Students from 31 high schools from around Ohio will take part in the state finals for the 2009 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest March 14, 2009.  The event will be held at the Matesich Theatre at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus.

Poetry Out Loud works like a spelling bee with individual schools hosting competitions and picking school champions. The program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers and builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of rap music among youth.  The champions will compete in the state finals March 14, 2009 at 4 p.m. following the preliminary rounds held earlier that day.
 
Participating schools include:
Garfield High School, Akron; Amanda-Clearcreek High School, Amanda; Chagrin Falls High School, Chagrin Falls; Purcell Marian High School, Shroder High School, Ursuline Academy, Cincinnati; The Lyceum, Cleveland; Cleveland Heights/University Heights High School, Cleveland Heights; The Arts and College Preparatory Academy, Bishop Hartley High School, The Charles School, Columbus Alternative High School, Eastmoor Academy, F.C.I Academy High, Premier Academy, Columbus; Chaminade-Julienne High School, Dayton; Westland High School, Galloway; Granville High School, Granville; Butler Tech’s Option Academy, Hamilton; Logan High School, Logan; Madison High School, Madison; Medina High School, Medina; Milford High School, Milford; Reynoldsburg High School, Reynoldsburg; Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights; South Webster High School, South Webster; Stow-Munroe Falls High School, Stow; Tallmadge High School, Tallmadge; Calvin Woodward High School, Toledo: Upper Arlington High School, Upper Arlington; Westerville South High School, Westerville.

The winner at the state level will receive $300 and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. A runner-up will receive $200, with $200 for his or her school library. A second runner-up will receive $100 and $50 for his or her school library. A total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends will be awarded to the winners at the National Poetry Out Loud Finals held April 26-28 2009 in Washington, D.C. Ohio high school student Jackson Hille won the inaugural National Finals in 2006.

Foley has been with the Ohio Arts Council since 1994.  Her main responsibilities will include directing grants office processes, policies and procedures; managing subsidy budget accounting; overseeing preparation of panel meeting materials; and assisting in development of application and agency program Guidelines.

UGIVE is a non-profit organization on a mission to catalyze, excite and empower the next generation of volunteers.  The organization makes philanthropy relevant to students, guiding them to give their time and talents to build communities.  During February and March, UGIVE.ORG is focusing on the arts.  Students are challenged to volunteer with the arts and showcase their talents in one of three artistic categories: URock Music Contest, UFilm Video Contest and UCreate Art Contest.   

For more information visit the organization’s Web site. 

STUDENT ARTWORK FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON VIEW AT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The U.S. Department of Education and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) selected more than 55 award-winning students’ works of art – including students from Ohio – to display from PTA’s arts Reflections Program.  This year’s theme was “I Can Make a Difference by….”  The artwork will be part of an ongoing art exhibition at the department and will be open to the public through March 2009.

In its almost 40-year history, the Reflections Program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to explore their artistic talents.  The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to submit works of art in four areas: literature, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts (which includes art forms such as drawing, painting, print making, and collage).

Visit the PTA’s Web site for more information. 

OHIO ARTISTS RECEIVE NATIONAL ARTS WRITER GRANTS
 
The Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program announced the grantees for the final round of its three-year pilot phase.  Mark Harris of Cincinnati for Publico: Five Years (Article) and Anjali Srinivasan and Yuka Otani, Post-Glass Artists: Glass Guerillas (Blog/New Media); Columbus, OH and New York, NY were selected to receive awards.

The 2008 Arts Writers Grant Program awarded a total of $635,000 to 27 individual authors. The grants range from $7,000 to $50,000 in four categories—articles, books, short-form writing, and blogs/new and alternative media—and support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences.