Like the rest of state government, The Vermont Arts Council’s fiscal year starts July 1 and in just a few days I will be out on the State House Lawn with 15,000 of my closest friends celebrating the new year and July 4th weekend.

Only I’m kind of wondering what’s to celebrate… Read more

Arthur Fitz announces Independence Day celebrations

Click here to watch the latest video of Arthur Fitz, the official mascot of Art Fits Vermont.

July 3 - Stop by the Council's Art Fits Vermont table on the state house lawn at Montpelier's independence day celebration. We'll have puzzles on display as well miniature puzzle pieces for you to decorate.

July 5 - We'll also be at the Sand Bar State Park in Colchester from 2-4pm, where Rick and the Ramblers will perform, and the Art Fits Vermont table will be on display.

ART OF VERMONT: THE STATE COLLECTION - The Vermont Arts Council and the VT Dept. of Buildings and General Services have created a traveling exhibit featuring approximately 50 of the 1,000 pieces of art that State has assembled over the past 170 years. 

July 12, 2008 from 7pm to 9pm will be the opening reception for the exhibit as it travels to the Goodrich Library in Newport.  We hope you join us as we indulge in wine, cheese, music and conversation, while surrounded by some of Vermont’s most magnificent state owned art on July 12. The show will remain in Newport from July 12 to August 16.

NEW ONLINE ART TRAIL -
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Art In State Buildings program, we have added a new feature to our website—an interactive map with over two dozen venues that house artwork commissioned through the program. Each site includes photos of the art in that location and some include and video interviews with the artists. High speed connection recommended.

The Council is grateful for the organizing skills of Vermont State Curator David Schütz, Assistant Curator Tracy Martin, and artist Paul Gruhler for their assistance in these projects, and for the superb photography of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.

SEND US IMAGES OF YOUR COMPLETED PUZZLE PIECE - We encourage you to send us images of your puzzle pieces and puzzle-making activities.  If you have access to a digital camera, take a photo of your piece and upload it to our server.

UPCOMING ART FITS VERMONT EVENT VISITS :

• July 3: Montpelier's Independence Day Celebration
• July 5: Sand Bar State Park with Rick & the Ramblers
• July 12: Silver Lake State Park with Rick & the Ramblers
• July 19: Wooden Horse Arts Guild

If your organization is hosting an event and would like the Art Mobile to attend, please email us!   We may not be able to take part in every event but will visit as many communities as possible in 2008-2009.

ENCOURAGING CHARITABLE GIFTS TO ARTS AND CULTURE - The House of Representatives passed H.R. 6049 on May 21, a bill that was a collection of expired tax incentives along with new provisions on renewable energy. Among them was the IRA Charitable Rollover, a provision that permits tax-free Individual Retirement Account (IRA) distributions of up to $100,000 annually for every taxpayer aged 70 and a half or older. This is an important issue for the nonprofit arts community since this tax incentive provision expired on December 31, 2007. The Senate consideration is pending. Read more.

LATEST NEWS ON ORPHAN WORKS BILL - The intent of this legislation is to provide greater public access to such “orphaned works” by limiting the liability of those seeking to use the works who have pursued a good faith effort to identify and compensate the copyright holder or artist who produced the work. The companion bill in the House has passed out of the subcommittee of jurisdiction with full committee consideration still pending. Read the comprehensive orphan works background alert, and find out more of the latest developments.

LASO GRANT RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED - Seven organizations were chosen as recipients for 2009 Local Arts Partnership grants.  For more information on this grant program and the 2009 recipients, click here.

ROLLING GRANT DEADLINES - The Vermont Arts Council has several grants with rolling deadlines. For more information on any of these grants, click here.

• FY09 American Masterpieces Grants
• FY09 Technical Assistance & Travel Grants
• FY09 Teaching Artist Residency Grants
• FY09 Artist Development Grants

VAAE CALL FOR PROPOSALS - VAAE is planning their 2008 Fall Conference, and want to hear from you – what’s on your mind? The theme this year is “Leap of Faith: The Future of Arts Education in Vermont.” What have you been seeing in your schools and in your communities around the state with respect to the health of arts education in an era of declining budgets – what successes, what challenges, and what opportunities? And how does this bode for the overall health of our school systems when we know that a well-rounded student requires an adequate education in the arts? Read more.

POETRY OUT LOUD 2009 - The Vermont Arts Council invites you to join the thousands of teachers across the nation who have become inspired, had fun and surprising success “making poetry matter” for students!

Poetry Out Loud (POL) National Recitation Contest is an exciting program taking place in high schools nationwide. This program, sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council in collaboration with the Vermont Humanities Council. the Vermont Department of Education, and the Vermont Alliance for Arts Education, is now in its fourth year in Vermont. Read more...

Click here to see a list of Vermont Arts Council featured conferences, workshops & special events.

JULY CONFERENCES & WORKSHOP LISTINGS - Clicking the links below will direct your browser to display listings as they appear in the Vermont Travel Planner (which is connected directly to the Vermont Arts Calendar):

Conferences & Workshops

Lectures & Readings

CENTENNIAL ART COMMISSION AT THE CHANDLER - The freshly painted taupe walls of the Chandler Gallery in Randolph, Vermont chime, dance with shadows and glisten as they play host to the work of twelve area artists hoping to create a visual legacy for the century old arts center. The pieces on display are competing to become Chandler Gallery’s Centennial Art Commission piece. The Chandler Center for the Arts is celebrating its centennial and its birthday gift from the surrounding community is a $5 million expansion and renovation project. Read more.

GET YOUR EVENTS LISTED! Events listed in the Vermont Arts Calendar post at multiple locations, including the kiosks at the state's Welcome Centers, on the Council's website and on the Department of Tourism's website. If you are trying to do outreach about arts events in Vermont, you should be using this free online tool. Here's how to enter your events.

You must first have your events listed in the Vermont Arts Calendar if you would like a shot at having a picture of it featured in the column at right and on our website.

AFTER YOU HAVE ENTERED YOUR EVENT in the Calendar, if you would like us to consider it for inclusion in the right hand column, feel free to email us to ask us to consider it; you may also attach a photo for publication.

THE ART OF ACTION: SHAPING VERMONT'S FUTURE THROUGH ART - The Vermont Arts Council is pleased to announce an exciting commissioning project for visual artists: "The Art of Action: Shaping Vermont's Future Through Art". Vermont philanthropist and visionary, Lyman Orton, is collaborating with the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Council on Rural Development to commission two-dimensional works of art that reflect or respond to issues and challenges facing our state. Click here to read the full RFQ.

• Jobs
• Calls to Artists
• Funding Opportunities

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - The website for AMNH offers amazing opportunities for educators, parents, children and everyone with an interest in natural history! The American Museum of Natural History site features information on its public programs, an interactive floor plan of its permanent exhibitions, virtual tours of many exhibits, and a number of teacher's guides on topics such as dinosaurs and cosmic collisions. The site also offers links to a LizardCam, podcasts, and the Ology Web site, where children can ask scientists a question and learn how to create a coral reef. Check out the AMNH today and see how much there is to learn and enjoy on the web.

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The Vermont Arts Council makes every reasonable effort to ensure that the information provided herein is accurate. We cannot assume responsibility for any consequences (good or bad, although we love to hear about the good) experienced by readers as a result of the information they obtain from this newsletter. Readers are advised to confirm time sensitive information such as performance dates, deadlines, and requirements with the sponsoring organization.