Grants available to develop "tourism assets" in the Lander area

If an arts organization isn't a "tourism asset" we don't know what is:

Lander's Tourism Asset Development (TAD) Program offers assistance through the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce from lodging tax proceeds from the Wind River Visitor’s Council.

All applicants are subject to guidelines for requesting Tourism Asset Development funds from the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce.  All requests require appropriate application materials and recommendation of the TAD committee and approval of the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.  Eligible candidates include groups that are able to demonstrate that their programming has a direct benefit to the tourism industry specifically in the Lander area.  The purpose of the TAD Grant program is to attract potential visitors from outside of the Lander area.

Those eligible to apply for the TAD program are non-governmental tourist-related organizations, non-profit organization, Civic organizations or tourism related organizations for the purpose of developing tourism assets in the Lander area.  Eligible expenditures include but are not limited to print media, website, radio, television.  Other expenditures may be eligible dependent upon approval of the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

TAD grants may be awarded for applications in any amount up to $1,000.

Applications must be submitted to the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce by February 1, 2013 for projects to be completed in 2013.

Call the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce at 307-332-3892.

Sean Hart's new Laramie co-op gallery is looking for artists

Painter Sean Hart has a gallery at 404 S. 2nd St. in downtown Laramie. It's called 2 Bazaar Gallery. He is opening another space. He describes his plans this way:

We own another building in downtown Laramie that has been vacant for over a year and I want to open it up to artists as a gallery based on a co-op model. There is about 5,400 square feet on two floors. The second floor has a stage, lighting and sound system and possible artist studio spaces. The university and others have done plays and events there. I am not doing this to make money. It is just that the space has been empty and I have done art shows and sales there with some success. Here is my plan as I see it now. I am open to suggestions and ideas. 

I plan to charge an 18 percent commission on sales. This is what I figure it will cost for insurance, utilities, credit card fees, maintenance etc. Each artist will be required to open the gallery on a Saturday on a rotating basis. If we have 12 artists that would be once every three months. We will set up a studio space in the front window where they can work on art pieces while they run the gallery.

In the beginning we will need to advertise. A 3x4 inch ad in the Laramie Boomerang newspaper is about $60.If 12 artists contribute, that's only five dollars each. Once a month or maybe twice a month we will have an artist reception with featured artists. 

The building is ready to begin accepting art and could be open soon with just four artists to start as early as Saturday, Oct. 20. We plan a big holiday sale. 

If you're an artist interested in this venture, contact Sean at 307-742-2888 or email him any time at LYSETTE555@earthlink.net.

National Endowment for the Arts opens up application process for Our Town grants

On Oct. 11, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Wyoming Arts Council's federal partner, posted guidelines and application materials for Our Town, the agency's primary creative placemaking grants program. Pending availability of funding, grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000. 

Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to:

•        Improve their quality of life;

•        Encourage greater creative activity;

•        Foster stronger community identity and a sense of place; and

•        Revitalize economic development.

Other key information:

·         Complete Our Town application guidelines are available at arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/index.html

·         Application deadline is Jan. 14, 2013 at 11:59 pm. This deadline is earlier than last year.

·  For Our Town FAQs, go to arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/FAQ.html

·  Webinars to learn more about this funding opportunity will be held on Nov. 6 and 13, 2012, at 3:00 pm EST at arts.gov

·         Program Inquiries: Email OT@arts.gov to schedule a call with an NEA design program specialist

Projects may include arts engagement, cultural planning, and design activities. Definitions of these activities can be found in the FY 2012 Our Town grant announcement. Project examples are below.

Now in its third year, Our Town has provided $11.57 million to fund 131 projects in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Those projects are diverse in geographic distribution, number and types of partnerships, artistic discipline, and type of project. As regards population size, in FY 2012 alone, 41 of the 80 grants supported projects in communities with populations under 50,000.

To view a map of these projects along with descriptions and images, visit the Our Town section of the NEA website.

