Lit garland decorates the staircase during a 2019 holiday event at Brucemore Mansion in Cedar Rapids. In 2019, USA Today recognized the three-story, 21-room Queen Anne structure as one of the country’s top holiday home tours. Brucemore is receiving $18,000 from the Iowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant program to help with marketing expenses. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is dividing $1 million among 118 Iowa arts and cultural groups to encourage people to safely “Re-imagine, Re-engage, Reconnect” with concerts, museums, festivals — and each other.
Released in time for the holidays, the one-time awards range from $1,500 to $18,000. Nearly 20 organizations in Linn and Johnson counties are among the recipients, including Hancher Auditorium, the African American Museum of Iowa, Brucemore, Orchestra Iowa and Chorale Midwest.
The money comes from the Iowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant program, created with federal CARES Act funds that Gov. Kim Reynolds allocated to the Cultural Affairs department to provide economic relief to Iowa organizations challenged by the pandemic.
Cultural grants
Complete list of Iowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant recipients: iowaculture.gov/arts/grants
Re-imagine campaign: iowaculture.gov/iowa-culture/re-imagine
“These marketing grants and the ‘Re-imagine’ promotional campaign will help Iowa’s arts and cultural sector welcome visitors back during the holiday season, when many organizations rely on increased attendance and revenue to make ends meet,” Cultural Affairs Director Chris Kramer said. “This statewide investment also will help boost major exhibits, performances and events now and into the new year.”
Iowa’s creative sector typically contributes $4.2 billion to the state’s economy, employing more than 43,000 creative workers across more than 5,000 businesses statewide, according to Cultural Affairs. However, in 2020, Iowa’s nonprofit arts and culture sector lost millions in revenue and at least 4,500 arts, entertainment and recreation jobs, stemming from event cancellations and closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eastern Iowa grant recipients and amounts:
Johnson County
Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, $7,500
International Academy for Russian Music, Arts, and Culture, Iowa City, $3,700
Iowa Children’s Museum, Coralville, $16,900
Iowa City Fab Lab, $5,000
PromptPress, Coralville, $4,300
Public Space One, Iowa City, $12,600
Linn County
African American Museum of Iowa, Cedar Rapids, $12,400
Brucemore, Cedar Rapids, $18,000
Cedar Rapids Opera, $9,200
Chorale Midwest, Cedar Rapids, $6,300
Harmony School of Music, Cedar Rapids, $4,000
Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio, Cedar Rapids, $4,500
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapid, $8,700
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, $11,300
NewBo City Market Marketing, Cedar Rapids, $1,900
Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids, $10,000
Revival Theatre Company, Cedar Rapids, $5,600
Black Hawk County
Cedar Falls Community Theatre, $15,000
Grout Museum District, Waterloo, $18,000
James & Meryl Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, $17,700
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, $10,000
Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre, $17,000
Youth Art Team, Waterloo, $10,500
Cedar County
Hoover Presidential Foundation, West Branch, $18,000
Clayton County
Guttenberg Development & Tourism, $7,700
Guttenberg Gallery and Creativity Center, Guttenberg, $3,900
Dubuque County
Bell Tower Theater, Dubuque, $10,800
City of Dubuque Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, $15,000
Creative Adventure Lab Inc., Dubuque $17,000
Dubuque Chorale, Dubuque, $3,200
Dubuque County Historical Society, Dubuque, $6,100
Dubuque Museum of Art, $9,500
Five Flags Center Theatre, Dubuque, $11,300
Grand Opera House, Dubuque, $8,000
Heritage Center, Dubuque, $18,000
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Dubuque, $3,500
Loras College, Center for Dubuque History, Dubuque $1,500
Steeple Square, Dubuque, $8,800
Henry County
Swedish Heritage Society, Swedesburg, $1,000
Iowa County
Amana Heritage Society, $4,000
Jackson County
Ohnward Fine Arts Center, Maquoketa, $7,500
Muscatine County
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company, West Liberty, $3,500
Muscatine Art Center, $15,500
Scott County
Davenport Junior Theatre, $5,000
Figge Art Museum, Davenport, $10,000
German American Heritage Center, Davenport, $15,000
Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport, $18,000
Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Davenport, $11,400
Winneshiek County
Oneota Film Festival, Decorah, $3,500
Oneota Valley Community Orchestra, Decorah, $3,100