HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025 Public Art Grants Letter of Support - FilmScene
March 11, 2025
Rachel Kilburg Varley
Public Art Coordinator
410 E Washington St
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Rachel,
The Iowa City Downtown District is pleased to support FilmScene’s application to the 2025
Public Arts Matching Grant program.
The Refocus Film Festival is not only a singular arts experience (the only film festival dedicated
to the art of adaptation), but it brings thousands of people to downtown Iowa City over its four-
day span. These patrons support other local downtown businesses; the AEP6 survey from the
Americans for the Arts found that patrons to downtown arts establishments like FilmScene on
average spend $46.77 on other businesses when they come to an arts event.
By including a free public arts experience supported by the City of Iowa City, FilmScene can
bring even more residents and visitors to the festival to enjoy this adaptation of the 2024 public
art project - “We Always Come Here.” The Iowa City Downtown District is committed to helping
FilmScene activate a vacant downtown space to showcase its 2025 free arts experience as part
of the 2025 Refocus Film Festival.
We welcome more opportunities to bring our communities together in downtown Iowa City,
including through the arts. The Refocus Film Festival’s alignment with Iowa City’s status as a
UNESCO City of Literature as well as the Iowa City Book Festival only adds to the value of this
unique offering - to our local downtown businesses, to our residents, and to our visitors.
This is an essential arts experience in downtown Iowa City, while also contributing to the
economic vitality of this community. Thank you for considering FilmScene’s request for the
Public Art Matching Grant program.
Betsy Potter
Executive Director at Iowa City Downtown District
103 E. College St. Ste. 200
Iowa City, IA 52240