The President's budget included $117 million for the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and $121 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities. (NEH) The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Office of Museum Services, currently at $27 million, would receive $29 million.

In a budget which includes a $48 billion increase in military spending and a $379 billion Defense Department budget, defunded programs include the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) -- which would be eliminated in FY03 and beyond. Grants with cultural components in this program have included $375,000 to the Vermont Council on the Arts for using technology to ensure the availability of arts education in rural schools and providing online arts mentors to students.

The $117 million budget appropriation for the NEA in FY03 maintains the add-on which Congress appropriated for the Arts Endowment in FY02 last year when it increased the President's request for level funding by $10 million.

"We are pleased at the President's commitment to the arts, especially given the increased pressure on the budget this year," said NEA Acting Chair Eileen B. Mason. "The arts are an important source of hope and inspiration. We will endeavor to recognize and support significant projects of artistic excellence that enrich the lives of all Americans, and to strengthen educational activity in the arts, especially for our children."

The small increases in the budget request for the cultural agencies are primarily for administrative costs. For instance, NHA-ANNOUNCE reports that the bulk of the increase for the NEH is part of a federal-agency wide shift of accruing employee pensions and retirement health benefits to the agencies themselves. (Currently, a portion of these costs is charged directly to central federal accounts and not funded through the NEH) The rest of the NEH increase covers Congressionally mandated salary increases for the first three quarters of 2003 and a projected rent increase of $170,000 as well as $300,000 for data activities.

The NEH budget statement includes a new initiative ...WE THE PEOPLE. "NEH believes that this is a propitious time to challenge humanities educators, scholars, professionals, and cultural institutions to enhance Americans' knowledge of their country's history. Thus, the Endowment is launching a special initiative to encourage new project proposals that advance our knowledge of the events, ideas, and principles that define the American nation," the Agency states. "The We the People initiative will call upon humanities scholars, teachers, filmmakers, museums, libraries, and other individuals and institutions engaged in the humanities to develop projects on the most significant events and themes in the nation's history and culture." The initiative does not ask for additional funding but rather encourages applications which respond to it in all of the Endowment's divisions and programs in FY 2003 and in future years.

The Regional Humanities Centers, an initiative in the planning stages which would have created regional humanities centers at 10 educational institutions, will be phased out according to the budget plans available on the NEH website.

For the IMLS, the President's budget is $210,742,000, reflecting an increase of $15,765,000. The request for the Office of Museum Services is $29,022,000. The request for the Office of Library Services is $181,720,000. Increased funding will support an initiative to recruit and train a new generation of librarians and expand core services of libraries and museums nationwide.

"The Bush Administration's support for education extends beyond the classroom into the community. Libraries and museums are core public agencies for education. They are sources of community strength with resources to meet educational and information needs in early childhood, in school, at work and in retirement," said IMLS Chair Robert S. Martin.

On March 6, 2002, chaired by Representative Joe Skeen, (R-NM) the House Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies of the Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing where NEA Chair Bruce Cole and NEA Acting Chair Eileen B. Mason will speak about the work and needs of their respective agencies. NHA-Announce reports that for the second year in a row, there is no provision in the House for a hearing of public witnesses. The Senate panel, chaired by Robert Byrd, (D-WV) is expected to schedule a hearing later in the Spring. It has not heard public witnesses in several years.

"For those interested in expressing views on NEH funding and other areas, the next three to four months provide the window when final appropriations decisions have not yet been made by Congress." NHA-Announce notes.

Sources/resources:

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS -- http://www.arts.gov

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES -- http://www.neh.gov
NEH Budget Statement -- http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/2003budget.html

INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES -- http://www.imls.gov

NHA-ANNOUNCE -- http://www.nhalliance.org/news/.

"Bipartisan Spirit Prevails at House FY02 Cultural Funding Hearing; Arts Funding Still Spread Thin, NEA, NEH Chairmen Testify"
Arts Wire CURRENT -- http://www.artswire.org/current/2001/cur041701.html
April 17, 2001

State Art Agencies (SAAs) -- in each of the 50 states and six jurisdictional governments -- work to support both artists and arts organizations; to develop, promote, and sustain programs which reach rural and underserved populations; and to provide alternatives for at-risk youth. They also act as catalysts for economic development and offer innovative approaches to arts education.

"My colleagues and I believe we are here to provide encouragement and assistance to the artists as well as grants and services to the communities (of all sizes), presenters and local arts agencies," says Bob Burtch, Public Information director at the Kansas Arts Commission.

In addition to Kansas Artists Fellowships in 10 disciplines, the Kansas Arts Commission, under the direction of Executive Director David M. Wilson, promotes artist participation in the programming which they support through grants. Additionally, local arts agencies and schools work closely with artists in their area to keep the arts an active element in their communities.

Although he wishes that the Commission could do even more to help individuals, "especially since the Endowment was forced to quit awarding fellowships to individual artists, except in the Literature Program," Bob Burtch points to a number of programs which support Kansas artists. For instance, the Kansas Arts Commission maintains a juried roster of Kansas-based performing artists who tour outside their home areas. Recently they gave some small grants to communities so a pair of visual artists touring the state could paint murals reflecting each community, and they are working to set up discipline-specific listservs for individual artists.

