch, Perseverance Theatre, (907) 364-2421 x229  Art@PTalaska.org

ASCA Dates and Deadlines
Harper Arts Presenting and Touring Fund Grants
Closed for FY16.This category will reopen for FY17. For guidelines, information and application, click here. 

Rasmuson Foundation Cultural Collaborations Excursion and Access Grants are open for FY16 on a rolling deadline. For guidelines, information and application, click here.  

Artist in Schools Grants and Statewide Teaching Artist Roster review panel | May 16

ASCA Community Arts Development Grants, Career Opportunity Grants, Walker Grants, Workshop Grants, Master Artist and Apprentice Grants and Rasmuson Cultural Collaborations Project Grants Deadline | June 1, 2016. For more information about these grants, click here.

ASCA Annual Council Meeting | June 10-11, 2016
Calls for Art and Requests for Proposals
Pulse Dance Company to hold auditions
Friday, May 20, from 5:30-8:00pm.

Location: Studio Pulse (2400 East Tudor Rd.)
Pre-audition: email your letter of interest to PulseDanceCompany@gmail.com
Bring: $25, dance resum�, dance photo.
Audition/Class Includes: registration, ballet technique class & modern choreography + improvisation
Intermediate/advanced dancers are invited to attend.
Searching for: Highly athletic and inventive dancers with strong classical and contemporary technique for our 2016-2017 season. Pointe and gymnastic skills are preferred but not mandatory. Eligible dancers maintain a regular training regimen, are comfortable performing burlesque themes (if 21+), and demonstrate outstanding showmanship and technical facility.

For complete information visit the website at http://www.pulsedancecompany.org/#!auditions/c18yg.
 
Call for Artists | Central Peninsula Hospital
Deadline: May 23, 2016 
 
The Art Review Committee of Central Peninsula Hospital is seeking applications from qualified artists, to be considered for future commission or purchase of artwork, installing in 2016-2017, at the River Tower Specialty Practice Clinics Building in Soldotna, Alaska. 

With opportunities for a variety of artwork of different sizes and media, the Call for Artists includes artworks ranging from $1,000 to $6,000.

Please visit the CPH Call for Artists project website: www.cphcallforartists.com for all information, including the most up-to-date version of the Call for Artists, the application form, and "how to apply" instructions.  Applications will be accepted through the project website starting on April 13, 2016 until the application deadline of Monday, May 23, 2016 at 5:00 PM PST.

Please submit any questions concerning this Call for Artists using the Questions tab of the project website: www.cphcallforartists.com.

Dave Bown Projects
Deadline: June 4, 2016

Prizes; $10,000 USD (1 artist will receive $5,000 USD and 5 artists will each receive $1,000 USD).
In addition to the cash prizes listed above; Dave Bown Projects will be buying works of art from artists as submissions are received.Early entries are encouraged. Previewing will occur on a daily and weekly basis by Dave Bown Projects as submissions are received.   
For the prospectus, visit davebownprojects.com. For more information, contact Dave Bown, (917) 365-5265, info@davebownprojects.com

Call for Art | Seattle Public Utilities Portable Works Collection
Deadline: Tuesday, June 7, 2016 (11:00pm PST)
 
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, invites artists to submit images of available two-dimensional artwork that is a visual exploration of the meaning of water and its relationship to our lives. This call is for competitive direct purchase of artwork for SPU's Portable Works Collection. Artworks may be included in the 2016-2017 Poetry on Buses program.
 
Artwork should reference water, water bodies, water systems including drainage, waste water, storm water and reservoirs or the human relationship to water and may or may not be representational. Artists working with a colorful palette are encouraged to apply. The artwork must be available for purchase.This call is open to professional artists residing in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho or Alaska.
 
 All types of media will be considered for purchase. Maximum artwork measurement for two-dimensional work is 48 x 48 x 5 inches. Artwork not conforming to these dimensions may be disqualified. The artwork will enter a rotating portable works collection and objects may need to be moved by one person. Artists may submit up to eight images of available work. Multiple artworks by an individual artist may be purchased. Artists from outside the Seattle area must include shipping costs for each artwork (as a separate line item) on the image description form.

