It is almost March: Youth Art Month

The entries are in Des Moines. Plan to be at the YAM Reception on Sunday, March 7, 2010. More info...

that you can donate. Elementary students are given a ticket at the YAM reception and may win a basket full of art stuff.

Contact Susan Noonan for information on how to donate.

Search ArtEdia.org

See a virtual gallery of Haitian Art from their collection. Donate to their Haiti Quake Relief Fund.

Iowa Arts Council Changing Grant Applications

As of January 2010, both the Mini Grant and Major Grant applications and review criteria have changed. The Iowa Arts Council will conduct webinars and one workshop to discuss these changes. 
 
For the March 1, 2010 grant deadline, Mini Grants will no longer be submitted through eGRANT.  Major Grants will still be administered through eGRANT, but have significant guidelines changes. We encourage you to participate if you are planning to apply and have questions.
 
• Monday, Feb. 22: GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP, 1-4 p.m., State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines  
 
• Wednesday, Feb. 24: MAJOR GRANTCHANGES Webinar, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Register and get more information...

New for AEI! Using the password supplied in the February Message, members of AEI can access videos with step by step directions.

Giacometti 'Walking Man' Sculpture Sells For $104.3 Mill Auction Record

How much is that work of art worth?...

The Prairie Visions Institute for 2010 is being postponed until June 2011.

The necessary funds to provide for Nebraska educators to attend the four day workshop in arts integration is not available.  The funding for Nebraska educators comes from the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and due to the economic situation over the past year, the endowment has not generated the funding. 

To quote an official “there will be no money for arts education projects derived from the Cultural Endowment. We are assured that this is only temporary and funds will be available next year.  Other funding sources will also be explored over the next year for both Nebraska and Iowa educators."

Students in the Council Bluffs area are invited to participate in the Bluffs Arts Council Youth Showcase Artist competition by depicting the theme "Art as a Part of Our Lives". The purpose of the contest is to highlight and promote local young emerging artists. Students are asked to submit a piece of artwork which will become a showcase piece for the Bluffs Arts Council. Each participating student artist must be between 14 and 21 years of age at the time the entries are due, March 1, 2010. A winner will be selected and announced at a special reception to be held in April. There is a $200 cash prize for the student chosen. Application

Did you know?

• There are over 532,000 designers working in the U.S.
• More people are employed in the visual arts than in all of the performing arts and sports industries combined.
• 200,000 people are employed in the film industry.
• People spend approximately $55 billion annually on video games.
• The computer animation industry generates $33 billion annually.
• Jobs and employment in many creative industries are growing faster than the labor force as a whole and make up 30% of the work force by some estimates.

Excerpt from Ringling College of Art and Design

Exceptional support of the arts by two Iowa school boards has won them the 2009-10 Arts Education Award from the Iowa Association of School Boards and the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education. In the smaller district category, the North Winneshiek School Board, Decorah, was honored. In the larger district category, the Sioux City School Board was selected. The Sioux City Board will now compete in a national competition and a $10,000 award from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education and the National School Boards Association. Read more...

You and your students are invited to create trading cards, then share their work on a blogsite initiated by AEI Teacher Tammy Hoppe.

Check out the blog site.

Your students might also be interested in creating an album for storing their artist trading cards from Dick Blick.