"I personally feel that meeting artists and learning about their work is the best part about this job, where I've worked for 17 years. Their creativity and enthusiasm are infectious; without the artists, this would be just so much bureaucracy and paperwork," Bob Burtch told Arts Wire.

He adds that "It's still fairly shocking when I stop to realize there might be only 55 other people trying to do the same things I do in the entire U.S. arts system. Relatively few SAAs come close to having the personnel and financial resources they need. Public arts administrators are a line spread mighty thin, even counting the staffs of regional organizations, national service organizations like NASAA, and the NEA."

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization of the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. NASAA's mission is to advance and promote a meaningful role for the arts in the lives of individuals, families and communities throughout the United States -- empowering state arts agencies through strategic assistance which fosters leadership, enhances planning and decision making, and increases resources.

"By attending NASAA conferences, I've learned there are 56 different ways of doing things, but the state and territorial arts agencies never hesitate to share ideas, innovations and resources. I've never failed to be invigorated by the time I go home," Bob Burtch notes.

He also emphasizes that computer technology is helping both artists and arts organizations, noting that the ability to have a website is a "great equalizer in terms of geography and presentation."

"I have been surprised and pleased by the number of Kansas artists who have embraced computers and the Internet," Burtch, who describes himself as entering journalism almost 30 years ago "at the tail-end of the era of hot lead, typewriters, pencils, rubber cement and copy paper," comments. "There's no time for technophobia when it comes to putting your best foot forward."

The many State Art Agency supported programs which benefit artists and arts organizations include artist fellowship programs such as The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Artists' Fellowships program which last year awarded fellowships to 161 New York State artists in the categories of Computer Arts, Crafts, Film, NonFiction Literature, Performance Art/ Multidisciplinary Work, Poetry, Printmaking/Drawing/Artists' Books, and Sculpture.

In New Jersey, on January 29, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) met at The Zimmerli Art Museum on the campus of Rutgers University and approved $300,000 in fellowship awards to 37 New Jersey artists. The NJSCA's Fellowship Program, cosponsored by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, (MAAF) recognizes artistic excellence in New Jersey artists and assists their professional development.

"New Jersey is home of nearly 50,000 professional artists. The Fellowship Program is a key component of the Council's effort to recognize and support their work," said NJSCA Chairman Leonard Fisher.

Acting Executive Director David Miller added, "The NJSCA is committed to assisting New Jersey artists advance their artistry and we are proud to do this in a number of ways." In addition to the Fellowships, the Council offers technical assistance workshops, sponsors exhibitions and showcases, awards grants to organizations to address the needs of artists, and provides valuable information to individual artists."

In Nevada, the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) Fellows receive a $5,000 award to support creative exploration and develop their artwork during the fellowship year. During the year, recipients present their work to the public through exhibition, performances, readings and workshops.

Last year literary Arts recipients were poet Roy A. Chavez Alvarado of Carson City and prose/non-fiction writer Joanna Frueh of Reno; performing Arts recipients were choreographer Cathy Allen of Las Vegas and composer Virko Baley of Las Vegas. Painter Robert Beckmann of Henderson and photographer/new genre artist Diane Bush of Las Vegas were selected as Fellows in visual arts.

Other NAC programs for artists include the online Artists' Gallery, which currently features the work of Chandler Dayton. The NAC is working on having a new expanded site by the spring, according to Executive Director Susan Boskoff.

Sources/resources:

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF STATE ARTS AGENCIES (NASAA) -- http://www.nasaa-arts.org
NASAA's website is a comprehensive, constantly updated source of news and information about and links to State Art Agencies

KANSAS ARTS COMMISSION -- http://arts.state.ks.us/

THE NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS -- http://www.nyfa.org
NYFA ARTISTS FELLOWSHIPS -- http://www.nyfa.org/artists_fellowships
The Summer 2001 issue of FYI -- http://www.nyfa.org/fyi/fyi_summer2001.htm -- features a complete list of the recipients of this year's Artists' Fellowships.
A description of each artist's work is available at -- http://www.nyfa.org/artists_fellowships/af_fellows2001.htm

NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL -- http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us
The NAC's Artists' Gallery currently featuring Chandler Dayton -- http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/arts/gallery/dayton.htm

NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS -- http://www.njartscouncil.org/

NEWS FROM THE STATE ARTS AGENCIES
"Despite Energy Crisis, California Arts Council Budget May Still Receive Partial Augmentation; Statewide Rally for Arts Funding to be Held on Capital Steps on June 7"
"Nebraska Arts Council Budget Holding Steady; New Partnership to Initiate Artists Residency Center in Nebraska City"
"Texas Commission on the Arts Receives Slight Increase; New Young Masters Program will Provide Scholarships for Advanced Study in the Arts for Texas High School Students."
"WORKING ARTISTS: ENERGIZING COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS -- Connecticut Commission on the Arts"
"James Baker Hall Named Kentucky Poet Laureate"
Arts Wire CURRENT -- http://www.artswire.org/current/2001/cur060501.html
June 5, 2001

An annual event that regularly draws more than 200 arts supporters to Olympia for one day during the legislative session, this year's Arts Day has been expanded to celebrate the contributions of the arts in communities across the state. The theme of Arts Day 2002 is "Washington Arts - At the HeART of the Community."