Wyoming Our Town grants:

From the NEA web site:

The Nicolaysen Art Museum, more commonly known as the NIC, received a $50,000 Our Town grant in 2011. The NIC is a leading center for contemporary arts in the Rocky Mountain region. Although the museum focuses on exhibitions, visitors can also personally engage with art creation through classes and programs at the museum's Discovery Center.

The museum plans to further improve community engagement with a pilot project that will integrate public art into a low-income housing community in Casper, Wyoming. An experienced artist will be selected to work with developers and residents to design and plan for public art, as well as green space that will serve as a gathering place for residents of the housing complex and the local community. The project will take place at the Sunshine Apartments, located at a formerly blighted site on a highly visible intersection in downtown Casper. The Nicolaysen Art Museum will oversee the artist selection process, and the Wyoming Development Authority, Grimshaw Investments & Development, and the City of Casper will construct, document, and evaluate the project with the goal of replicating the public art process in future affordable housing projects throughout Wyoming. Casper is a town of 55,000 residents.

See a short video taken at night of the completed public art piece, "Confluence," by going to http://youtu.be/ol7RI3WYu5s 

The Evanston Urban Renewal Agency received a $50,000 Our Town grant in 2012.

Here's a summary:

The Strand Theater in Evanston, Wyoming, was built in 1917 and became the premier place for entertainment, from vaudevillian acts and silent movies to modern day films and community events. In 2007, the historic building was nearly destroyed by a fire, with only three walls and the façade remaining intact. In 2008, the building owners donated it to the Evanston Urban Renewal Agency.

The agency and Sagebrush Theatre Production will use an Our Town grant for architectural and engineering plans for the interior renovation of the Strand. The historic theater will be transformed into the Evanston Cultural Center serving as a performance space for Sagebrush and other arts groups, and as a cultural hub for the community. Myers-Anderson Architecture, a local firm with extensive historic renovation experience, will design the architectural and engineering plans. It is anticipated that improvements to this cultural landmark will inspire and attract new local businesses to downtown Evanston and provide a cultural center for the city's 12,400 residents.

The Center for the Arts in Jackson received a $50,000 Our Town grant in 2012.

Info from the NEA:

The town of Jackson, population 9,900, is conveniently located near Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and other natural tourist attractions. The Center for the Arts serves as the hub for arts and education in downtown Jackson with a 41,000-square-foot Arts & Education Pavilion, a multi-tenant facility with studios, classrooms, and offices; and the Performing Arts Pavilion, which includes a 525-seat theater, a music center, and theater rehearsal space.

The Center for the Arts and the Town of Jackson, in collaboration with 20 additional local organizations, are using an Our Town grant to design the green space adjacent to the center. Renovation of this space will increase connectivity among cultural, recreational, and retail businesses and attract residents to participate in new arts programming at the center. Project activities include community design charrettes and a final schematic design for a multi-use performance park to be used for arts and cultural activities. It is anticipated that as many as 20,000 people will utilize the redesigned public space annually for cultural activities, markets, and fairs.

Here are some other examples from around the country:

Art Engagement Project Examples

Union County Arts Center in Rahway, NJ Grant: $75,000

Union County Arts Center, the City of Rahway's Redevelopment Agency, Arts Guild New Jersey, LuceGroup, Rahway Arts District, and artistic and community partners will collaborate on RAHWAY ARTsPART, a series of creative performances and community engagement activities.

RedLine in Denver, CO Grant: $25,000

The arts collective RedLine, City of Denver, and seven additional organizations will collaborate on A Village Environment, a project within the city's Sustainability Park that involves the creation of public sculptures that will produce renewable energy. The public sculptures will be commissioned via a competitive selection process, with the requirement of artistic excellence and the ability to generate power.

Cultural Planning Project Examples

City of Omaha in Omaha, NE Grant: $100,000

The City of Omaha is partnering with Love’s Jazz and Art Center and local organizations on the Street of Dreams project, part of the revitalization plans for North Omaha’s 24th and Lake Street District. The grant will support a feasibility and community design study to re-imagine Festival Square and will allow the partners to engage visual artist and urban planner Theaster Gates to transform a nearby vacant building into a central space for artists and residents.