Information about the call can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/arts/spu-portable-works-call
The online application and guidelines available on CaFE. https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=3470&sortby=fair_name&apply=yes 
 
Municipality of Anchorage 1% for Art Request for Qualifications
Deadline for Entries: Friday, June 10, 2016 9:59 PM

Project: U-Med Transit Shelter Renovation
Contact: Curator of Public Art, 1% for Art, (907) 343-6473
Amount of Commission: $18,750
Eligibility: Northern Regions: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Yukon 

People Mover Public Transit service in the UMED (University-Medical) District experiences one of the highest ridership demand in the Anchorage area. The UMED District Transit and Pedestrian Improvements project will improve an existing bus stop to meet this demand. The project will provide a new bus shelter and will enhance pedestrian safety and mobility by providing new pedestrian lighting and better pathway circulation.  

Project construction will begin in Spring of 2017 and will be completed by summer 2017. The installation of artwork will likely take place in the same timeframe.For complete information and application, visit the call on callforentry.org at: https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=3218&sortby=fair_name&apply=yes
Artists are required to submit the following items:
1) Six digital images of past work should be loaded into CaFE (callforentry.org) following the guidelines on that site.
2) Each image should be identified with title, materials, dimensions, and value.
3) Current 1-2 page resume, including 3 professional references.
4) Your artist statement should include a description of why you are interested or particularly qualified for this project.  It should also address any experience or work sample deficiencies in relation to your chosen medium.
5)  Answers to required questions about location, medium, and commission level.

For questions or more information, contact the Curator of Public Art, 1% for Art, Enzina Marrari marrarivj@muni.org (907) 343-6473
   
Call for Entries | Aesthetica Art Prize 2016
Deadline: August 31, 2016
 
The Aesthetica Art Prize 2016 is now open for entries. The Prize presents an opportunity for emerging and established artists to showcase their work and further their engagement with the international art world.

Prizes include �5,000 Main Prize courtesy of Hiscox, �1,000 Student Prize courtesy of Hiscox, a group exhibition, publication in an anthology of 100 contemporary artists, editorial in Aesthetica Magazine (global readership in print and digital of 284,000)
 
Categories for entry: photographic & digital art; painting & drawing; three dimensional design & sculpture, and video, installation & performance.To enter, visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize   

Arc Gallery | Sacred & Profane National Juried Exhibition 2016
Deadline:  September 11th, 2016
Exhibition Dates: November 12, 2016 - December 10, 2016
 
Arc Gallery is seeking works that pit the sacred against the profane. Works may incorporate both concepts or favor either one. Literal as well as symbolic interpretations welcome!  
 A Juror's Award ribbon, certificate & $250 award will be presented to three works that express the most imaginative interpretation of the theme.
 
The juror will select works that will be exhibited in the Arc Gallery at 1246 Folsom Street and works that will be included only on the Arc On-line Gallery. All artwork selected will be included in the exhibition catalog. Catalogs will be available for order at the time of notification.
 
For complete prospectus and entry form, go to http://www.arc-sf.com/sacred--profane.html
Arc Gallery,1246 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA  94103 415-298-7969 www.arc-sf.com 
 
Grants and Funding
Creative Arts Exchange | Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Deadline: May 26, 2016

The FY 2016 Creative Arts Exchange (CAE) will focus on the themes of Hip Hop Collaboration, and Community Arts Incubation. The Hip Hop Collaboration theme will support international exchange with hip hop artists that incorporates artistic collaboration, entrepreneurial skills-building, and outreach to youth to explore and address conflict resolution strategies. The Community Arts Incubation theme will support an exchange that sends American artists abroad to collaborate with local youth and underserved populations on community-based art projects in new media and/or digital arts.

For complete information, guidelines and access to the Solicitation Package go to https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/nofo_cae.pdf.

Alaska State Museum Grant-in-Aid for Alaska Museums Now Open
Deadline: June 1, 2016

The Alaska State Museum awards grants to Alaska museums and museum-related organizations, such as historical societies or support groups, for projects that improve the quality of museum services and operations within the state. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis once a year. Grant in Aid Categories include the Grant-in-Aid, the Mini-Grant, and Internships.

