Davis Islands Today

Last month, Julie Torres’ art column mentioned the unusual circumstances in which the Arts Council of Hillsborough County awarded 11 grants rather than the usual 10. We stand by that story, but want you to read the two responses we received from the Hillsborough County Arts Council. The letter from from Denise Chavez is below. Please also see the letter from Hillsborough County Arts Council Director of Program Services Jenny Carey.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
by Denise Chavez, board member of the Hillsborough County Arts Council

I was so very disappointed to read the article relating to the Individual Artist Grant Recipients. It was totally misleading.

I am a member of the Hillsborough County Arts Council and had the privilege of sitting on the Individual Artist Grant Committee. The way the process works is each committee member receives a CD of the individual artist’s work, written material provided by the artists explaining why they would like to be awarded the grant money, their budget and a questionnaire relating to their work. The members of the committee then rate each section according to the information the artist provide. We do this on our own. I personally went over some of the information the artists provided several times to see if they met the criteria. We then meet as a group each of us giving our total score for each artist. We discuss each artist, their work and questionnaire and our comments are given to each artist as feed back to help them the next time they apply. It is not easy to make these decisions because, of course, it is subjective and we would like to help everyone.

In this particular instance the difference in points between 10th and 11th was miniscule. If you rounded up they would have had the same score. The point difference between 11th & 12th was great so there was no question. The Arts Council felt that was fair and really did not believe any artist would begrudge another artist the opportunity to have funding for their project. There was no undue influence.

I am sorry your reporter felt the need to besmirch an organization whose voting members are comprised of volunteers and only have the good of our talented and underfunded local artists at heart. The Arts Council has no personal agenda other than promoting the arts and the artists in the community.

Shame on you for not doing a better job of researching the situation instead of looking for a “story” that does not exist. And shame on the artist who complained, sounds a little greedy to me.

Sincerely,

Denise Chavez

Last month, Julie Torres’ art column mentioned the unusual circumstances in which the Arts Council of Hillsborough County awarded 11 grants rather than the usual 10. We stand by that story, but want you to read the two responses we received from the Hillsborough County Arts Council. The first of these, from Jenny Carey, is below. Please also see the letter from Hillsborough County Arts Council board member Denise Chavez.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
by Jenny Carey, Director of Program Services, Hillsborough County Arts Council

Thank you for the great coverage of local artists in your last edition of the Davis Islands Community News. It is so important to have coverage of the arts in our local papers and the artists featured are all well deserving.

The Arts Council of Hillsborough County is excited to have such a strong group of Individual Artist Grant recipients. We are grateful Davis Island residents now know more about them.

Unfortunately some of the information in your article about the grant program is erroneous. As this is a public process, I hope the following information would be helpful to the community.

A panel of arts professionals reviews and scores the applications and makes recommendations of funding amounts. The recommendation then goes to the Arts Council board.

In this case, there was very little difference in the 10th and the 11th persons score, then a sizeable distance to the score of the 12th applicant. The Arts Council felt because of that minute difference the 11th person should be included in the funding, thereby reducing the other grants by about $180. There were no well-placed phone calls. Of course, if any artist is unhappy with receiving $1820, they could easily return the money and we will put it in the budget for the next year.

We are pleased to be able to offer grants during these economic times. Thank you for letting me clarify information about this important program for our local artists. Arts Council staff is always available to answer questions about any of our grants programs. More information can be found at www.tampaarts.com.

Jenny Carey

The Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation began registering this year’s young sailors for the 2009 Summer Learn-To-Sail program on March 23rd. The Summer Learn-To-Sail program is a great way for young people to learn the sport of sailing.  Find all the details on internet at www.diyc.org/summerlearntosail.asp.

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By Julie Torres

The Arts Council of Hillsborough County has served bay area artists for decades. A visit to their website – tampaarts.com – reveals a wealth of opportunities for jobs, events, auditions, workshops and grants.

The Council sponsors an annual Individual Artist grant to help support the professional development of local artists. Applications are reviewed by a panel of arts community professionals and Arts Council board members. Submissions are awarded up to 200 points based upon a number of requirements, including resume and training, completeness and clarity of the application, the impact of the proposed project on the artist and the community, and artistic excellence. Normally ten artists are chosen to divide the $20,000 grant.

On January 9, several of the 21 applicants met with the review panel at the Council’s offices. The artists received work sheets to follow along as the panel critiqued and scored each aspect of the submissions. After careful deliberation the panel added up the points and announced ten winners of $2,000 each. Then the meeting ended. Or did it?

A few weeks later, the Arts Council publicly congratulated eleven winners. Eleven? Sources say one of the artists who didn’t make the final cut made a well-placed phone call and was hastily added to the list of winners. This reportedly behind-the-scenes decision removed almost $200 from the pockets of the original ten grant recipients, many of whom rely upon their craft as their sole source of income. A representative of the Arts Council stated that the board changed its decision because, “the last score was so close.” The truth may lie somewhere in between.

