The staff and board of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation wish you and yours a lovely holiday season and a happy New Year!

Over an 11-week period in Fall 2008, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation conducted 23 panels to review applications for individual artist fellowships on behalf of the state arts agencies of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. A total of 70 artists and art professionals reviewed over 2,000 applications from across all four states. Categories under consideration for 2009, although not offered in each state, included choreography, composition, crafts, creative nonfiction, fiction, interdisciplinary performance, jazz performance, media, oral literature, photography, playwriting, painting, poetry, prose, sculpture, and works on paper. The 2009 award winners will be announced by their respective state arts agencies in early February. Please click on the links below for details on each state's fellowship programs:

• Delaware Division of the Arts
• Maryland State Arts Council
• Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
• New Jersey State Council on the Arts

If you're attending the upcoming Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in New York and wish to speak with MAAF or PennPAT staff about funding opportunities, please visit our booth (enter booth number from Katie) or attend a scheduled information session. Jazz Program Officer Sara Donnelly will discuss MAAF jazz programs, including the new jazz.NEXT national initiative, on Friday, January 9th at Sheraton Conference Room B from 4:00 -5:00 p.m. Krista Bradley, Program Officer for the Performing Arts, will be holding individual consultations on Saturday, January 10th from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. at Sheraton Conference Room H and Sunday, January 11th from 10:00- 11:30 a.m. at Sheraton Conference Room A. Consultations are a great opportunity to discuss ArtsCONNECT projects under development, Mid Atlantic Tours and American Masterpieces engagements planned for 2009-2010, or to learn about other MAAF funding resources. Sign up for a consultation at the sign-up desk across from APAP registration.

The Jazz Touring Network was founded in 2001 to foster the presentation of jazz across the mid-Atlantic region. Members of the Network convened in Baltimore on November 12-13, 2008 for the first of two meetings that are held each program year to provide participants with opportunities for professional development and networking with their peers. The session featured a full-day workshop conducted by Austin-based arts marketing consultant Ann Daly on building organizational brand identity. Guest speaker Jean Cook, Deputy Director of the Future of Music Coalition in Washington, DC, highlighted the second day of the meeting with a presentation on the utilization of technology applications to reach new and increased music audiences. The meeting was rounded out by reports on current tours supported through the program and plans for developing 2009-2010 engagements.

Catherine Russell will play dates in MD, VA, and WV in June 2009 as part of the Jazz Touring Network program. Photo: Stefan Falke

2009 Roster Book
The 2009 PennPAT Roster Book is hot off the press! The press release details 12 new artists. If you would like a copy of the book, please contact Chrissie DiAngelus.

Arts Presenters Showcases - New York City
PennPAT will have a booth at the annual APAP Conference. Visit with our staff January 9-12, 2009 at booth 307, Rhinelander. Additionally, many PennPAT roster artists will be showcasing during the conference. View the full list of PennPAT showcases on our website.

Upcoming Presenter Grant Deadlines

For Presenter Fee Support Grants:
February 16, 2009 for projects scheduled between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2011. The eGrant for the February deadline is available online.

June 15, 2009 for projects requesting $2000 or less, scheduled between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010.

For the Presenter Travel Grant:
Ongoing, at least 6 weeks prior to a roster artist performance.

More information on our grants to presenters can be found on our website.

Photo: The Cashore Marionettes

Upcoming deadlines and their corresponding guidelines are listed below!

Deadlines:

• January 9, 2009 - USArtists International - Round Two
• March 2, 2009 - American Masterpieces - Cultural Currents Tour
• March 2, 2009 - Mid Atlantic Tours - 2009/2010 Roster
• March 30, 2009 - ArtsCONNECT

Guidelines:

• USArtists International
• American Masterpieces
• Mid Atlantic Tours
• ArtsCONNECT

November's Mid Atlantic Forum essay comes from educator Elaine Jacobs writing about the process of collecting folk beliefs from her mother in the Caribbean and of the internal conflict that she feels as ethnographer when discussing expressive behaviors she grew up practicing. The Forum, featuring essays penned by folklorists and friends of the field, seeks to further the exchange of information and ideas among folklorists and their peers. We encourage feedback and comments; please direct yours to sally@midatlanticarts.org.

email: karen@midatlanticarts.org

web: http://www.midatlanticarts.org