For complete information, including applications, eligibility requirements, tips for applying and past Grant-in-Aid awards, visit the website at http://museums.alaska.gov/grants.html.

National Endowment for the Humanities | Digital Projects for the Public
Deadline: June 8, 2016

Digital Projects for the Public grants support projects that significantly contribute to the public's engagement with the humanities. Digital platforms-such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments-can reach diverse audiences and bring the humanities to life for the American people. The program offers three levels of support for digital projects: grants for Discovery projects (early-stage planning work), Prototyping projects (proof-of-concept development work), and Production projects (end-stage production and distribution work). While projects can take many forms, shapes, and sizes, your request should be for an exclusively digital project or for a digital component of a larger project.

All Digital Projects for the Public projects should:
  • deepen public understanding of significant humanities stories and ideas;
  • incorporate sound humanities scholarship;
  • involve humanities scholars in all phases of development and production;
  • include appropriate digital media professionals;
  • reach a broad public through a realistic plan for development, marketing, and distribution;
  • create appealing digital formats for the general public; and
  • demonstrate the capacity to sustain themselves.

For complete information guidelines and application materials go to http://www.neh.gov/files/grants/digital-projects-the-public-june-8-2016.pdf.

Our Town | NEA Announces Guidelines for 2017 Creative Placemaking Grants
Deadline: September 12, 2016

The Our Town grant program supports creative placemaking projects that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core. Creative placemaking is when artists, arts organizations, and community development practitioners deliberately integrate arts and culture into community revitalization work - placing arts at the table with land-use, transportation, economic development, education, housing, infrastructure, and public safety strategies. This funding supports local efforts to enhance quality of life and opportunity for existing residents, increase creative activity, and create a distinct sense of place.

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. Our Town requires partnerships between arts organizations and government, other nonprofit organizations, and private entities to achieve livability goals for communities.

Our Town offers support for projects in two areas:
  • Arts Engagement, Cultural Planning, and Design Projects. These projects represent the distinct character and quality of their communities. These projects require a partnership between a nonprofit organization and a local government entity, with one of the partners being a cultural organization. Matching grants range from $25,000 to $200,000.
  • Projects that Build Knowledge About Creative Placemaking. These projects are available to arts and design service organizations, and industry, policy, or university organizations that provide technical assistance to those doing place-based work. Matching grants range from $25,000 to $100,000.
For complete information, guidelines and applications visit https://www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/our-town/introduction.

Princess Grace Awards for Performing Arts
Deadline: Varies

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is currently accepting nominees for emerging talented artists in dance, theater, choreography, film, and playwriting. The Princess Grace Awards provide scholarships, fellowships, and apprenticeships to winners to encourage professional development in their respective field. Nominations must be submitted by a registered nonprofit organization, school department chair, or company artistic director (with the exception of playwrights, who can self-nominate).

For complete information, visit the website at http://www.pgfusa.org/grants-program/overview.

Education and Youth
Alaska Arts Education Consortium Summer Institutes open for Registration

The Alaska Arts Education Consortium (AAEC) began offering a Basic Arts Institute in Juneau in 2003. Basic Arts Institutes, now offered statewide, are two-week intensive, summer opportunities for educators to learn how to use the arts to motivate and increase student learning.

In 2016, several summer Institutes will be offered across the state, in both urban and rural communities, with diverse areas of focus and multiple levels. Many partners have come together to support and guide the development of these offerings. The institutes still open for registration for 2016 include:
  • Sitka Advanced Arts Institute, May 31-June 4; Sitka Fine Arts Campus, 3 credits available. This special institute is for educators that have attended a Basic Arts Institute in the past. (In partnership with Sitka School District, Sitka Tribe and Sitka Fine Arts Camp)
  • Juneau Basic Arts Institute, July 25-Aug 5, UAS Campus, 4 credits available. All educators are welcome. (In partnership with Sealaska Heritage, and Juneau School District)
  • Nome Basic Arts Institute, July 25-Aug 5, Nome Beltz High School complex. All educators are welcome. (In partnership with Nome School District and Bering Straits School District)
For complete information about AAEC's summer offerings, and to register, visit the website at http://akartsed.org/institutes/.

Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference Youth Writers Workshop "Create Your Own Comic" with award-winning graphic memoirist Sarah Leavitt for students entering 10, 11, and 12 grades will be held on Friday, June 10 from 9am-noon. For comics and manga fans, the workshop will include examining examples of comics, graphic novels, and manga for what makes them successful storytelling. Writing and drawing exercises that will teach students the fundamentals of the art form. For more information or to register go to http://writersconf.kpc.alaska.edu/.

SEADAE Call for Session Proposals for Advances in Arts Assessment Conference
Deadline: May 15, 2-16

A 2012 West Ed study commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts noted the need for professional development in arts assessment at all grade levels and in varied teaching situations. In response to the needs defined in this report, the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) is orchestrating a professional development symposium focused on authentic assessment in the arts, emerging trends, and effective practices. The symposium will provide the field with an opportunity to share arts assessment policies and practices from the local, state, and national levels.

SEADAE is now accepting proposals for conference sessions that will appeal to a broad audience of educators: K-12, higher education, administrators and researchers. We invite you to submit a proposal for a sixty minute breakout session. The symposium is structured around two organizing themes designed to make it easy for participants to seek out sessions which will help them acquire solutions to their individual problems of practice:
  • Changes in Policy sessions will address local, state, or federal policies, programs or practices that impact assessment, accountability, teacher evaluation or opportunities to learn.
  • Advances in Arts Assessment sessions will address applied models for assessing student learning for a variety of purposes. These models may be anywhere along the development continuum from not yet piloted to items that have been tested and results that have been reported. Be ready to identify the problem of practice which your session might address.
Proposals will be accepted until May 15, 2016. Presenters will be notified by July 15, 2016 if their proposal has been accepted. For more information and to download the call for proposals, Click Here. To register for or to learn more about the symposium visit www.seadae.org.

NCCAS seeking adjudicators to score high school student work
Deadline to apply: May 23, 2016

The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) is issuing an invitation for arts educators interested in serving as adjudicators of the high school student work collected from diverse school settings across the nation as part of the 2015-16 Model Cornerstone Assessment (MCA) Pilot Project. The MCA high school pilot, partially funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, is the second phase of the project that began last year with a benchmarking of elementary and middle school student work in the arts disciplines of dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. As was done in the project's first phase, adjudicators will score the collected high school student work, with the goal of creating a resource bank of standards-based student work aligned to the 2014 National Core Arts Standards.

Model Cornerstone Assessments tasks at the benchmark grades of 2, 5, 8 and the three high school levels (proficient, accomplished, advanced) were released simultaneously with the Core Arts Standards. They were created by the five arts discipline NCCAS writing teams to serve as examples of the type of evidence needed to show student achievement reflected in targeted performance standards. The benchmark teams will conduct independent reviews of the student work virtually before gathering for a three-day meeting in Reston, Virginia, August 6-9 to determine final benchmark scoring. Five educators from each arts discipline will be selected to serve as benchmarking team members through a rigorous application and interview process that will open April 26th and continue until midnight, May 23, 2016. All travel, room, and board costs for the team members will be covered by NCCAS. Interested individuals may apply at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSBenchmarkers.

To access more details about the project please go to the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards wiki at http://nccas.wikispaces.com. The National Core Arts Standards can be found at www.nationalartsstandards.org.

Enstar Natural Gas | Call 811 Before You Dig-Kids' Art Contest for Anchorage Students
Deadline: May 31, 2016

It's digging season and to help get the word out about safe digging practices, ENSTAR Natural Gas Company is holding a Kids' Art Contest. We're looking for creative and fun ways to get the message out to "Call 811 Before You Dig."

Your child has been provided with information on safe digging practices including materials from 811. For more information about 811 Safe Digging, please visit http://call811.com/get-involved/811-kids or www.enstarnaturalgas.com. The winning artwork will best illustrate the importance of calling 811 to keep our communities safe with a message of "Call 811 Before You Dig."

