DCASE: Creative At Work Music Forums

Don't miss the last forum of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events's "Creatives At Work Music Forums" series. These are free and open to the public, and are great resources for the city and its musicians.

"Licensing Your Work" will take place Monday, May 13th at 6pm at the Old Town School of Folk Muisc (Maurer Hall, 4544 N. Lincoln). The forum will address the licensing process and available opportunities.

City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Cultural Grants Program

2013 Cultural Grants due APRIL 19TH! Opportunities for individual artists, creative professionals, and non-profit arts organizations.

The mission of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is to enrich Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. To support this mission, DCASE provides more than $1 million a year in direct funding for Chicago’s Arts Community through its Cultural Grants Program. Designed to reach artists and creative professionals and not-for-profit organizations within every community of the city of Chicago, these grants provide operating funds, as well as support for professional development, the creation of new work, and instructional arts programs. Grants are awarded through a competitive panel review process.

Announcing the 2013 Cultural Grants Program

Individual Artists Program

The goal of the DCASE Individual Artists Grant Program is to discover, nurture, and expand Chicago’s individual artists and creative professionals. Through this program, DCASE will award $2,000-$4,000 grants to Chicago-based artists over 18 years of age, at all career levels and working across numerous disciplines. This program encompasses three different tracks:

• Category One:  Creative Projects
• Category Two:  Professional Development 
• Category Three:  Development of Arts Instruction Programs – supports artists to provide high-quality instructional arts projects to benefit youth, senior citizens, or people with disabilities in Chicago’s low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.

CityArts Program (for non-profit arts organizations)

CityArts is a program that encourages the attainment of artistic excellence and financial stability through general operating support for arts organizations. Arts organizations with annual budgets under $5M will be eligible to apply, and can request a one-year grant. Awards will range from $2,000 to $10,000, based on the organization’s annual operating budget.  To apply, organizations will be required to create and complete a 2012 Data Profile within the Cultural Data Project (CDP), and provide CDP with a 2012 DCASE Funder Report. CDP is an online system for collecting standardizing historical financial and organizational data. For organizations new to CDP, we will offer two training webinars on March 13 and 20 to familiarize applicants with the system. Visit our website for more information.

The application deadline for both programs is Friday, April 19th at 11:59 PM CST. 

Applications, guidelines, & further information are now available at www.ChicagoCulturalGrants.org.

www.ChicagoCulturalGrants.org

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS & SPECIAL EVENTS
78 East Washington, Room 522

Chicago, Illinois 60602

Email:  CulturalGrantMaking@cityofchicago.org

Off the Record with Low and Jeff Tweedy

Photo by Patrick Monaghan

We are still psyched from the energy of last night's installment of Off the Record in celebration of Low's upcoming album The Invisible Way (March 19, Sub Pop). Some lovely documentation of the event has started surfacing. Don't forget to see Low at Metro on 3/22!

Underground Bee posted photos and a writeup

Brooklyn Vegan posted photos and a writeup

Photos posted by Adam Alexander Photography

Photos by Patrick Monaghan on our Facebook

If you're unaware, saki has partnered with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) to present Off the Record, a free monthly listening party series. Off the Record offers the opportunity to hear a new record, often in advance of its release. There is also an Off the Record - South, who are hosting ONO tomorrow night 3/9 7-10pm at the Washington Park Arts Incubator!

BIG UPS to Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and Goose Island! We are very privileged to be able to work with these folks on this series and love that the public is digging Off the Record, too! Thanks everyone.