Local Showcase National Press Releases Art in the workplace helps businesses address some key challenges, such as: Enhancing morale (67% agree, 13% disagree, and 20% neither agree nor disagree). - Workplace Art Collection Survey, December 2003	Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Contact: Paul Tyler 816-994-9227 ArtsKC Fund Announces New Inspiration Grants The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City Board of Directors approved $9,179 in new ArtsKC Fund Inspiration Award funding this month for eight projects by local artists. Grants in the Inspiration category support projects that will have significant impact on an artists’ career, cultivate creativity, and contribute to the artistic vibrancy of Kansas City. This is the last of three rounds of Inspiration awards for the 2008 grant cycle, with a total of $32,353 distributed as awards for individual artists from the ArtsKC Fund this year. “We are very pleased to finish out our final round of funding from the ArtsKC Fund with such an interesting set of projects and activities. Artists here are continuing to make progress and push their creative boundaries despite the challenges of the current economy,” says ArtsKC Fund Grants Director, Paul Tyler. Third Round of Inspiration Grants, 2008: Alacartoona including Erin McGrane, Christian Hankel, Kyle Dahlquist and Gregg Jackson: $2,000 Modern cabaret musical artists Alacartoona will receive support to create a DVD recording to capture the excitement and vitality of one of their live performances in order to reach a broader geographical market and booking more touring dates. Brian Collier: $1,000 Visual artist Brian Collier has been invited to create a site-specific work at the University of Houston during a three day event in March of 2009 called “Systems of Sustainability: Art, Innovation, Action.” Collier’s work will be experienced by a broad range of local, national and international conference participants. The award will help pay for related travel expenses. Patrick Alonzo Conway: $1,000 Musician Patrick Alonzo Conway and the People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City will create a new score for the classic silent film “The Battleship Potemkin,” to be performed live at the Pistol Social Club in the West Bottoms in May of 2009. Marcie Miller Gross: $500 Visual artist Marcie Miller Gross will acquire the raw materials to create a new body of work and explore the impact of using a different kind of utilitarian textile in her creative process. She will create a series of objects using industrial felt and wood that she hopes will push the boundaries of her current art practice in a new direction. Jane Gotch and Tiffany Sisemore: $2,000 Dancers and choreographers Jane Gotch and Tiffany Sisemore will create new contemporary works to be performed at La Esquina as part of the Urban Culture Project in early May of 2009. ArtsKC Fund support will help to pay for dancer salaries and technical production support. Herman Johansen: $500 Actor Herman Johansen will direct and produce 15 performances of the play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” as an independent project to be staged at the Unicorn Theatre next spring. Support for the production from the ArtsKC Fund will help Herman establish his credentials as a director in the Kansas City market, leading to future employment as a director and diversifying his opportunities for full-time theatrical employment. Caleb Taylor: $1,000 A one-month residency at the prestigious Vermont Studio Center in January of 2009 is planned by visual artist Caleb Taylor, who will explore new ideas of abstraction in his work and connect with other visual artists as well as artists working in other disciplines. Support from the ArtsKC Fund will help to pay for travel expenses and residency fees. Bernadette Torres: $1,179 Ceramic artist Bernadette Torres needs funding to complete the installation of a refurbished kiln in her home studio. Having a kiln onsite will increase her ability to produce new work more regularly and complete it on a timely basis, so she can take advantage of more opportunities for exhibition and sales. Letters of inquiry from artists interested in applying for the next round of ArtsKC Fund Inspiration awards will be due on March 16, 2009. Visit www.ArtsKC.org for more details about the ArtsKC Fund. A copy of the 2009 guidelines for applying for grants in the Inspiration category of funding from the ArtsKC Fund is available by clicking here. About the ArtsKC Fund The ArtsKC Fund is a united arts fund in the metropolitan Kansas City area that raises new money to support a wide range of arts organizations and programs. Its purpose is to provide stable sources of new financial support for the arts, broaden access to high-quality arts experiences, and sustain excellence in the arts and arts administration. The ArtsKC Fund is an initiative of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, a not-for-profit organization that serves the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area, and strives to strengthen and enrich the community by growing appreciation, participation and support of its arts resources. For more information about the ArtsKC Fund, visit www.ArtsKC.org. # # # << back

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