Santo Domingo Tribe in Santo Domingo Pueblo, NM Grant: $100,000

The Santo Domingo Planning Department and Housing Authority, Enterprise Community Partners, together with five local partners, will work together on a cultural district plan for Santo Domingo Pueblo. The plan will document the cultural heritage of the Santo Domingo Tribe, establishing livable and culturally appropriate guidelines for historic adobe structures and new development.

Design Activities Project Examples

Native Village of Mary’s Igloo in Teller, AK Grant: $50,000

The Native Village of Mary’s Igloo, a federally recognized tribe, is partnering with the not-for-profit Kawerak, Inc. and the Cold Climate Housing Research Center on community engagement and design activities for the Mary’s Igloo Community Development Center. The center will be designed through three design charrette meetings with the community and with local artists. The proposed facility will include a museum, cultural heritage room, library, commercial teaching kitchen, artisan workshop, small business operation spaces, lodging for tourists, gift shop, and storage.

Austin Film Society in Austin, TX Grant: $75,000

In 2000, the City of Austin collaborated with Austin Film Society to form Austin Studios on 20 acres at the newly decommissioned municipal airport. With the Our Town grant, the partners plan to incorporate a decommissioned National Guard Building into the Austin Studios campus. The remodeled building will include affordable space for film production and education, a new exhibition and visitors center, two screening rooms, and a plaza and lobby for public events.

Note to self: It's never too late to start dancing!

Casper Area Community Foundation awards grants to Casper and Douglas nonprofits

This comes from this morning’s Casper Star-Tribune. Note that there are a number of arts groups that received grants from the Casper Area Community Foundation, which is just one of the local entities affiliated with the Wyoming Community Foundation. Most of them give grants. The others are in the Dubois Area, Evanston Area, Park County, Rock Springs Area and Sheridan-Johnson. Here’s the news from Casper:

The Casper Area Community Foundation recently awarded a total of $131,654 in grants to Casper and Douglas nonprofits. 

The largest of 14 grants went to the Child Advocacy Project Inc., which collaborates with organizations to reduce the trauma caused when victims of child abuse must repeatedly tell their stories, according to a CACF press release. 

The second largest grant went to CLIMB Wyoming, which assists low-income, single mothers in obtaining training needed for a professional position. 

The foundation also awarded grants to the Arc of Natrona County, Artcore Inc., the Casper Chamber Music Society, the Casper Family YMCA, The Science Zone, the 12-24 Club Inc., the Cadoma Foundation, Children and Nutrition Services Inc., Joshua’s Storehouse & Distribution, Reach 4A Star Riding Academy, the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps Inc., the Women’s Self Help Center and the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. 

Find out more about the Casper Area Community Foundation at http://www.wycf.org/who/affad/casper.html

"Upstairs, Downtown" in Laramie Aug. 17

On Friday, Aug. 17, 3-7 p.m., Laramie will hold a "home tour" of downtown's second floor remodeled lofts and apartments. Tickets are $10 per person in advance, $15 the day of and can be purchased at the Laramie Main Street office at 207 Grand Ave. M-F 11 to 3 p.m. or by calling 307-760-3355.

The Upstairs/Downtown tour is sponsored by Mountain Valley Properties, Pence and MacMillian, Advantage Real Estate, The Mortgage Source and Wolf Creek Broadcasting: Hits 106.

FMI: http://www.facebook.com/wyomingartscouncil#!/events/431933180170260/

Matthew Dehaemers wins public art commission for Casper project

From a Nicolaysen Art Museum press release:

After a five-month selection process that involved 86 artists from around the state, region, nation, and the globe, Matthew Dehaemers from Kansas City, Kansas, was awarded the commission for the public art project on the southwest corner of Beech and Collins St. in Casper. The public art panel, comprised of representatives from all collaborators on the project, as well as public art administrators, artists, and community residents felt that Dehaemers synthesized many aspects of life in Casper and in the region, while also creating an educational project that refers back abstractly to the landscape that surrounds us and the elements that sustain our lives.

