Indiana deadline for winter arts, crafts grants approaching

The deadline for the Indiana Arts Commission grant program is Feb. 2, and time to apply is running short.

The IAC grant program provides financial assistance to specific artist projects to help further their careers and provide public benefit.

Eligible projects will be considered in the areas of crafts, design art, media art, photography, visual arts and folk arts related to these disciplines.

Three grant writing workshops will be offered to assist candidates in their application.
In the past, workshops have focused on artist contributions to the greater community, and topics have ranged from discussions of “Community and the Arts” to “Establishing a Successful Cultural District.”

Fiber artist Daren Pitts Redman received the 2011 Individual Artist Program grant from the ICP.

Redman used her grant to manipulate fabric in a Japanese arashi shibori style.
She compiled a body of work, wrapped 20-foot pipes in hand-dyed “Shibori Spaghetti” fabric and exhibited her art at the Bloomington WonderLab.

“Most exhibits display signs that say ‘Do Not Touch Quilts.’ Creating a large textile exhibit with the IAP grant was a way to allow the public to touch my artwork,” Redman said in an interview with the ICP. “After we hung my show, I started thinking of how I could make more exhibits for the public to get involved with.”

Redman was inspired by travel pictures she had taken while exploring different parts of the United States and Europe.

She estimated she goes on about six big trips per year and then translates her foreign experiences into a local exhibit for all community members.

For more information on IAC grants, visit their website at in.gov/arts.com

— Nona Tepper