In proclaiming Arts Day, Governor Locke stated:

"WHEREAS, the arts are a fundamental aspect of human experience and necessary to our quality of life; and

WHEREAS, personal and creative expression is essential to our humanity; and

WHEREAS, the arts in all their diversity help create and sustain healthy livable communities; and

WHEREAS, education in the arts is essential to a quality education; and

WHEREAS, the business of art is a key element of a vigorous economy; and

WHEREAS, artists, patrons and supporters come to Olympia from every corner of the state to attend Arts Day, to celebrate and highlight the arts as an essential part of our community life;

NOW THEREFORE, I, Gary Locke, Governor of the state of Washington, recognizing that the arts in Washington are at the heart of the community, do hereby proclaim February 12, 2002 as Arts Day 2002 in Washington State, and I urge all citizens to join me in celebrating the vitality of the arts in our state."

Source:

THE WASHINGTON STATE ARTS COMMISSION -- http://www.arts.wa.gov/

Non-matching fellowships in fixed amounts of $7,000 are awarded to Illinois artists in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment within the arts. This year 40 Illinois artists in the four categories of crafts, ethnic and folk arts, playwriting/screenwriting and visual arts will receive Fellowships totaling $280,000. Finalist Awards of $700 were also awarded to 22 Illinois artists for a total of $15,400.

Among them are Mark Bokesch-Parsons, (crafts) whose work includes oil painted kiln cast glass sculptures; storyteller Dan Keding, (ethnic and folk arts) whose stories -- which he accompanies with guitar, banjo -- are personal narratives of his boyhood, ghost stories and dark tales; and printmaker, sculptor, and mixed media artist Marie Dutka. (visual arts)

On her website, Dutka writes about her current work which uses the fingerprint as an icon: "The fingerprint is a clue to a unique existence. Left behind on a surface, it is evidence of the tactile quality of life, from a lover's touch to the everyday rituals of practicing piano, pouring a glass of milk or typing at a keyboard."

In the playwriting/screenwriting category, recipients include Joel Drake Johnson, whose play BEFORE MY EYES, which centers on a gay man's 28-year relationship with his devoted parents.

Grantees also include Deborah Boardman (visual arts) who describes her interactive PICTURING DEATH PROJECT as providing "a structure in which participants can picture their death as part of a larger fabric of community narratives by engaging in intellectual and spiritual contemplation of death and dying."

The second round of fiscal year 2002 Artists Fellowship Awards covering the remaining seven disciplines of choreography, interdisciplinary/performance art, media arts, music composition, photography, poetry and prose, will be announced in late April 2002.

The Illinois Arts Alliance is currently working hard to urge Governor Ryan not to cut the IAC budget. "Arts Advocates have responded vigorously to this important call to action. We are impressed by letters from an arts educator in Galesburg, the director of children's theater in Elgin, a senior citizen who loves community theater in Alton, a librarian in Chicago. Concerned citizens of all kinds parents, teachers, board and audience members, heads of foundations and cultural organizations, actors and artists have laid out their pleas and their arguments that the Illinois Arts Council's budget remain intact." states IAA Executive Director Alene Valkanas in an email alert.

Sources/Resources:

ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL -- http://www.state.il.us/agency/iac

MARIE DUTKA -- http://www.mariedutka.com/

DEBORAH BOARDMAN -- http://www.artic.edu/saic/art/projects/faculty/dboardman-p1.html

Joel Drake Johnson, BEFORE MY EYES -- http://www.intelli.com/victorygardens/a/ac.htm

ILLINOIS ARTS ALLIANCE -- http://www.artsalliance.org

"By recognizing the accomplishments of our Commonwealth's artists each year through this program, the Commonwealth invests in excellence, dedication and creativity," Horn said. "Fellowship support to these outstanding artists from communities across Pennsylvania provides them with the opportunity to strive for even greater artistic achievement, while at the same time enriching and enlivening the communities and state in which they live."

Individual Artist Fellowship awards are made annually in selected categories. In the most recent round, awards were available in dance, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts.

Recipients include dancers Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, co-directors of Attack Theatre which, collaborating with artists from many disciplines, creates cross-disciplinary performances and events; and filmmaker Brady Lewis. (COLLIDING; A METAMORPHOSIS IN LOGIC; QUICK OPENER and TRUTH SERUME)

Barbara Bernstein, who works in two-dimensional media and has taught a course called Art in Context (dealing with art and community organizations) at Carnegie Mellon University was a recipients in visual arts.

Among other visual arts recipients are the team of Steffi Domike, Faith Wilding, and Hyla Willis. Folk and Traditional recipients include Beth Phillips Brown and Shu Pui Cheung.

Reza Vali, whose compositions include pieces for large orchestra, string quartet, piano and voice, electronic and computer media, and chamber ensemble, was a recipient in music. Among other music grantees are Anne LeBaron and Jennifer Higdon.