In creating the artwork, children should think about these questions:
  • Why is it important for parents, neighbors and relatives to call 811 before they dig?
  • When should parents, neighbors and relatives call 811?
  • What number should parents, neighbors and relatives call before they dig?
Artwork will be judged for original design, clear theme message, and artistic merit. Click here to download information about Safe Digging and Click Here to download the Call Before You Dig Kids' Art Contest form and complete information.

VSA Emerging Young Artists Program | Call for Art
Deadline: June 1

(Re)Invention: Art + Innovation + Disability + Design is a juried exhibition of emerging young artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, showcasing artwork created at the intersection of technology, innovation, and disability. Fifteen winners share a total of $60,000 in cash prizes, with a 1st prize of $20,000.

Winners are flown to Washington, D.C. to attend the exhibit opening on Capitol Hill, and take part in a 3-day intensive professional development workshop. (Re)Invention will be exhibited at the Kennedy Center as part of a year-long national tour.

For complete information and application go to http://education.kennedy-center.org//education/vsa/programs/emergingartist.cfm.

Alaska Dance Theatre Summer Intensive
May 23 - June 4
 
Internationally-acclaimed guest teacher and star of Flesh and Bond on STARZ network, Matthew Powell, will be teaching Alaska Dance Theatre's two-week, full day summer intensive for ages 12-19, in collaboration with ADT Education Artistic Director, Ilya Burov and Master Teacher, Emily Loscocco.
 
Cost: $600 (if paid before April 15), $650 after April 15, $50 deposit
 
For more information, call ADT @ 907-277-9591 or email ADT's education artistic director, Ilya Burov iburov@alaskadancetheatre.org

Congressional Art Competition
Deadline: Varies

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

Students submit entries to their representative's office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.
Participation in the contest is at the discretion of each Member office. Entry guidelines and an information/release form for the 2016 competition are now available. Please contact your representative to confirm your district's participation and obtain specific guidance. For complete information and entry instructions, visit the website at http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/.
 
Professional Development
North Words Writers Symposium | Skagway, Alaska
May 25-28, 2016
 
Registration to North Words is now open to all writers-aspiring or professional-who seek inspiration, direction, a flesh-and-blood social network, and fun. One or two credit hours may be earned through University of Alaska Southeast. Please sign up soon as the maximum is 50 participants. Find us at http://nwwriterss.com/ or call the Skagway Convention & Visitors Bureau at 907-983-2854. Click here for the press release and more information. 

The 15th Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference will be held on June 10-14 in Homer. This year's keynote is Pulitzer Prize winning, National Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, who will be joined by Miriam Altshuler (agent), Dan Beachy-Quick, Richard Chiappone, Jennine Cap� Crucet, Alison Hawthorne Deming, Forrest Gander, Lee Goodman, Richard Hoffman, Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Sarah Leavitt, Nancy Lord, Jane Rosenman (editor), Peggy Shumaker, Sherry Simpson, Frank Soos, and David Stevenson. For more information, to read faculty biographies and look at workshops offered, or to register go to http://writersconf.kpc.alaska.edu/

Foraker Group | Catalyst for Nonprofit Excellence Applications open for fall
Deadline for Application: July 15, 2016

Whether you are on top of your game or looking to take your skills and knowledge to the next level, you will measurably enhance your results and your experience of life when you participate in this program. The program is open to senior leaders, funding officers, and board members with a commitment to the nonprofit sector.

In the Catalyst for Nonprofit Excellence you will:
  • Become more effective in work and personal relations than ever before.
  • Increase self-awareness and learn how to consciously choose behaviors that are more consistent with your intentions.
  • Transform workplace disputes and conflicts into opportunities for deeper understanding and positive change.
  • Be more effective in achieving goals individually and as part of a team.
  • Discover your unique strengths as a leader and how to apply them more fully for better results.
  • Determine your leadership style and learn how to identify and work with people of different leadership styles.
  • Learn about authentic leadership, how being true to yourself and your style serves you and the organization.
  • Increase confidence and reduce stress.
  • Understand how your sense of purpose fits with that of your organization.
  • Create a more fulfilling, engaged work life for yourself, improving satisfaction and effectiveness.
  • Experience more balance between work and life.
  • Build a strong support network that helps you achieve your goals.
  • Leave with specific tools and action steps in place to reinforce your learning and impact your results.
For complete information, schedule, contacts and application materials, Click Here.

