Bloomington Community Arts Commission Announces Fall 2008 Arts Project Grants Program Recipients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 11, 2008

For more information, contact Miah Michaelsen, Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts, (812) 349-3534

Bloomington, IN - 12 community organizations and artists will receive a total of $5,350 as part of the Bloomington Community Arts Commission's (BCAC) Arts Project Grants Program, the City of Bloomington announced today.

The following is a list of the 2008 Arts Project Grants recipients for the Fall Cycle with a brief description of their projects:

-- Bloomington Community Radio, Inc.: "Art Lives in Bloomington," radio/TV special showcasing interviews with local residents on how art contributes to their lives

-- Bloomington New Tech High School: student-created art project led by artist Joe LaMantia for this new MCCSC public high school

-- Bloomington Playwrights Project: free Mini Play youth playwriting competition workshop for area teachers

-- The Bloomington Pops: "Christmas with the Pops" concert

-- Cardinal Stage Company: free student matinee performance of "The Diary of Anne Frank"

-- Don Freund: documentation of "Romeo and Juliet: A Shakespearian Music-Drama" at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, for which he composed the music

-- Jazz from Bloomington: weekly jazz jam sessions open to participation by players of all skill-levels, guided by a professional rhythm section at Jazz at the Station

-- Lotus Education & Arts Foundation: 2008 Lotus Art Bikes, community project led by artist Joe LaMantia

-- Musical Arts Youth Orchestra: a composition competition, judged by the IU Jacobs School of Music, to yield new music for youth orchestra

-- Sycamore Land Trust: "Art for All Seasons" juried nature-inspired art show held at Gallery North on the Square

-- Theatre of the People: "Peace on Terror," a one-act play in nine chapters, by this new theatre company

-- WFIU-FM Radio, Indiana University: "Artworks: Street Sounds," series airing profiles and performances by street musicians in Bloomington

The deadline for the next cycle of Arts Project Grants is October 1, 2008, for projects beginning between December 1-April 1, 2009. Grants up to $1,000 are available to both individual artists and nonprofit organizations participating in arts activities which align with the mission of the BCAC. Applicants are required to provide a detailed description of the project, timeline, plans for publicity and detailed budget for project activities. Proposed projects are evaluated on their level of community benefit, artistic merit and feasibility.

The BCAC exists to stimulate appreciation of the arts by all citizens of Bloomington and its surrounding area; to encourage, sponsor and develop artistic activities and educational programs; and to foster an environment that promotes the arts and their enjoyment.

For more information, contact Miah Michaelsen, Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts, at michaelm@bloomington.in.gov or (812) 349-3534.

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