USArtists International ensures that the impressive range of expression of the performing arts in the United States is represented around the world. The latest round of grants will support 37ensembles and soloists at 38 festivals in 26 countries over six continents. Grantees from across the United States represent a broad spectrum of dance, music, and theater ranging from Alonzo King's California-based ballet company Lines to the experimental jazz of New Jersey's Jason Kao Hwang's quartet Edge, and from New York theater pioneers Mabou Mines to the traditional Cajun music of Louisiana's Feufollet.

Photo: USAI grantee Feufollet will perform at the Festival Musiques Metisses, France.

The online application for the USArtists International program is now available. The online application must be downloaded and submitted by mail along with other required materials to be eligible for consideration. Applicants should read the program guidelines carefully prior to completing an application. The next application deadline is May 4, 2009 (this is receipt, not a postmark, deadline).

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation was saddened by the passing of John Cephas earlier this month. Cephas was a celebrated blues guitarist and singer and a leading exponent of the Piedmont blues - a music marked by a distinct and complex finger-picking guitar style. He teamed up with harmonica player Phil Wiggins in 1977 and the two toured extensively, appearing at festivals worldwide representing this traditional American musical form. The acclaimed guitar-harmonica duo recorded more than a dozen albums, including "Dog Days of August," which won the W.C. Handy Award in 1987 for best traditional blues album. Cephas was an enthusiastic advocate for the folk and traditional arts, and in 1989 was the recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Along with his musical partner Phil Wiggins, Cephas was featured on the Foundation's 2008-2009 Mid Atlantic Tours roster.

A memorial gathering to celebrate his life and music will be held on Sunday, March 29, 2009, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at the Baird Auditorium, National Museum of National History, 10th and Constitution, NW, Washington, DC 20506. Learn more about John Cephas' music and impact here.

Photo: John Cephas. Credit: Tom Radcliffe

The Foundation's Special Presenters Initiatives offer small and mid-sized presenting organizations in Delaware, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands an opportunity to apply for grants to broaden their programming and expand audiences. Guidelines for the Delaware Performing Arts Presenters Initiative can now be downloaded by clicking here. The deadline for Delaware presenter applications is May 16, 2009. Guidelines and application deadlines for the District of Columbia and U.S. Virgin Islands will be released shortly.

Photo: Ensemble Galilei performed at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington as a Special Presenter Initiative engagement in 2008.

Roster Application and free workshops
The guidelines and application for the PennPAT Artist Roster are now available in a writeable Word format at www.pennpat.org. The application deadline is June 1, 2009. PennPAT will offer several FREE roster application workshops this spring. The workshop is designed to familiarize applicants on the PennPAT program, the application guidelines, the application components and the benefits of being a roster artist. The workshops will take place at various locations across the state this spring. For complete details, please visit our website. To reserve your space, please email Chrissie DiAngelus.

Spring Artist Workshop on Showcasing
Showcasing: Why, Where and How? PennPAT's Spring Artist Workshop is open to all Pennsylvania-based performing artists and groups, and will be offered in Philadelphia (April 16) and Pittsburgh (April 17). Hear from a panel of industry experts as they provide concrete examples of good and bad showcase choices, and offer their suggestions for making the most of showcasing opportunities. For complete details and information on how to register, please visit our web site.

Showcases at PA Presenters and Travel Grant
The 2009 PA Spring Arts Conference will be held May 27-29 in Pittsburgh, PA. During the conference, PennPAT will produce two afternoons of showcases by 11 different roster artists at the Byham Theater. The showcases are open to the general public at no charge. A complete list of showcasing artists is available on our website. For more information about the conference including registration, hotel and a detailed schedule, visit the official conference site. PennPAT Presenter Travel Grants are available to presenters based outside of PA who are interested in attending the showcases. The application deadline is April 15, 2009 (in the PennPAT office at least 6 weeks prior to the event).

Upcoming Presenter Grant Deadline
June 15, 2009: for projects requesting $2,000 or less, scheduled between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010.

Photo: PennPAT roster artist Zany Umbrella Circus will be showcasing at the PA Presenters Conference.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's Jazz Touring Network will convene its spring 2009 meeting on April 21-22 at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE. The meeting will feature a full-day seminar on jazz aesthetics, programming and audience development by noted jazz journalist and radio programmer Larry Appelbaum of Washington, DC. Boston-based social media and web marketing strategist Charles McEnerney will work with participants to explore potential technology applications for their organizations and jazz programs. The meeting, which fosters dialogue between participating regional jazz presenters, will also include planning for block-book tours in 2009-2010. Please contact Sara Donnelly, Program Officer, Jazz at sara@midatlanticarts.org for further information.

Photo: Charles McEnerney

Upcoming deadlines and their corresponding guidelines are listed below!

Deadlines:

• March 30, 2009 - ArtsCONNECT
• April 16, 2009 - DE Special Presenters Initiative
• May 4, 2009 - USArtists International - Round Three

Guidelines:

• ArtsCONNECT
• DE Special Presenters Initiative
• USArtists International

The second Folk Arts Outreach project of 2009, entitled "Drawing on the Past to Forge a Future on the Family Farm," will take place April 1-3, 2009 in Canton, NY. The exchange will bring together artists, folklorists and staff from Pennsylvania's Northern Tier Cultural Alliance and Traditional Arts in Upstate New York to explore artistic expression on the family farm. Pennsylvania-based willow basketmaker Patty Dillman and Sue Bullock of Back Achers Farm, PA will meet with their New York counterparts to discuss producing, marketing, and sustaining their art work within the specialized context of rural family farm communities. Visiting New York herbalist Jane Desotelle, fiber artist Donna Foley, maple syrup producer Art Hurlbut, and black ash basketmaker Tim Tripp will also present their work in a local public school as part of the exchange.

Mid Atlantic Folk Arts Outreach Projects enable folklorists and traditional artists to travel from their home locations to host sites in other mid-Atlantic jurisdictions in order to strengthen the region's folk and traditional arts infrastructure through exchange of information, shared practice and public presentation.

email: karen@midatlanticarts.org

web: http://www.midatlanticarts.org