Sitka Arts & Science Festival
Session I: July 16-23, 2016
Session II: July 23-30, 2016
 
Want to sew with fish skin? Improvise music in a temperate rain forest? Experiment with ancient weaving techniques? Explore the science of rivers and watersheds? Come to Sitka this summer! Sitka Arts & Science Festival is a program for adults that brings together the arts and sciences for two sessions of exploration, inquiry, and adventure. In July 2016, experience the cultural and scientific riches of our community through hands-on workshops, guided hikes, boat trips, evening lectures, film screenings, and accommodation on our beautiful arts campus. Our faculty come with diverse experiences and are all leaders in their respective fields. For more information and registration, visit www.sitkafestival.org.
 
The Sitka Arts & Science Festival is hosted by Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sitka Sound Science Center, the Island Institute, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum

Wrangell Mountain Center
With snow mostly melted and days growing longer, the Wrangell Mountains Center is getting ready to kick off the 2016 season. Returning programs include Family Music Camp and the Riversong writing workshop on the river. Visitors include a team of swallow researchers in from Cornell and the UAF Glaciology Summer School.

Check our website's 2016 schedule for the full program list at http://www.wrangells.org/2016-schedule/

2016 WMC Schedule
Multi-Day Programs
June 7-17 - International Summer School in Glaciology
July 14-17 - Family Music Camp
July 20-27 - RiverSong Writing Workshop
August 12-14 - Ice Mysteries and Stories 

Early Summer Events
Saturday, May 28 - Weekend Community Work Party
Saturday, June 4 - Birding Walk with Mark Vail
http://www.wrangells.org/2016-schedule/

Residencies
360 Xochi Quetzal: Free Winter Artist Residency in Central Mexico
Deadline: August 7, 2016
Early Bird Coupon Code: XQEARLY (for applications received before 7/1/16 only)
 
360 Xochi Quetzal is a free artist residency located on Lake Chapala, Mexico. International writers, playwrights, visual artists, fiber artists, filmmakers, photographers, new media artists, dancers and musicians are all welcome to apply for a 1-month residency during the period of December 14, 2016 - January 13, 2017 Apply thru CAF�  www.callforentry.org
 
We also have a personal residency program for artists who need longer periods of creative time (1 - 6 months). We still have some spaces available this summer and fall.


Employment
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is hiring for the following positions:
Administrative Assistant
FSAF 2016 Outreach Coordinator 
Outreach Intern
Communications Intern
Assistant Festival Ops Office Manager 

Visit the website at https://www.fsaf.org/jobs.php for more information, including links to position descriptions. Send cover letter & resume via email to info@fsaf.org. 
 
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is seeking applications for the following positions:
Collections Registrar
Camp Instructor
Camp Instructional Assistants

Visit the website at https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/about-us/employment/ for extended position descriptions and application. 

The Ketchikan Area Arts & Humanities Council Seeks an Arts Education and Program Coordinator

The AEPC is a full-time position reporting to the Executive Director, with occasional evening and weekend hours. The AEPC is responsible for managing the educational programming of KAAHC and assists in producing all programming of KAAHC.

Download complete job description and application instructions here. Visit the KAAHC website at http://ketchikanarts.org/.

Alutiiq Museum is seeking applicants for a Project Manager to assist with cultural education projects, coordinate language programs, track and implement select grant funded initiatives, and lead the museum's volunteers. We are also hiring a Collections and Exhibit Specialist. This person will help to care for object in the museum, and plan and build exhibits. Both positions are full time and benefited. 

To apply for either position, please submit a letter of interest, a resume, and a copy of the Alutiiq Museum's employment application to the Director of Operations Russell Armand in person or via email (russell@alutiiqmuseum.org). You may also apply through the State of Alaska's ALEXsys system. The applications process will be open till the positions are filled.

