HOME

LEADERSHIP AGENDA

OPERATIONAL SCAN

DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE

Cultural Affairs

Cyndi Pederson, Director

Mission Statement:
The Department of Cultural Affairs has primary responsibility for development of the state's interest in the areas of the arts, history, and other cultural matters.

Measures:
Number of people impacted by arts projects funded by Iowa Arts Council Helping State and Federal agencies preserve our historic resources
Connecting Iowa's children with their past
Using State Historical Society reference collections

•  Performance Plan - How we measure our progress


•  Strategic Plan - How we plan for progress


•  Performance Report - How we report our progress


• Department Home Page - Learn more about this department

Why this is important:
Iowa Arts Council project grants provide access to performances, exhibitions, and other events for Iowans across the state. They allow school children to go on field trips for arts activities, bring professional artists to classrooms and communities, and generally enrich the quality of life for Iowans. While grant applications are not reviewed on the basis of numbers to be served, these numbers do give an indication of the robust level of participation in the arts that we can claim in our state.


What we're doing about this:
Final reports detailing numbers of people served, as well as accountability for expenditures, are required from recipients of all Iowa Arts Council grants. Annual grant wiriting workshops and extensive online resources help applicants understand the state's priorities for grant-making.

Why this is important:
The State Historic Preservation Office, under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, consults with state and federal agencies to determine whether federally funded projects will have an adverse effect on Iowa's historic resources. The quicker we complete the review process, the quicker the public will benefit from the completed project.


What we're doing about this:
In late FY04, the State Historic Preservation Office initiated a Kaizen event directed toward reducing the turn-around-time for Section 106 consultations on Housing and Urban Development projects. This Kaizen event was an intense review of current practices. The resulting improved procedures significantly reduced the turn-around on these projects. Throughout FY09, the number of all federal project reviews increased due to disaster and stimulus funding. The State Historic Preservation Office executed a Programmatic Agreement to streamline the review process further for disaster and stimulus-related HUD grants. In doing so, the office has been able to maintain a reduced review time despite a dramatic increase in the number of reviews.

Why this is important:
In the Historical Museum, we provide educational programming that will make history relevant for Iowa's children. This effort connects the past for the children with their present and future.


What we're doing about this:
The expanded museum theater program has increased the types of unique educational opportunities we provide to children. To make the museum appealing and interesting to children we are constantly assessing new ways we can build workshops, training and other experiences around exhibits to bring them to life for children. An improved system is now in place for tracking attendance at the State Historical Building.

Why this is important:
The public access records of the State Historical Society of Iowa for any number of reasons - to verify eligibility for benefits such as social security, to identify and preserve historic structures, to determine family history and ancestry, to analyze public policy issues so as to be better informed citizens, to learn about Iowa's history, to view documents and photographs of Iowa's past, to achieve a sense of place. We believe a public that understands and appreciates its history is a public that will be engaged in making Iowa a better place for current and future citizens.


What we're doing about this:
Staff at the State Historical Society of Iowa public research facilities in Iowa City and Des Moines, help patrons refine their research question, identify resources and interpret historical resources. Researchers have access to state government records through the Society's reading rooms, correspondence and phone reference. An on-line catalog provides access to print and manuscript collections. In FY09, 65,699 contacts were made through the society's on-line catalog.

Copyright © 2003-2007 State of Iowa

Questions and Feedback  |  About this Site