Arts Center hosts forum with Iowa Arts Council

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Art lovers congregated in Charles City on Tuesday, March 25, as the Iowa Arts Council hosted a Regional Arts Forum at the Charles City Arts Center.

Part of a series of seven meetings across the state, the Iowa Arts Council is holding these forums to gather feedback and discuss opportunities with local artists and community leaders.

“We are so happy to be here at the Charles City Arts Center today,” said Iowa Arts Council Director David Schmitz. “This community really holds the arts and education in high regard.”

A Charles City native himself, Schmitz was happy for the opportunity to come home and visit with area artists to discuss how the Iowa Arts Council can support the local community.

“Charles City’s obviously a very special place for me,” said Schmitz. “It’s always been very supportive of the arts.”

Artists, art center directors, art teachers and more from Mason City to Waterloo came together to participate in the forum, learning about what the Iowa Arts Council does.

Operating under the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Arts Council works to create programs that support creative works in the state, from support for film productions to art education to grant programs.

Last year, the arts council awarded 227 grants amount to $2.25 million across the state to support various art programs. The series of Regional Arts Forums will collect ideas and feedback to guide the Iowa Arts Council in how it prioritizes future programs.

“One part of the purpose is to identify changes to programs we have to better serve arts across the state,” said Schultz. “As an organization, that public input is so vital.”

After a general presentation, forum attendees broke up into groups to discuss their personal experiences about what is and isn’t going well in Iowa’s art world.

A common refrain among the attendees was the decline of local financial support. As corporate consolidation increases, local businesses that were once reliable sources for donations have been supplanted by large conglomerates where philanthropy decisions are made out of town or even out of state.

One area arts center director recounted how three individual businesses in their community that used to offer tens of thousands of dollars in support have since been bought out by a company that does not contribute at all.

Along with financial restraints, arts programs are struggling with community engagement, with the novelty of seeing independent films blunted by streaming services and arts programs competing with other events for people’s leisure time.

“We’ve been all over the state and we’ve seen a lot of similar things,” said EJ Philby Burton, who works with Iowa Arts Council’s film office.

Along with providing an opportunity to give feedback to the Iowa Arts Council, the forum also served as a way for artists to network with each other, sharing ideas and facilitating collaborations.

“It was great connecting with all the other groups in the region,” said Charles City Arts Center Director Emily Kiewel.