Arts Midwest

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The Conference staff is very pleased to launch our next step forward into the technological realm today! The Spotlight Showcase application is now available and, this time around, will be an exclusively online application. We’re looking forward to saving lots and lots of paper as well as a portion of the staff time required to process 200+ applications and prepare them for the review panel. It’s still a big job, but it’s exciting to be able to redirect to more content-related tasks a portion of the time formerly spent on time-consuming clerical tasks like hand-typing the information from each hand-written application form into our database and photocopying each form for multiple panel binders.

Just as in past years, we welcome applications from performing artists/ensembles and artist managers/agents on behalf of performing artists, from music and dance to theater and youth and family programming. And as we always have, the Conference continues to serve all major performing arts disciplines; if you remember, in 2009, we added a special focus on one particular genre through professional development sessions, performance opportunities, and other activities. In 2010, we’ll shine a little extra light on classical music, and, as part of that highlight, we encourage classical and chamber artists/ensembles to apply along with all of our friends from other musical subgenres, theater, dance, etc.

We also encourage our friends and colleagues from the presenting side of the aisle to help us out by encouraging their artist colleagues to apply, or by writing a letter of support that an artist can include with their print promotional materials. What artists have really connected with your community lately? What ensembles are doing great work onstage and off? Get the word out — you’re one of our best resources for reaching artists that the Conference doesn’t know and vice versa.