In early 2011, a unique opportunity arose to integrate public art into a new development for affordable housing located on the eastern edge of the Casper business district and directly across the street from the Nicolaysen Art Museum. Discussions centered on creating a public art project that could be incorporated into existing open green space, and serve as a gathering place for the residents of the housing complex, the surrounding community, and businesses. The new development, the Sunshine Apartments, will utilize green design as one of many initiatives for a ground-breaking direction in affordable housing the state of Wyoming. This project was awarded funding by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of their Our Town initiative. Our Town is the NEA’s new leadership initiative focused on creative “placemaking” projects where partners from both public and private sectors come together to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities.

Matthew Dehaemers received his BFA from Creighton University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin. His national public art commissions include the recent work Catalyst for the Kansas City Area Transit Authority, Seven Sentinels at the Vehicle Impound Facility in Kansas City and Convergence commissioned by the Los Angeles County as well as Detour commissioned by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Currently he is working on a large scale kinetic public art piece for the Johnson County Public Works facility. Dehaemers has also continued to produce unique issue focused installations for various art center such as Project Reclamation for the Leedy-Voulkos Arts Center, Watered Down for the Creighton University Lied Center and (402)Disconnect/Reconnect for the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art among others. He has been awarded the Kansas Arts Commission Fellowship Award, the Joan Mitchell Fellowship, four Public Art Network Recognitions, an NAACP Community Contribution Award as well as numerous residencies.

Dehamer’s sundial project is entitled “Confluence of Time and Place.” His vision was inspired by “the historical periods of this region.”

Artist Statement:

All along the way life has left its mark on the rugged rocky terrain of the area in the form of bones, fossils, word and image carvings of indigenous people and pioneers. Today we mark the land by utilizing its’ rich natural resources to fuel the community including new alternative sources such as solar and wind energy. Today is just one small point on a continuum of millions of years of existence. As human beings we are use to placing time into a smaller context of years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. When we talk about the geology of the earth we are talking about a macrocosm of 4.6 billion years. It is almost unfathomable to comprehend the true reality of that span of time. This public art installation is a way to symbolically connect these two streams of time. This structure is designed to broadcast with its shadow the time of day specifically for the exact latitude and longitude of Casper. At the same time, various graphically rendered spots surrounding the installation reveal the totality of our earth’s geological history and the existence of life since the beginning of our planet.

This project would not have been possible without the collaboration of the WCDA, the Nicolaysen Art Museum, Grimshaw Investments, LLC, and the City of Casper. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works.

For interview information and photographic opportunities, please call the museum at 307.235.5247.

For high-resolution images to accompany stories about this project, visit

http://www.thenic.org/index.php?/media/C52/.

Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine TV tours renovated Broadway Theater in Rock Springs

Broadway Theater set for a grand opening April 13. Get more info here.

Buffalo will hold Feb. 6 public meeting to select artist for downtown murals

The City of Buffalo’s Vision Buffalo Commission will hold a public meeting on Monday, Feb. 6, 5 p.m., in the Buffalo City Council Chambers at 46 N. Main St. The meeting will explain the design parameters of the two murals to be painted on walls in the downtown business district for the Crazy Woman Square Redevelopment Project. Interested artists will be given a deadline to submit their sketches for approval by the commission. The winning sketches will be awarded the contract to paint both murals. Experience in painting public murals is preferred and will be a consideration for final approval. FMI: Zach Montgomery, City Planner at (307) 684-5566, Ext. 4, or tlawrence@fnb-buffalo.com 

Call for proposals: Fort Collins Linden Street Pocket Park Public Art Project

Old Town Fort Collins

The City of Fort Collins, Colorado, Art in Public Places Program is seeking to commission an artist/team to work on the Linden Street Pocket Park Project.  The artist will collaborate with the project team in developing the overall park design and to develop a site-specific art component(s) incorporated into the pocket park which will engage the community, complement the existing Linden St. Streetscape Project, integrate into the planned urban design of the River District area, and have an educational component. The Linden Street Pocket Park is near the historic site of Camp Collins in Fort Collins, Colorado.

