HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUPPORT LETTER Janet LessnerMarch 11, 2025
To: Iowa City Public Art Matching Grant Program
This letter is in support of the Family Fok Machine’s (FFM) application for the Public Art
Matching Grant Program. I am a member of this organization, and I would like to outline
some FFM features that support this grant request.
With regard to the purpose of the grant program, namely “To foster creativity and continue
to enhance access and opportunity to the arts in Iowa City”, FFM could not be more on
target. We are a multi-generational, non-auditioned choir that attracts and values a diverse
cross-section of the community—people of all ages, backgrounds, and musical abilities
who come together in a supportive environment for the pleasure of communal singing and
the satisfaction of contributing to excellence in public performance.
It can be said that FFM is goal oriented in that we prepare each season for our free, public
concerts that are popular across the community. Our concerts offer uplifting audience
experiences through messages of hope, love, social awareness and creativity. Audience
members are invited to sing along with the choir, and with our printed programs in hand,
they are treated to original art by FFM members and see expressions of support from a wide
variety of Iowa City businesses and individuals. These concerts are wonderfully well
attended by hundreds of people regardless of socioeconomic status, age, culture, physical
challenge or background.
But while the concerts comprise a context and goal for FFM activity, and while the concerts
offer both entertaining and inspiring audience experiences, the process of working toward
the performance goal is of the utmost value. FFM members at all levels of musical ability
are offered opportunities for growth. From sight reading in rehearsals, to ear training with
the prepared practice tracks, to song writing workshops for both kids and adults, to open
mic performance opportunities for all members (including the youngest!), FFMers find
themselves moving easily to ever increasing levels of comfort and competence that lead to
the satisfaction of excellence in performance--a truly unmatched reward!
This Spring our choir will perform songs that express the theme of “love”, a balm for our
souls during contentious times. Included in the program will be three original
compositions by FFM members who have been encouraged and supported by FFM
songwriting workshops and by member enthusiasm. Additionally, in workshops
specifically designed for them, FFM kids produce delightful songs that are included in our
concerts. In this way novice songwriters of all ages, many working with established FFM
mentors, experience the thrill of having their work performed in concert, thus adding both
art and artists to the community.
The enduring value of the Family Folk Machine comes from the creation and performance
of music practiced in a caring, welcoming, and supportive community of singers, with
“community” being the lure and the glue of the enterprise. Under the leadership of
directors of exceptional talent and skill, the Family Folk Machine makes a unique and
valuable contribution to the arts in Iowa City.
Janet E. Lessner
Iowa City, Iowa