Theatre recipients include Playwright Michael Hollinger, the author of RED HERRING, TINY ISLAND, AN EMPTY PLATE IN THE CAF DU GRAND BOEUF, all of which premiered at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company. Arden Theatre describes RED HERRING as "a comic fable about marriage; every scene contains at least one reference to matrimony. The year is 1952. America is closing in on the H-bomb, Joe McCarthy is on a rampage and I Love Lucy is on Monday nights. Meanwhile, a dead guy has turned up on a fishing pier and jaded homicide detective Maggie Pelletier has to find out who left him there--or else she'll miss out on her honeymoon in Havana." Among other theatre recipients are Thomas Gibbons and Marjorie Sokoloff.

In literature, recipients include poet Lisa Sewell. "In my work, I explore the conflict between felt experience and the mediated nature of the self, focusing on questions of authority and speech, perception and knowledge, and the body as a source of solace and terror," she states. Among other literature recipients are Allen Hoey and Ron Silliman.

The Pennsylvania Arts Council also supports artists in other ways For instance, "One innovation is that we recognize excellence through our Special Opportunity Stipend Program," Program Director Caroline Savage, told Arts Wire. "Artists are selected by Fellowship juries, and they become eligible the following year to apply for funds to take advantage of a Career development opportunity like an exhibition, a concert, a workshop, a mentorship, etc." While the Fellowship program only can give 75-85 awards, SOS is available to over 300 artists.

Sources/resources

PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL ON THE ARTS -- http://www.artsnet.org/pca
For additional information or questions about the fellowship program, contact Caroline Savage, program director, individual artist programs and services, at (717) 787-6883, Ext. 3029.

ATTACK THEATRE -- http://www.attacktheatre.com

REZA VALI -- http://www.newalbion.com/artists/valir/

LISA SEWELL -- http://www.leeway.org/html/LSewell_2001.html

ARDEN THEATRE -- http://www.ardentheatre.org

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The California Arts Council has been designated to recommend a poet to hold the honorary office of Poet Laureate of California.

The Poet Laureate of California will serve at the appointment of the Governor for a period of two years beginning July 2002. He or she will provide a minimum of six public readings during the two year term -- endeavoring to ensure that people in all geographic regions of the state have access to at least one reading during the course of the term. During the term, the selected poet will also undertake a specific project.

One of the goals of the project is to bring the poetic arts to Californians and to California students who might otherwise have little opportunity to be exposed to poetry, The California Arts Council notes.

Nominations are sought from California literary community. For details, visit http://www.cac.ca.gov/secondary_page/programs/Descriptions/ poetlaurate.htm

"We weren't lost
and we didn't need any book
and then the great spirit met the great law
Indians are Jesus
hanging from the cross
hanging from the cross
in the name of their savior
forcing on us
the trinity of the change
....It ain't delusional
grandeur,
they lie to us
then lie to themselves
about lying to us
about lying to us
hanging from the cross
hanging from the cross... - John Trudell, Hanging From the Cross

Sioux poet-musician John Trudell has released BONE DAYS, a collection of 13 new songs on a new album from on the artist's own Asitis Productions label.

Trudell recorded Bone Days in Los Angeles with his band Bad Dog, featuring lead guitarist Mark Shark, Ricky Eckstein on keyboards and percussion, native vocalist Quiltman, and guitarist Billy Watts. Bone Days also features guitarist Doug Legacy, percussionist Debra Dobkin, bassist Bobby Tsukamoto, and vocalists Carol Eckstein, Hayley Hutt and Piper-Leigh Daniels.

The songs -- including Crazy Horse, Other Close Times, Undercurrent, Carry The Stone, Ever Get the Blues, Lucky Motel, Takes My Breath, Spectator, Sorry Love, Nothing In Her Eyes, Doesn't Hurt Anymore, and Hanging From The Cross -- set Trudell's lyrics and his voice against a musical backdrop which synthesizes blues and rock, tribal chants and percussion.

The executive producer is Angelina Jolie, Academy Award winning actress and recently appointed Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Trudell, a Vietnam Veteran, served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-1967, attended college for a while and then dropped out. In 1969, He participated in the occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indians of All Tribes, becoming a spokesman for Indians of All Tribes. After the India>MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CINEMA RECEIVES PROVISIONAL CHARTER

NEW YORK CITY, NY -- The New York State Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York formally voted in December 2001, to grant a provisional charter to the Museum of African American Cinema, (MAAC) which will assemble, preserve, screen, and interpret the collection of these historical items related to the African American experience on the silver screen, television and stage.

"After a long and tedious process, this is now a momentous occasion for the museum project," said MAAC Chairman Gregory Javan Mills. "It will enable the Board of Directors to have a five year period to build a state-of-the-art preeminent cultural and educational institution."

After the five-year period, the museum will petition the Board of Regents for an absolute charter.

The museum is a collaborative project of the International Agency for Minority Artist Affairs and the New York State Black Films and Video Archives. It will have it's own board of directors.

Currently, the MAAC has over 3,000 items ranging from rare 35mm and 16mm films, movie posters, lobby cards, one-sheets, screenplays and scripts, signed photographs, press books, playbills, audio recordings, signed contracts, newspaper clippings and reviews, magazines, original costumes, recorded interviews, gold records, personal property from estates and other memorabilia. In June 2002, the New York State Black Film and Video Archives will transfer its' collection of over 6,000 rare items to the museum.

