Fiscal Year 2008 Grant Awards

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs' Iowa Community Cultural Grant program received 79 grant applications for fiscal year 2008. The total amount of funding requested was $1,258,036. The grant review panel funded 32 proposals at a total of $329,000.

1st Friday Art Walk of Fairfield, Iowa Inc., Fairfield
$17,000
Fairfield 1st Friday Art Walk Administrative Staff Funding
Funding will support Fairfield 1st Friday Art Walk to hire one full time and one part-time staff for administration. This will stabilize and further develop the event and provide the 12 months needed by our professional fund raisers to locate and secure other revenue sources that will fund the administrative positions permanently.

Maquoketa Fine Arts Center, Maquoketa
$4,000
Office Assistant
Funding will allow the hire of a part time office assistant. This is a new position. Adding this position to the staff will greatly increase the productivity of our director thus increasing the success of the facility.

Red Cedar Chamber Music, Marion
$11,000
South of the Border: Mentoring through Music
South of the Border: Mentoring through Music: Funding will support this Latin inspired chamber music to reach students and parents in schools and libraries. It addresses the musical contribution of Iowa's growing Hispanic population, the centerpiece work being a new commission by Cuban composer Ricardo Izanola. Six of these events involve professional musicians mentoring and performing with young musicians for families in rural libraries.

Old Fort Madison/City of Fort Madison, Fort Madison
$2,000
Enhancing our Time Period Through the Senses
Enhancing our Time Period Through the Senses: Funding will support the employment of artisans, musicians, craftsmen and guest speakers to enhance the tour experience of Old Fort Madison.

Des Moines County Historical Society, Burlington
$12,000
Des Moines County Museum Director Funding
Funding will allow the Des Moines County Museum to hire a full time director/curator to work with programming, exhibits, artifact conservation and part time staff and volunteers.

Jackson County Historical Society, Maquoketa
$15,000
Clinton Engines Project - Phase II - HVAC
Clinton Engines Project - Phase II - HVAC: Funding will support labor costs associated with the installation of four high efficiency furnaces donated by the Maquoketa Community Area Foundation, four air-conditioning units and the necessary duct work, controls, relays and wiring necessary for operation.

Amana Arts Guild, Amana
$4,000
Celebrating Iowa's Picturesque Landscape
Celebrating Iowa's Picturesque Landscape: ICCG funding will be used to directly employ Iowa artists and art instructors and as salary support for gallery and project staff. In addition a local printer will be employed to produce marketing materials for this project.

African American Heritage Foundation, Cedar Rapids
$14,000
Engaging Iowa in African American History.
Engaging Iowa in African American History. The African American Museum of Iowa will hire a Central/Western Statewide Coordinator, who, based in Des Moines, will expand museum programs, educational activities and preservation efforts into the western half of Iowa. The C/WSC will develop partnerships and networks to bring African American history into the spotlight.

Iowa Museum Association, Urbandale
$15,000
Iowa Museums: V.A.S.T. Resources.
Iowa Museums: V.A.S.T. Resources is a four-year plan to expand services by addressing four key issues: volunteerism, attendance, support and training. IMA will focus on in year 1: the need for museum volunteers; year 2: increasing attendance; year 3: museums' need for financial stability; year 4: need for training.

City of Columbus Junction, Iowa, Columbus Junction
$14,000
Community Development Through Diversity
Community Development Through Diversity. Funding will help create a part time position that serves the Columbus Junction community by originating and coordinating programs and communications offered through the Diversity Center Office at the Columbus Junction Civic Center. This community development position will concentrate in its initial year on the areas of culture, ethnicity and tourism.

River Cities American Art Council, Clinton
$8,000
Gateway to the Arts Mural Project
Gateway to the Arts Mural Project: Funding will support an Iowa artist to produce 3 works of art on selected Downtown facades. The images will reflect a "Living History: Clinton in Motion" theme and will draw upon the communities' industrial, river-based heritage.

Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre, West Liberty
$10,000
Outreach Partnership with the West Liberty Public Library.
Outreach Partnership with the West Liberty Public Library. Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre will work with the West Liberty Public Library to create a Youth Theatre Group for students fifth grade and above. Productions will include human theatre and puppet theatre. To help groom future Youth Theatre participants, Eulenspiegel will include outreach activities for preschool and elementary school students.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum, Decorah
$3,000
Staff Enhancement Project 2008
Staff Enhancement Project 2008: ICCG funding will assist in the hiring of an Executive Director and an Administrative Assistant.

Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation/Development, Postville
$8,000
Northeast Iowa Artist' Studio Tour Expansion Project
Northeast Iowa Artist' Studio Tour Expansion Project: ICCG funding will be used to hire a part time Marketing Expansion Director and a part time Administrative Assistant to support the growth of this organization.

Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Cedar Rapids
$8,000
Full Time Development Assistant Position
Full Time Development Assistant Position: ICCG funding will be used exclusively to underwrite half of the salary and benefits for a full time development assistant.

Dubuque County Historical Society, Dubuque
$15,000
Great Rivers Center
ICCG funding for this project will provide a full time coordinator and a part-time development assistant to implement the America's river II museum expansion in Dubuque, one of Iowa's Great Places. The staff will make a crucial contribution to the success of the $33 million museum expansion and ultimately help the museum create 18 full time jobs and 24 half time jobs.

Jones County Conservation Board, Center Junction
$5,000
Cultural Resources Program Coordinator
Jones County Conservation Board will use ICCG funding to hire a Cultural Resources Program Coordinator. This proposal includes for expansion of an existing position within the Conservation Department. The person will be coordinating archaeological investigations, oral history projects, researching options for preservation of historic structures and sites, nomination of structures and sites to the National Register of Historic Places and assisting with programs related to cultural resources.

H.W Grout Trust, Waterloo
$10,000
Outreach and Youth Volunteer Assistant
Outreach and Youth Volunteer Assistant: ICCG funding will be used to pay the salary of this position (specifically to work at the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium) and toward a portion of the salary of the Outreach Coordinator as the supervisor.

LAMB Arts Ltd, Sioux City
$14,000
ArtsExpress
ArtsExpress will provide salary support for an Iowa based production staff for a children's theatre program with ICCG funding. ArtsExpress will include in-school/on-theatre-site workshops with professional theatre-arts educators and provide a process for classroom teachers to incorporate theatre activities into their teaching.

World of Difference, Grimes
$18,000
Culture Encounters in Iowa Classrooms
World of Difference will use ICCG funding to support Culture Encounters in Iowa Classrooms. Teachers have lots of barriers to incorporation culture into their curriculum, in spite of numerous resources available. World of Difference works with teachers, helping them to sort through the resources and observe cultural experiences in their own classroom. These immersion workshops gently guide teachers and students through new concepts and thought processes, sparking a curiosity to learn about other cultures in more meaningful ways.

Salisbury House Foundation, Des Moines
$8,000
Salisbury House Shakespeare on the Lawn-Midsummer Day Camp
Salisbury House Foundation will use ICCG funding to support Shakespeare on the Lawn-Midsummer Day Camp. Shakespeare on the Lawn and Midsummer day Camp brings over 1,200 people of all ages to the grounds of a unique house museum to see a professional production of a Shakespeare play. The program gives more than 30 actors/artists paid employment, attracts hundreds of individuals to a quality professional theater presentation, and introduces dozens of young people to a cultural opportunity that may lead to their interest in the arts, enriching their own lives and perhaps expanding future audiences for live performances.

VSA arts of Iowa, Des Moines
$10,000
Governor's VSA Arts of Iowa Festival
ICCG funding will support the Governor's VSA Arts of Iowa Festival. Held as part of the Iowa State Fair, the Governor's VSA Arts of Iowa Festival is the largest festival in the United States for professional artists with disabilities. Held over all eleven nights of the State Fair, it features singing, dancing, drama and visual arts from 80 Iowa artists with disabilities.