This project is open to all professional Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico artists/artist teams, legally residing in and authorized to work in the United States. Artist must be able to work effectively and collaboratively with the project’s design team selected by the City of Fort Collins. The total contract amount for all applicable expenses, which includes all fees for consulting with the design team, the design, execution, transportation, site preparation, and installation of all artwork selected as well as a project plaque, shall be an approximate amount up to $125,000.  This figure will also include any travel expenses.

Submissions must be received by January 31, 2012. Artists may download the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) #7322 from the City’s Purchasing website at http://www.fcgov.com/purchasing/

For questions regarding the Art in Public Places Program, please contact Ellen Martin at (970)416-2789. Questions regarding proposal submittal or process should be directed to James B. O’Neill II, CPPO, FNIGP, Director of Purchasing and Risk Management, (970)221-6775.

L.A.’s Artist Bailout: Like bringing Kickstarter to life for one night, plus pie

Cool new way to fund small, innovative community-based arts organization:

Last summer, Nina Becker (above, right) converted her van into a "gigantic pinhole camera." Now she needs $1,000 to use the "VanCam" for five photography workshops with students in Los Angeles. "We wanted to teach kids about photography on a scale that related to their own bodies," she explained to a crowd of 100 potential micro-investors gathered at Human Resources, a gallery in L.A.'s Chinatown, to consider her pitch over slices of sweet potato-bacon and coconut cream pies.  

Becker's organization, The Mobile Pinhole Project, was one of seven local arts groups seeking funding at the third installment of an event series called Artist Bailout, which looks to "democratically fund new work by emerging artists." Attendees donated $10, or more if they were willing, in exchange for dinner and a ballot (GOOD matched donations with a $1,000 check). At the end of the night, participants cast votes for their two favorite organizations. 

When all the votes were tallied, The Mobile Pinhole Project came out on top, along with Knowledges, a curatorial collective that's planning a weekend-long exhibition in June at Mount Wilson Observatory, a neglected telescope in the San Gabriel Mountains. The winning groups received $1,000 each, with $100 going to each of five runners-up. 

With funding for local arts and community programs drying up because of the economic downturn, the Artist Bailout provides an alternative for artists whose work lies outside traditional funding mechanisms, and gets art lovers invested in their communities. Think of it as bringing Kickstarter to life for a night, plus pie. Elana Mann, one of the event's organizers, said she thought Saturday "went amazingly well... We were hoping to at least make $1,000, so we're thrilled," she said, while handing rolls of 20-dollar bills to presenters claiming their prizes. Past Artist Bailouts have funded projects like Stair Street Ghosts, a walking tour of L.A.'s historic Mt. Angelus neighborhood, known for its staircase sidewalks that typically remain closed to the public. 

With $1,000 in the bank after Saturday night's success, Knowledges cofounders Christina Ondrus and Elleni Sclavenitis only need about $500 more to realize their event. They plan to host installations and film screenings by 40 artists whose work or aesthetic is inspired by astronomy. Ondrus and Sclavenitis hope the event will be the first of many site-specific exhibitions around Los Angeles. "Art doesn't happen in a vacuum," said Ondrus. "It happens somewhere. Not just in a gallery or a closed space." 

From GOOD Magazine. Photo by Zak Stone

Support Rock Springs Main Street at "Top Hats and Tiaras" on New Year's Eve

Get your affordable art for the holidays at WOW in Laramie

http://www.worksofwyoming.org/

Call for proposals: ArtPlace America

In an unprecedented private-public collaboration, 11 of America's top foundations have joined with the National Endowment for the Arts and seven federal agencies to establish ArtPlace, a nationwide initiative to accelerate creative placemaking across the U.S.

ArtPlace believes that art, culture and creativity expressed powerfully through place can create vibrant communities, thus increasing the desire and the economic opportunity for people to thrive in place. It is all about the local.

ArtPlace invites Letters of Inquiry from initiatives involving arts organizations, artists and designers working in partnership with local and national partners (in fields such as economic development, transportation, neighborhood development, entrepreneurship, sustainability, health, etc.) to produce a transformative impact on community vibrancy.