Mills describes the collection as including over 800 films, soundies and shorts made between 1915 and 1950, as well as the 1959 classic PORGY AND BESS; LOST IN THE STARS; Oscar Micheaux's THE NOTORIOUS ELEANOR LEE; SOPHISTICATED LADIES; all-black westerns; the complete 1955 TV series of THE APOLLO THEATRE REVUE; Dorothy Dandridge in FOUR SHALL DIE; and the classic film, THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR.

Founding board members of the museum include Hon. Percy E. Sutton, former Manhattan Borough President; Lionel Hampton, Jazz Legend, Dr. Rosalind Jeffries, Cultural Anthropologist; Mignome Jones, Office of NYS Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright; Hon. Joseph Haslip, Office of the NYC Comptroller; Leonard D. Easter, Entertainment Attorney; Lorraine Treadwell, arts patron; Delilah Jackson, Cultural Historian; Dr. Ernest N. Steele, Jr., Chief Archivist, New York State Black Films and Video Archives; William Greaves, noted Film Director; Richard Wesley, distinguished Screenwriter; and, Gregory Javan Mills, Chairman, International Agency for Minority Artist Affairs. (IAMAA)

Citing the need to grow the Harlem and Upper Manhattan arts industry, Mills explains that this new museum will be located within the defined boundaries of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.

"MAAC's board of directors are now in the early developmental planning stages for a series of fundraisers and grant proposal applications to raise $20 million for this project," he states.

For more information, visit the http://www.aboutharlemarts.org

"Americans for the Arts invites you to save Monday, March 11, 2002 for Arts Advocacy Day"

This year from March 11-12, the national convening of Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC will feature Zelda Fichandler delivering the 15th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy. Zelda Fichandler was the Founding Director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and its primary artistic force from 1950-1990. She is currently chair of the graduate acting program and master teacher of acting and directing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. "This past year, arts advocates succeeded in securing increased funding for all three of the federal cultural agencies and authorization and funding for arts education within ESEA legislation. Arts Advocacy Day is strategically timed to give grassroots advocates the opportunity to continue to shape federal arts policy and to educate Members of Congress. Moreover, arts advocates will be able to communicate first-hand stories of the healing power of the arts following the tragedies of September 11," Americans for the Arts states.

Arts Advocacy Day is held in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus and many Members of Congress will be involved in the day's events. Additionally, more than 60 national arts, humanities, educational, and civic organizations co-sponsor this event annually. Registrants of Arts Advocacy Day will receive advocacy training, top-level briefings on trends and research impacting the arts and arts education, as well as advance copies of the CONGRESSIONAL ARTS HANDBOOK.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit The AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS website at http://www.artsusa.org

On Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at the Capitol of New York, "The annual pilgrimage to Albany in March presents the united voice of arts leaders from every corner of the State as we advocate for government support of the arts. Join friends and colleagues in 2002 when our message has the weight and impact of hope and healing, of economic recovery, of outreach, rejuvenation and stability, in a changed world precipitated by the tragic events of September 11. Speak out! Meet with legislators in Albany and help establish priorities for spending in a year when it will be VERY tough to wrestle with the multiple and devastating demands that will be placed on the New York State budget."

For more information visit the ALLIANCE OF NEW YORK STATE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS web site at http://www.thealliancenys.org

DANCE/USA NATIONAL ROUNDTABLE
in conjunction with the FLORIDA DANCE FESTIVAL

Since 1982, Dance/USA's biennial National Roundtable has brought together professional artists and arts administrators from around the nation to address the pressing issues facing dance. THE ROUNDTABLE, a three-day conference, combines peer-group information exchange and networking with professional development seminars, special speakers and an Honors Celebration.

It includes an Honors Celebration where dance professionals recognize the accomplishments of dance artists and the art form.

in the year 2002 -- which commemorates Dance/USA's 20th year in service to the dance field as well as the 10th biennial Roundtable convention -- the conference, with a theme of "Beyond the Moment: Advancing the Field", will provide tools, case studies, information, personal reflection on ways, as an individual or as an organization, to move beyond our day-to-day efforts and concerns to support the growth of the dance field and the people -- colleagues, friends, co-workers -- who work within it.

Special Features for 2002 include Peer Council Roundtables which will focus on subjects of particular concern to individual specific areas in the field.

Coinciding with Roundtable 2002, The Florida Dance Festival, produced by the Florida Dance Council and hosted by the New World School of the Arts, is scheduled for June 16-29, 2002.

Dance/USA and the Florida Dance Festival have forged a special relationship: each night participants will have the opportunity to see performances, and during the day registrants will be able to sample an array of movement classes and workshops.

Uniting a diverse, international community of choreographers, performers, teachers and students for two weeks of study, exploration and exchange, The Florida Dance Festival is features two dance-filled weeks and more than a dozen performances and events by Florida's own dance community, as well as National, and International guest artists. "The varied program offers an opportunity for participants to experience a broad range of dance and movement expression in a supportive and nurturing environment with some of the field's outstanding contemporary masters. The Festival's noncompetitive atmosphere encourages the exchange of views and ideas and provides fertile ground for personal and artistic experimentation and growth," The Festival states. For more information about ROUNDTABLE 2002, visit the DANCE/USA web site at http://www.danceusa.org/roundtable2002.htm

For more information about the FLORIDA DANCE FESTIVAL, visit http://www.fldance.org/

MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

The Festival presents films and videos of all genres, lengths and formats, including dramatic, documentary and experimental works, by, about and of interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. With a strong international showing, it places special emphasis on works by U.S. Hispanic, Latin American and Spanish filmmakers. The upcoming FOURTH ANNUAL MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL will continue its line-up of world, U.S. and South Florida premieres, with an a diverse group of 33-plus programs over ten days.

Under Festival Director Robert Rosenberg, this year's Festival will include, among other films, the U.S. premiere of Spain's I LOVE YOU BABY, starring Jorge Sanz and Veronica Forque; the U.S. premiere of THE TRIP, a love story that looks back at the fabulous '70s from a gay perspective, touching on Anita Bryant and other historical events along the way, and starring Alexis Arquette and Jill St. John, among others; from Japan, the U.S. premiere of SUGAR SWEET, a wild and in-your-face comedy about a group of women who get together to make a lesbian "adult" film; the U.S. premiere of BOB AND ROSE, the new British TV series from the creators of QUEER AS FOLK; direct from Sundance, the South Florida premiere of the groundbreaking Hong Kong film LAN YU, about a gay male love affair set partially against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square massacre -- shot in part surreptitiously in mainland China, and much more.

Directors attending the Festival will be joined by actors, distributors, critics and other special guests from around the world for a full schedule of screenings and panels, as well as social events at an array of Miami's hottest hotels, cafes, clubs and lounges.

For complete information, visit http://www.miamigaylesbianfilm.com.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) website, CULTURAL FUNDING: FEDERAL OPPORTUNITIES has been updated to include additional programs and more examples of successful projects.

The site has three components:

• Examples of arts organizations' projects that have received funding through programs within federal departments and agencies,

• A directory of those programs

• Reference tools to further assist the research process.

The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) invites New York State nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that meet the basic eligibility requirements to apply for grants. The next grant application deadline is March 1, 2001.

"Artists are at the center of creative endeavor. Therefore, we are committed to providing artists with opportunities for artistic development and the public presentation of their work," NYSCA states on their web site. They also emphasize that "Strong arts and cultural organizations are vital to connecting the arts to people's lives" and that "Every citizen of New York State can have a meaningful connection to creativity and every community has a right to cultural self-determination."

Note that NYSCA is moving to a new location. As of February 13, 2002. Their new home will be:

175 Varick Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 627-4455
FAX: (212)620-5911

For more information about NYSA and for details about NYSCA availability during the move, visit the NYSCA website at http://www.nysca.org
Guidelines and application forms for the next round of grants are available at http://www.nysca.org/guidelines/index.htm

Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds' State Arts Partnerships for Cultural Participation (START) projects nationwide are designed to create and provide capacity-building tools and services that contribute to the role culture plays in building communities.

"Through this grant program, the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds aim to produce improved standards and practices for state arts agencies, who in turn can build greater local participation in the arts," they state. "It is intended to foster a better understanding of the interdependence of institutional health, artistic mission and public participation for organizations. The work also will lead to better coordination among public funders, private funders and arts practitioners, and the creation and dissemination of knowledge that supports the adoption of practices to build arts participation."

For instance, in 2001, The MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL was awarded $900,000 over 3 years to work with its network of 160 statewide local cultural councils to implement grantmaking standards and practices that enhance participation in the arts; the MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION was awarded $700,000 over 3 years to conduct research on current and potential arts audiences, for-profit cultural resources and the practices of arts organizations to identify and operate new grantmaking strategies that will best help grow participation; and the MONTANA ARTS COUNCIL will receive $500,000 over 5 years to revise and expand current grant programs, provide training opportunities for grantees and other groups, and publish and distribute case studies of participation-building efforts of five grantee organizations.

Other state art councils awarded grants in 2001 were ARIZONA COMMISSION ON THE ARTS; CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL; CONNECTICUT COMMISSION ON THE ARTS; KENTUCKY ARTS COUNCIL; MINNESOTA STATE ARTS BOARD; NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS; NORTH CAROLINA ARTS COUNCIL; OHIO ARTS COUNCIL; SOUTH CAROLINA ARTS COMMISSION; AND THE WASHINGTON STATE ARTS COMMISSION

For complete information visit the WALLACE-READER'S DIGEST FUNDS website at http://www.wallacefunds.org

or the websites of the individual Arts Commissions, mapped on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) website at http://www.nasaa-arts.org/aoa/saaweb.shtml

Opportunities for Artists

Located in the Council's offices at 136 State Street in Montpelier and fully accessible, The Vermont Arts Council's Spotlight Gallery is seeking individuals and groups of artists who would like to exhibit their work.

The space includes a hallway and conference room both with white walls and picture rails. There is space for approximately 20 average sized pieces. Exhibits are up for two months. The Council publicizes the exhibits and can accommodate receptions hosted by exhibitors after business hours.

Currently at the Spotlight gallery (through February) is work by Cabot, VT "outsider" artist Wilma Lovely, whose work -- made from recycled glass, wood, and TV and computer components -- includes a 10-foot satellite dish covered with flat, multicolored plastic flowers and old shoes planted with succulent plants.

