DES MOINES – Blazing an art trail through the countryside. Reviving old-fashioned printmaking in a historic post office. Tracing connections between the environment and people of color. Those are just three of the 152 innovative projects that will receive grants for fiscal year 2018 from the Iowa Arts Council. Overall, the Iowa Arts Council awarded slightly more than $1.3-million to organizations, people and projects in 66 communities across 45 Iowa counties. The grants were announced today (Thursday).

Locally, among the grant recipients, was

• The Carnegie Art Museum in Clarinda ($2,726) for “Art From Anything,” a youth art camp that will culminate in a celebration and an exhibition of works;
• The Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn ($3,000), where Danish immigrant artist Anni Holm will collaborate with the rural community to repurpose artifacts deaccessioned from the museum’s collection into a new art installation for permanent display;
• Guthrie County Arts Council ($3,200) to bring in Global Multi-Instrumentalist Todd Green. Green will present school assemblies, a public lecture demonstration and public concert throughout Guthrie County.
• And, the Southwest Iowa Arts Council received a $3,000 grant to present the Southwest Iowa Art Tour, which connects people from rural communities to artists through a self-guided tour in an eight-county region. The tour will take Iowans and others to more than 22 different locations where they can interact with 75 artists in galleries and studios. (To view the complete list, go to https://iowaculture.gov/sites/default/files/arts-grants-grantees-fy18.pdf )

The Iowa Arts Council received 260 eligible grant applications requesting more than $1.99-million during this funding cycle.