Kodiak Historical Society/Baranov Museum is seeking a Curator of Collections and Exhibits.
The Kodiak Historical Society & Baranov Museum is looking for an enthusiastic and energetic person to join our team in beautiful Kodiak, Alaska.   The Curator of Collections and Exhibits position is primarily responsible for securing and caring for the objects and artifacts in the collections, and facilitating public access to the collections through research, interpretive writing, and exhibit design. 
This full-time, benefited position will be open until May 13th, 2016. 
 
To download the complete job description and instructions to apply, Click Here.

For more information, contact Tiffany K. Brunson, Executive Director, Kodiak Historical Society Baranov Museum, 101 Marine Way, Kodiak AK 99615 (907) 486-5920 or (907) 486-5908 - office line. www.baranovmuseum.org

Articles of Interest
Nominate a Craft's Rising Star | American Craft Week
Deadline: Sunday, May 15, 2016
 
If you, or someone you know, is creating great craft and is under the age of 30, don't miss this exceptional opportunity for recognition. Nominations are free and very easy! Go to www.americancraftweek.com or http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/3Nqt31CdzQ65 for all the info and the official form.
 
Thirty great young craftspeople will be honored with a special American Craft Week website, and featured in the October 2016 issue of Handmade Business. Thousands of collectors, galleries, museums and craft lovers are looking for craft's Rising Stars, and this is a unique opportunity to shine in a bright national spotlight.

The National Endowment for the Arts announced the latest round of NEA Big Read grants. Seventy-seven nonprofit organizations will receive grants totaling more than $1 million to host an NEA Big Read project between September 2016 and June 2017.

2016-2017 NEA Big Read Alaska recipients are:
Homer Public Library ($9,800)
KCHU, Valdez ($14,000).

For more information about NEA Big Reads, go to http://www.neabigread.org/docs/TBR16-17_by-state.pdf
 
"What Arts Councils Do for Performing Artists" - a resource for performers
 
Dine by Design | Alaska Design Forum
Friday, May 13, 2016
 
Join us for an evening of interactive design and immersive entertainment curated by the Alaska Design Forum.This uncommon event will feature the talents of chef Robert Lewis and entertainment director Kevin Worrell.

Robert Lewis is the co-founder and Executive Chef of Pangea Restaurant in downtown Anchorage. Pangea aims to become a farm to table restaurant while combining flavors from around the world using the best and freshest local ingredients available. Kevin Worrell, BFA, is a composer, producer and performer based in Anchorage. He has collaborated with the International Gallery of Contemporary Art, The Anchorage Music Co-op, and the Alaska Design Forum, specializing in interdisciplinary performance.
 
Location: The event will take place at the Bunker Annex inside Kincaid Park

Contact Us
ASCA Staff

Saunders McNeill, Native & Community Arts Program Director
(907) 269-6603 saunders.mcneill@alaska.gov  

Andrea Noble-Pelant, Acting Executive Director,
Visual and Literary Arts Program Director
(907) 269-6605 andrea.noble-pelant@alaska.gov  

Laura Forbes, Arts in Education Program Director
(907) 269-6682  laura.forbes@alaska.gov 

Janelle Matz, Alaska Contemporary Art Bank Manager
(907) 269-6604 janelle.matz@alaska.gov

Gina Signe Brown, Administrative Manager
(907) 269-6608 gina.brown@alaska.gov  

Keren Lowell, Office Assistant
(907) 269-6610 keren.lowell@alaska.gov 

ASCA Council Members
Adelheid "Micky" Becker (Anchorage)
Benjamin Brown, Chair (Juneau)  
Peggy MacDonald Ferguson (Fairbanks)
Nancy Harbour (Anchorage)
Patrick Race (Juneau)
Aryne Randall (Wasilla)
Jeffry Silverman (Anchorage)
William F. Tull (Palmer)
Mary Wegner (Sitka)
Kes Woodward (Fairbanks)


For additional information, please visit our web site:  http://education.alaska.gov/aksca/  

        

Copyright � 2016, Alaska State Council on the Arts, all rights reserved.