If you or one of your partners wishes to apply, please review the guidelines and complete the Letter of Inquiry, both available here: http://www.artplaceamerica.org/loi/. To be considered for our next round of grants, all requests must be submitted by November 15, 2011.

We look forward to receiving your submissions for innovative and distinctive projects.

Convergence Wyoming photo album

Carrie Geraci, left, of the Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative, interacts with Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Department Director Milward Simpson (second from right) and Randy Oestman from the Wyoming Arts Council during a regional breakout session Saturday morning at Convergence Wyoming. Photo by Ernie Over.

Convergence Wyoming

Convergence Wyoming

Milward Simpson, director of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, addresses those gathered in Cody for Convergence Wyoming Oct. 6-8. Waiting in the wings to speak are University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan and historian and UW political science professor Pete Simpson. The first four photos show groups gathered for Convergence sessions. Photos by Alan O'Hashi.

Creative placemaking continues in downtown Rawlins

From Rawlins DDA/Main Street:

Tickets for the third annual Passion & Pride Ball on Saturday, September 10, at the Jeffrey Center are for sale now at the Rawlins DDA/Main Street Office in the Rainbow Teton Entrepreneur Center at 116 4th Street, Rawlins. Theme for this year: "Music of the Night." Tickets are $60 per person and include a plated dinner, live band, live auction, and fun all night long.

Monies raised will be used by Rawlins DDA/Main Street to fund Phase 1 of the Rawlins Downtown Plan (for more information see below). Some auction items this year include:

·         An Exotic Trip with beaches and warm breezes

·         Weekend Getaways with lovely vistas

·         Original artwork by local artists

·         A Murder Mystery Dinner for 10

This event is formal, black tie optional. Limited tickets are available, so please call 307-328-2099 or stop by now to get yours.

The money for Passion & Pride for 2011 has been set aside to create more parking in downtown and to increase walkability. This is the first phase implementing the Rawlins Downtown Plan (click here to download). For more information on what the money will be specifically used for, click here.

Murals going up on downtown Laramie buildings

Talal Cockar is painting a mural on the side of a building in downtown Laramie. This is what is looked like as of noon today (as seen on the UW Art Museum blog). Yesterday, he had the help of Cathedral Home students to begin painting in the background color for the work. This is one of several mural projects underway in Laramie. Photo courtesy of UW Art Museum. 

Nicolaysen releases RFQ guidelines for innovative public art partnership in Casper

From Lisa Hatchadoorian at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper:

In early 2011, a unique opportunity arose to integrate public art into a new development for low income housing located on the eastern edge of the Casper business district and directly across the street from the Nicolaysen Art Museum, a contemporary art museum in downtown Casper. 

David Haney, Executive Director for the WCDA (Wyoming Community Development Authority), initiated conversations with Grimshaw Investments, a private developer, the City of Casper, and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. Discussions centered around creating a public art project that could be incorporated into existing open green space, and serve as a gathering place for the residents of the housing complex, the surrounding community, and businesses. The new development, the Sunshine Apartments, will utilize green design as one of many initiatives for a ground breaking direction in low-income housing the state of Wyoming. Additionally, we envision the site serving as a focal point for arts activities and events.

It quickly became evident that by working together, we could create a working model and pilot program for public art partnerships for our community and others around the state. The proposed public art project will be created in the same spirit—drawing upon gathered input from the community to inspire an artist in the design, creation and installation of a work of public art that reflects and highlights this unique community, its history and the surrounding neighborhood. The art project will be an integral component of the vision for the apartment complex and a source of community pride and inspiration. 

This project was recently awarded funding by the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) as part of its "Our Town" initiative. Our Town is the NEA’s new leadership initiative focused on "creative placemaking” projects where partners from both public and private sectors come together to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities.

Deadline for submission of qualifications: Friday, September 16, 2011.

