Anita DeAngelis
Tina Radtke from KingsportARTS in Kingsport, Tenn., and Anita DeAngelis, director of East Tennessee State University's Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, recently served on the Tennessee Arts Commission's 2014 Citizen Advisory Panel in Nashville.
Panelists, who are nominated, meet once a year to offer advice on program planning and to review grant applications. In addition, they serve as year-round resources to the Tennessee Arts Commission staff as advocates for the arts in their communities.
The annual meetings were held throughout the month of April. Panels are divided into different categories including Arts Education, Arts Access, Community Arts, Folk Arts, Literary Arts, Visual Arts, Music, Dance, Theater, Inter-Arts, Funds for At-Risk Youth and Rural Arts. Panel members are appointed to two-year terms, and generally consist of professional artists, arts administrators, patrons, sponsors, educators and community leaders.
"Our citizen panels consist of dedicated, informed and impartial individuals from across the state who provide an invaluable service to the arts in Tennessee," said Anne B. Pope, executive director of the Tennessee Arts Commission. "The caliber of individuals serving on the panels is impressive, and their nomination for the panel is a testament to their expertise in arts-related fields. We are so appreciative of their time and effort-they are critical to making arts investments in every Tennessee community."
In 2013, $6.3 million in arts grants was invested in every region of the state. The Tennessee Arts Commission, a state agency that cultivates the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities, made grants to more than 600 non-profit organizations, over half of which were schools.
The panel process is open, fair and based on independent peer reviews who are nominated. In order to be selected, panelists are required to include a statement of their individual qualifications to serve on the advisory panel. Nominees are contacted to confirm their interest and commitment to attend specific meetings and their willingness to serve as arts advocates in their areas. Panelists are expected to make a commitment to participate in an area orientation and to attend the grant applications review meeting.
For more information on the Citizen Advisory Panels, contact Hal Partlow, phone 615-741-2093 or e-mail, hal.partlow@tn.gov. More information on the Tennessee Arts Commission and its grant programs is available online at tn.gov/arts.
