The Iowa Hall of Pride (IHP) is filled with dozens of hands-on interactive exhibits that tell the stories of Iowa’s communities and their heroes. Academics, athletics and the arts reveal the sights, sounds, and faces of Iowa. Conveniently located at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, Iowa there is fun for all ages. One can find stories about Iowa artists’ or entertain oneself in the game room. There is something for everyone. By August, one will be able to play with an interactive Kiosk to see and experience the story of visual arts education in Iowa. There will be games, interviews, historical quotes, artwork by Iowa’s best and a host of other surprises.
Networking is a fine art and through it all things are possible. Back in 2005 I started thinking about how All-State Art Awards could receive more recognition. After several months of throwing around ideas I realized that fund-raising was going to have to be a part of a planned advocacy program.
I started recruiting AEI members’ back then and today we have eight on the team. There are methods in place to communicate so that we don’t overlap on our donation requests. Since some companies only donate once a year one has to be patient. It is most successful when one networks into a company. This also takes time. Art patrons are being identified and given information on our quest.
In the fall of 2006 I was attending the fall AEI convention and Pat Grubb, past AEI President, came to me and stated that Rick Miller, a retired art teacher, wanted to talk with me about the Iowa Hall of Pride. Rick and I met briefly then continued later with e-mail conversations.
After some discussion about the advocacy advantage of the project Rick set up a meeting with Jack Lashier, Director of the Iowa Hall of Pride. We talked with Jack for about an hour. After getting back home I realized that we needed more answers, especially on the financial end. It took several weeks of phone calls and e-mails but in the end the decision to launch the Hall of Pride project was made.
At the next AEI Board meeting I pitched the Hall of Pride proposal and received the “go-ahead” from the board. The board also honored my request for $1500 to get the project up and running. I then worked at getting the fund-raising team more thoroughly organized. However, I knew we needed an infusion of cash to generate enthusiasm.
So, I spent three weeks writing an IAC/NEA Major Grant. I also secured an in-kind donation from the Iowa Hall of Pride for $10,600. It was a gamble and since I had not received a previous grant for a project at school I was a little apprehensive. I tweaked this grant more than most and finally let it go. I continued planning for the project just to keep my mind off a possible negative result.
Several months later I received a letter stating that AEI had made the final cut. I stopped working for a couple of days just to let the good news settle in then, developed additional strategies to get the project into the air.
Today, there are over thirty AEI members and three commercial partners involved in the project. By the 2nd of February there will be close to fifty individuals working on various aspects of what I call the IHP Software Development Plan.
After reviewing this plan, Jack Lashier decided to give us a much larger display area, that will include a large plasma screen, a display case and an area for sculptures and other display artifacts. In addition, we have also arranged to showcase All-State Art Award winner's artwork in the hall for one month in May.
As this project becomes a reality there are other goals that will tie in with it. Increasing AEI’s Promotional Mix, expanding networking opportunities, reaching more students, teachers, parents, relatives, administrators, legislators, art patrons, and donors. The story of visual arts education will be showcased at this site and promoted throughout the state in an ongoing effort.
As our Mission Statement asserts, “Our strengths are in the people who work together and share ideas, concerns, and enthusiasm for visual arts education.” A special thanks to Rick Miller for bringing this opportunity to my attention, and to the AEI Board for their continuing vision and support.
Dave Pratt, Past All-State Art Awards Chairperson
August 2008
The members of Art Educators of Iowa and the students of Iowa send a huge "thank you!"
Without his tireless efforts, those outstanding art students and their teachers and the work of this organization would not have been recognized in this exciting exhibit.
Thanks, Dave!
AEI is proud to feature the work of Iowa students. The light painting at the top of the page was made by the North Winneshiek Comm. School students of AEI member Susan Heier.
You can share the work of Iowa art students by signing up for a traveling exhibit to come to your school during the 2012-23 school year. Sign up for a traveling exhibit of work by Iowa students to come to your school.
"Like" ArtEdIa on Facebook, along with more than 90 friends