FMI: lhatchadoorian@thenic.org

Aug. 11-12 NEA webcasts address HUD Sustainable Housing and Communities grants

Press release from Victoria Hutter at the NEA. Contact hutterv@arts.gov or 202-682-5692:

AUGUST 11 AND 12 WEBCASTS ON FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS FROM HUD’S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES

$123 Million in Funding is Available through HUD’s Community Challenge Grant Program and

HUD’s Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program

Nonprofit arts organizations are invited to attend two webcasts about funding opportunities through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC).  OSHC recently issued two Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA) for their FY 2011 Community Challenge Grants Program ($95 million in grants available) and FY 2011 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program ($28 million available).

Guidelines and application information:

Community Challenge Grants Program Deadline is September 9, 2011.

Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program Pre-application deadline is August 25, 2011.

The webcasts will be hosted by OSHC staff to provide overviews of the respective programs followed by time for viewers to ask questions. People interested in watching the webcast should log onto http://www.hud.gov/sustainabilitybeginning one hour before the webcast start time for a link to the presentation.

Webcast Schedule

August 11, 3:30 – 4:30 PM EDT: Community Challenge Planning Grant program

August 12, 1:00 – 2:00 PM EDT: Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program


Program Descriptions

The Community Challenge Grants Program (CC) provides grants to enable communities in fostering reform and reducing barriers to achieving affordable, economically vital, and sustainable communities. Such efforts may include amending or replacing local master plans, zoning codes, and building codes, either on a jurisdiction-wide basis or in a specific neighborhood, district, corridor, or sector to promote mixed-use development, affordable housing, the reuse of older buildings and structures for new purposes, and similar activities with the goal of promoting sustainability at the local or neighborhood level. This Program also supports the development of affordable housing, including artist housing, through the development and adoption of inclusionary zoning ordinances and other activities such as acquisition of land for affordable housing projects.


Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program (SCRP) provides grants to help improve regional planning efforts that integrate housing and transportation decisions, and increase state, regional, and local capacity to incorporate livability, sustainability, and social equity values into land use plans and zoning. The program supports metropolitan and multi-jurisdictional planning efforts through a consortium-based model that brings together numerous groups including arts- and design-based organizations to inform the planning process. 

Program Background and Results from Year One

Both programs, now in their second year build on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, an innovative interagency collaboration, launched by President Obama in June 2009, between HUD, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide more sustainable housing and transportation choices for families and lay the foundation for a 21st century economy.  For the first time last year, HUD and NEA co-convened the nonprofit arts community around funding opportunities. The SCRP program was the first NOFA that contained language encouraging arts organizations to participate in the consortia submitting applications.

As a result, four grants awarded through the SCRP program had arts organizations among its partners, including the City of Tampa, Florida that received a $1,181,250 grant to create a Primary Transit Corridor Master Plan to promote efficiency and better define a distinctive sense of place. Partner arts organizations were the David A Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Arts Council Hillsborough County, Tampa Theatre Foundation, and the University of South Florida College of the Arts.

Four grants from the CC program had arts organizations among its partners including the City of Providence, Rhode Island that was awarded $910,000 for the Transportation Corridors to Livable Communities project to improve transit service in the city. The city partnered with two community-based arts organizations—New Urban Arts and Community MusicWorks—and AS220, a nationally recognized arts organization that has built affordable housing.

About the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov andespanol.hud.gov.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

LCCC to offer "The Art of Business" courses this fall at the Hynds Bulding

From the Arts Alliance of Cheyenne:

LCCC is offering a whole new line of courses at the Hynds Building centered around “The Art of Business.” Classes start August 22, 2011.

Upcoming Entrepreneur Classes located at the Hynds Building downtown:

Grants 101 for the Entrepreneur
Participants examine grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, loans, scholarships and other sources of funding for business and non-profits to learn how to find, apply for and manage these financial instruments.

The Business of Art
Participates explore all aspects of the business of art including, marketing, portfolio development, photography and entrepreneurship for emerging and mid-career artist of all media including art educators and creative entrepreneurs

Upcoming entrepreneur classes offered at LCCC main campus online include:
•  Successful entrepreneurship
•  Creating a Business plan
•  Analyzing Business Opportunities
•  Creativity:  the Business Tool

FMI: 307 778-4381