Planning for the Year
of the Arts and Humanities (YAH) has been in full
swing all winter, and now is the time for all interested
faculty, staff, and students to get involved by submitting
proposals for events that will celebrate discovery
and foster creative collaboration.
Beginning in July and running through June 2005,
the year is intended to celebrate the rich cultural
tradition of the arts and humanities at the University
and throughout Iowa, and to forge cultural linkages
between the academic community and communities around
the state.
Grants of $100 to $10,000 are available for special
events that explore the life of discovery and encourage
reflection, extend the creativity of arts and humanities
beyond the University, open up the University to
compelling projects being undertaken in Iowa, and
support public culture.
“We especially seek ideas for projects—large
and small—that engage Iowa citizens, organizations,
and institutions, as audience members or as collaborators
or participants,” says Jay Semel, director
of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies and cochair
of the YAH steering committee.
Plans are under way for a kickoff festival Sept.
7-9 devoted to humanistic inquiry and the creative
process. Some of the featured events will include
an address by Dana Goia, chair of the National Endowment
for the Arts; a
lecture-reading by poet and essayist Ed Hirsch, the
president of the Guggenheim Foundation; and a performance
by the renowned Chinese artists, the Zhou Brothers.
A second festival, in April 2005, will examine the
ways in which the arts and humanities shape understandings
of what it means to be human and deepen commitments
to our well-being.
The months between these two festivals will feature
numerous arts and humanities events on campus and
around the state. YAH funding is available for new
programs designed to engage the public or for already-scheduled
events that can be made available to wider or different
Iowa publics with YAH support.
The steering committee welcomes suggestions and
ideas regarding speakers, performers, and programming
for the festivals and for events throughout the year
that will highlight the importance of the arts and
humanities in our everyday lives.
“We want to encourage people to think broadly
about how discoveries made by artists and writers,
by scholars and thinkers, can provide meaning for
people from every background, bridging differences,
creating sustainable economies, and adding to the
fabric of life,” says Christopher Merrill,
director of the International Writing Program and
cochair of the YAH steering committee.
UI President David Skorton’s determination
to increase public awareness and support of the rich
tradition of arts and humanities on campus and statewide
led to his declaration of the yearlong celebration
last fall.
In addition to Merrill and Semel, Skorton named
Charlotte Adams, associate professor of dance in
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Willard “Sandy” Boyd,
UI president emeritus and the Rawlings-Miller Professor
of Law, cochairs of the planning committee. Skorton
also invited Iowa State University, the University
of Northern Iowa, and those involved in arts and
cultural venues and activities around the state
to join the effort. Gov. Tom Vilsack declared 2004
the Year of Arts, Culture, and Recreation statewide,
and Anita Walker, director of the Iowa Department
of Cultural Affairs, has been coordinating the
statewide celebration.
“As an academic, social, and cultural force,
the arts and humanities comprise the soul of the
university,” Skorton says. “By celebrating
a Year of the Arts and Humanities, we’ll raise
the profile of these fields and celebrate the immense
reach and profound importance of academic arts and
humanities. This effort will also build on our long
partnership with many important cultural venues throughout
the state.”
Guidelines for submitting proposals for YAH events
are online at www.yah.uiowa.edu. For information
about how to develop ideas into competitive proposals,
contact the cochairs, the project manager at jesse-elliott@uiowa.edu,
or any of the committee members listed on the web
site.
by Mary Geraghty Kenyon
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