Controversy aside, the bay area is fortunate to have a dedicated Arts Council providing such valuable resources for local artists. The following list of grant recipients reflects the diverse pool of artistic talent residing in our community:

Laszlo Horvath, photographer
The Hungarian native immigrated to the United States in 1984. Horvath’s dark, sarcastic surrealistic works are reflective of his early life as an artist in a communist country and his struggles to re-invent himself in America. Horvath welcomes visits to his studio (by appointment) in the West Tampa Center for the Arts, 1906 N. Armenia Ave, Tampa. Contact him at laszlophoto@gmail.com.

Guillermo Portieles, painter/mixed media
Born in Havana, Cuba, Portieles landed in Tampa in 1991 after fleeing the artistic restrictions of Castro’s regime. Using heavy symbolism, his works bridge his heritage and memories with today’s culture. Portieles maintains a studio in the West Tampa Center for the Arts and is represented by Orange Park International Gallery, 1215 N. Franklin St., Tampa. Visit www.portieles.com to learn more about this prolific artist.

Taylor Ikin, painter
Ikin has called Tampa home for more than 30 years, interrupted by two decades in the West Indies. The Virginia native primarily works with water media on a slick YUPO surface, which she likens to painting on glass. The self-proclaimed environmentalist uses strong color and a sense of movement to preserve the landscapes of today’s Florida for the viewer of tomorrow. Her current series of Florida landscapes will become part of a traveling show in 2010. Ikin is represented by Nuance Galleries, 804 S. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. Visit her website at www.taylorikin.com.

The remaining 2009 grant recipients are: Carol Cleere, photographer/mixed media; Beth Waligorski, pianist; James Lennon, photographer; Michael Norton, actor/interactive comedy; Rebecca Sexton Larson, artist/photographer; Maureen Patrick, actress; Myron Jackson, poet/storyteller/performer; and Lynn Manos, painter/printmaker.

Attend these upcoming events to learn more about Tampa’s rich cultural community:

39th Annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts
Juried outdoor art festival. Features 300 local and national artists competing for $75,000 in prizes. Don’t miss Melissa Fair’s exhibit in the Emerging Artist’s section.
Saturday, March 7, 9am-6pm., Sunday, March 8, 10am-5pm
Franklin Street and Lykes Gaslight Square Park in downtown Tampa
Free

101 Pieces of a Dream
Juried art exhibit and sale benefiting MacDonald Training Center and Pyramid, Inc.
Friday, March 27, 7pm-10pm, Patron Reception 7pm-10pm, $50
Saturday, March 28, 10am-3pm, Public exhibit and sale, Free
Scarfone/Hartley Gallery
310 N. Boulevard, Tampa, FL

Contemporary Chinese Photography
Works from local and national collections focusing on the destruction of China’s big cities and the quandary of people caught between past ways of life and the country’s breathtaking plunge into the 21st century.

My Florida Home: Recent Works by Benjamin Dimmitt
Large scale black and white photographs of Florida’s wilderness.
Both shows run March 12 through May 9, 2009.
The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
200 N. Tampa Street, Suite 130
$4.00 suggested donation for non-members

Chalk Walk
Public art display of chalk drawings by professional and emerging artists. Prizes awarded for best drawings in several categories.
Sponsored by the Tampa Bay Committee for the Arts
Opening reception Thursday, March 19, 6pm; show runs through March 21
Snow Circle, Hyde Park Village, Tampa
Free

Artists Surviving and Thriving Together
Third annual Self Employment in the Arts conference. Sessions include:
Marketing Art in a Tight Economy
Ink Inc. – Successful Strategies for the Non-Fiction Writer
Networking — It’s Almost Always Less Than Six Degrees
Saturday, March 21, starting at 9:15 am.
University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
Students: $25; General Public: $45
More information: www.ut.edu/seaconference.

We All Want to Change the World: Art, Politics, Religion, and Revolution
University of Tampa Honors Program Symposia
Friday, April 3, 4pm
Reeves Theater, 2nd Floor Vaughn Center
401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
Free

Julie Torres promotes the creative arts in Tampa. If you would like her to write about your artwork or art-related event, email julietorres2222@gmail.com.

March 21, 2009

7:00 am

From Climb Tampa:

Join us for one of the most unique events in Tampa Bay. On March 21, 2009, hundreds of people will huff and puff their way climbing the 42 flights in the Bank of America Plaza in downtown Tampa. This is more than your same old 5K this event is a vertical race to climb 42 floors/914 steps. Whether climbing for a winning time or simply to cross the finish line in honor or in memory of someone with lung disease, this event is a great way to challenge yourself physically. We guarantee that all finishers will have a newfound respect for healthy lungs!

All proceeds benefit the American Lung Association for lung cancer research, education, and prevention programs. Many do not realize that lung cancer is still the number one cancer killer in both men and women.