There are currently openings in the gallery schedule for March/April and after July. Interested Vermont artists should send a short letter, resume and slides or photos of work to Janet Ressler at the Council 136 State Street, Drawer 33, Montpelier, 05633. Materials can also be sent via email to jressler@arts.vca.state.vt.us

THE VERMONT ARTS COUNCIL WEB SITE -- http://www.vermontartscouncil.org

Nine $10,000 Challenge America grants, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, (LDOA) will be awarded for projects that hire Louisiana artists to engage in community-based residencies that emphasize partnerships and collaborations.

Program Goals include building an increased arts presence in communities, providing access to the arts for all citizens, and connecting communities with Louisiana's artists. The program also seeks to connect to the BICENTENNIAL OF THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE in 2003.

The Deadline for applications is March 1st. For more information, visit the LOUISIANA DIVISION OF THE ARTS WEB SITE -- http://www.crt.state.la.us/arts

Details about these and other opportunities are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/calls.html To submit "calls" for either artists or organizations, send email to artswire@artswire.org

Deadline: February 28, 2002, Artists of color working in the photographic arts, WOODSTOCK A-I-R

Deadline April 1, 2002, Artwork created in response to Sept 11, Book of historical documentation and analysis of the artistic response

Deadline: April 1, 2002, Florida artists -- outdoor sculpture, CAPITAL SCULPTURE PROJECT, Tallahassee/Leon County Cultural Resources Commission

Deadline: for Event in late April, Visual artists, Progressive multi-media exhibition, RISE and SHINE, World Arts and Cultures department at UCLA

Deadline: May 1, 2002, Comedies and dramas about the Hispanic experience in the United States, METLIFE FOUNDATION NUESTRAS VOCES III PLAYWRITING COMPETITION 2002

Deadline: July 1, 2002, Proposals for papers and panel presentations that explore cultural, technical, artistic and sociological factors that contribute to design innovation in quiltmaking, WILD BY DESIGN, Symposium, The International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE,

Deadline: ongoing, Wearable art, original designs, and video/film/photo/painting/installation/sculpture that addresses and/or discusses issues surrounding fashion, NO FRILLS FIVE, a multimedia fashion and art event to take place in Rochester, NY

MASSACHUSETTS MUSIC COMPOSITION PROJECT SEEKS CONTRACTOR TO DESIGN AND CONDUCT A STATEWIDE PROGRAM OF MUSIC EDUCATION

Since the enactment of the Education Reform Act of 1993 the Massachusetts Department of Education has published seven curriculum frameworks. The Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework, (1999) which contains standards for music, dance, theatre, and visual arts and guidelines for learning, teaching, and assessment in these disciplines, may be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks

To support implementation of the music standards of the Arts Curriculum Framework, the Department of Education seeks a contractor to design and conduct a statewide program of music education that will promote students' acquisition of skills in music theory and composition and further teachers' capacity to include theory and composition in a well-rounded music program. This program will include direct services to students in at least five schools as well as dissemination of the project through a website.

The Department will award one contract not to exceed $300,000 per year for programs beginning in the Spring of 2002 and ending June 30, 2005. A 10% match in cash or in-kind contributions is required. Funding is subject to appropriation in FY02, FY03, FY04, and FY05.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, cultural organizations, professional arts education associations, or a consortium of such groups, working with at least five public schools serving students in grades 5-8, including charter schools, to be identified by the applicant. Schools in the partnership should be from different regions of the state and should include urban, rural, and suburban populations.

The program must be planned and conducted by a partnership of music educators, musicians, and technology specialists. The applicant team should possess: thorough knowledge of music theory, music literature, composition, improvisation, and analysis; experience in teaching middle school students to read, compose, and analyze music; experience in providing professional development to middle school teachers; experience in mentoring students and providing support to teachers in person and on-line; and demonstrated capability in graphic design/website design and technical expertise necessary to create an engaging interactive website for the public.

The program should focus on developing knowledge of music theory and composition in students from grades 5 through 8, and the capacity of their music teachers to implement three standards of the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework:
Standard 2: Reading and Notation,
Standard 4: Composition and Improvisation, and
Standard 5: Critical Response.

Critical dates are:

• February 14,2002
  Bidders' Conference, Massachusetts Department of Education
  
• March 12,2002
  Proposals due at Massachusetts Department of Education by 5 P.M.
  
• April 2002
  Contract activities begin, including planning with schools for implementation

For information about this program, please submit questions in writing to Susan Wheltle, Director of the Office for the Humanities at email swheltle@doe.mass.edu

Bidders'conference will be held on February 14 from 3:00-5:00 at the Massachusetts Department of Education, 350 Main Street, Malden. To register for the Bidders' conference, please contact Janet St. Don, 781-338-6234, or jstdon@doe.mass.edu

MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION -- http://www.doe.mass.edu

Details about these and other jobs are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobs.html

To submit jobs to Arts Wire, email them to joblist@artswire.org Please send a text file in the body of the message. (ie no attachments and no HTML) There is no fee for posting job listings. The deadline is Friday for the next week's listings. (which usually are posted on Monday) For the most part, job listings are not edited. The contents of the postings are the responsibility of the originating agency.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, (Flagstaff, AZ)

