$75,229 in arts grants to be awarded

The Bloomington Area Arts Council and regional partner Indiana Arts Commission have announced the recipients of the 2009 Regional Arts Partnership Grants. After being divided among 33 arts and nonprofit organizations, the grand total of the grants comes to $75,229.

The Bloomington Area Arts Council’s mission is to promote public participation in the arts by means of gallery exhibitions, events, art education classes and an annual art fair in the square. Each year, the council is responsible for reviewing and rewarding local arts organizations with grants. Katherine Paschal, director of arts outreach for the Bloomington Area Arts Council, administers all of the grants and helps develop technical assistance programs. The grant process starts in February when organizations submit applications.

“It takes a while from start to finish,” Paschal said.

Organizations from Region Eight, which includes Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe and Owen counties, are eligible to apply for various grants that are made possible through Indiana Regional Arts Partnership Initiative, with support from the Indiana General Assembly, Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, according to a recent Bloomington Area Arts Council press release.

The Bloomington Area Arts Council works closely with the Indiana Arts Commission to assure funding is properly controlled. Rex Van Zant, marketing and communications director for the Indiana Arts Commission, said there is a funding formula.

“All money that is received from the state goes out toward grants,” Van Zant said. “The IAC will redistribute the money to various regions through a funding formula based on population, number of organizations, geography and history of grant requests.”

Once it is decided which regions receive what amounts of money, the application judging process begins.

“Grant applications go through peer-review panels, consisting of seven to 10 people that represent all counties,” Paschal said. “BAAC trustees will finally review the applications and approve all recipients.”

However, this year has brought on a change in the system. There will be more awards distributed because of the growing number of organizations that provide programs to promote public participation in the arts. Despite the surfacing of fresh organizations, veteran applicants are familiar with the process. Lotus Education & Arts Foundation was given a $4,269.62 grant.

“Lotus Education & Arts Foundation has applied for nearly 10 years and presented a clear and concise application,” Paschal said. “Anything well-prepared and well-written sets them up for a good review.”

Lotus Education & Arts Foundation’s mission is to create opportunities in the arts by presenting multicultural performances and celebrating world culture through music and art. Deborah Klein, development director for Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, said she is pleased with the grant.

“This is a great partnership for us,” Klein said. “It will help us to extend our outreach program so that we can bring in as many people as possible.”

Lotus Education & Arts Foundation is responsible for one of Bloomington’s largest and most successful events, Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, which is coming up in October. The money received from the grant will be put to good use when it comes down to planning the festival, Klein said.

Grant recipients will accept their checks at the Bloomington Area Arts Council’s annual meeting in Martinsville on Sept. 16.