DIRECTOR, ARTSEDGE, Dept of Education, The Kennedy Center, (Washington, DC)

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, (full-time, tenure-track) General Education Specialist - Interdisciplinary Arts, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, (Whitewater, WI)

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ART HISTORY, Scripps College, (Clairemont, CA)

MANAGING DIRECTOR, Tucson Girls Chorus, (Tucson, AZ)

COMPANY MANAGER, AXIS Dance Company, (San Francisco, CA)

BRAVA! FOR LITERACY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, Brava! for Women in the Arts/ Brava Theater Center, (San Francisco, CA)

GENERAL MANAGER, Central Florida Cultural Endeavors, (Daytona Beach, FL)

REGISTER, Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, (Lake Worth, FL)

ASSOCIATE, Chicago Center for Arts Policy, Columbia College Chicago, (Chicago, IL)

MANAGER, PRESS RELATIONS, New York City Ballet, (New York, NY)

DANCE INSTRUCTOR, (Southern Arizona)

WOODWORKING INSTRUCTOR, Craft Students League, (New York, NY)

ALLEN WHITEHILL CLOWES CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP, Indianapolis Museum of Art, (Indianapolis, IN)

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, Mark Morris Dance Group, (New York City, NY)

PUBLICIST, performing arts pr office, (New York City, NY)

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, (New York City, NY)

TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR, New England Foundation for the Arts, (Boston, MA)

DISTANCE LEARNING/TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, Manhattan School of Music, (New York University, NY)

MEMBERSHIP AND GIFT PROCESSING COORDINATOR, American Ballet Theatre, (New York City, NY)

MARKETING ASSISTANT, Mark Morris Dance Group, (New York City, NY)

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR, The American Classical Orchestra, (Norwalk, CT)

ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, New 42nd Street, (New York City, NY)

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, VOLUNTEER COUNCIL, San Francisco Symphony, (San Francisco, CA)

OFFICE/BUSINESS MANAGER, Lincoln Center, (New York City, NY)

FINANCE ASSISTANT, Lincoln Center Theater, (New York City, NY)

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, The Morgan Library, (New York, NY)

PROGRAM ASSISTANT, NATIONAL DANCE PROJECT, (part-time) New England Dance Project, (Boston, MA)

BOX OFFICE ASSISTANT, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center, (New York City, NY)

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, VOLUNTEER COUNCIL, San Francisco Symphony, (San Francisco, CA)

DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHER INTERN, The Brooklyn Youth Vocal Ensemble, (Brooklyn, NY)

SUMMER INTERNS, Kennedy Center/Vilar Institute, (Washington, DC)

READERS WANTED, (screenplay reading) (New York City, NY)

Dance Education Web will

• disseminate resources for dance teaching and learning in diverse educational settings via worldwide links

• provide efficient access to state-of-the-art, research-based "best practice" resources on dance teaching and learning that shape a broad vision of dance education

Sections include Dance Teaching and Learning, Curriculum and Assessment, Dancemaking and Performance, Dance Forms and Styles, Research, Dance Notation, Technology, Documentation and Preservation, Advocacy, Professional Development, and Resources for Teachers.

A special For Kids Only section will include selected resources of interest to children. A Motif Notation section is under development with the support of the Dance Preservation Fund of the Dance Notation Bureau Extension for Education and Research housed in the Department of Dance, the Ohio State University.

Each category includes an interactive form which visitors can use to suggest additional content for the page.

Aimed at teachers in all dance education settings; professional dance artists; classroom teachers in preK-12 settings and other subject specialists, Dance Education Web is the evolution of a project begun in 1991 as the Ohio Dance Education Resource Guide. (ODERG)

"Many dance educators in the state contributed their time and talents to achieving the vision of an accessible resource on dance education-related topics and issues," the project states.

The ODERG was supported by the Ohio Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, OhioDance, and the Ohio State University Department of Dance.

Visit http://danceducationweb.org to find out more.
(note - page down the site to see the entire content)

Although the President's recently released budget proposes to eliminate the Technology Opportunities Program, (TOP) the proposal to eliminate the program, if enacted, would affect the program in Fiscal Years 2003 and beyond. This year's competition will award funds appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2002 and will not be affected.

All non-profit entities (including, but not limited to, faith-based organizations, national organizations and associations, non-profit community-based organizations, non-profit health care providers, schools, libraries, museums, colleges, universities, public safety providers) and state, local, and tribal governments are eligible to apply. Although individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply, they are encouraged to participate as project partners.

Examples of cultural projects funded in the past include $394,775 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for providing access to museum-sponsored programs via the Internet to students in rural, isolated areas in order for them to gain a better understanding of their own indigenous culture.

Issuance of grants is subject to the availability of FY 2002 funds. Based on the status of relevant appropriations legislation, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) expects to have approximately $12.5 million available for new grants. An applicant may request up to a total of $750,000 in funds from NTIA. TOP expects the federal amounts awarded to range from $200,000 to $750,000, with an average of approximately $500,000. The amount awarded covers the duration of the project. Grant recipients under this program will be required to provide matching funds toward the total project cost. For complete information, visit http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top/index.html