Opportunity to learn about Baroque Art

The Figge Art Museum is offering a five-week art history course on Baroque art at 2:00-3:30 pm on Sundays, March 13-April 10. This course is an introduction to Baroque art of the 17th and early 18th centuries in Europe. Artists discussed in this course include Caravaggio and Bernini in Italy, Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck in Flanders, Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Zurbarán in Spain, Rembrandt and Vermeer in the Dutch Republic, and Georges de la Tour and Claude Lorrain in France. The works of art will be discussed in relation to the historical context in which they were produced, with particular emphasis placed on contemporary art theory, systems and patterns of patronage, and religious ideologies. The course will be taught by Dr. Anne Muraoko, an independent art historian specializing in Renaissance and Baroque art.

The course is free to Figge members. For information about membership, visit www.figgeartmuseum.org or contact the membership office at 563.326.7804 x2007.

NOW ON EXHIBITION:

Tracks: Photography and the Railroad from the George Eastman House Collection | Through April 23, 2011

Crossing the Mississippi: The Quad Cities, the Railroad and Art | Through April 24, 2011

University of Iowa School of Art Faculty Exhibition | Through March 6, 2011

The John Deere Collection | Through May 2011

Legacy for Iowa: Pollock's Mural and Modern Masterworks from the University of Iowa Museum of Art | Ongoing

Portraits: Photography from the Brent Sikkema Collection | Ongoing

Frank Lloyd Wright: The Art Living | Ongoing

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS: 

Celebrating Ideas: Bridging Communities with Augustana's Liberal Arts through the Ages | Mar 19 through May 29, 2011

Waterviews from the Figge Collection | May 7 through Aug 21, 2011

Q.  What are service academies?

A.  U.S. service academies educate and train officers for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Merchant Marine and Coast Guard.  Service academies give students the opportunity to serve while earning their college degree.  Upon graduation, alumni serve in the active or reserve components of the military, the Merchant Marine or the U.S. Coast Guard for a minimum of five years.

Q.  What is required to be considered for an appointment to a service academy?

A.  Appointment to a U.S. service academy is an honor reserved for the most accomplished young men and women.  Consideration for appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, N.Y., requires a congressional nomination.  The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., does not require applicants to obtain a congressional nomination.

Each year, Members of Congress can nominate 10 students to the Military, Air Force, Naval and Merchant Marine academies.  Every fourth year, Members of Congress can nominate 20 students to the Military, Air Force and Naval academies.  Interested Iowans can request nominations from their Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senator Harkin or me.

Applications are highly competitive.  Applicants should rank in the top half of their high school class and have ACT scores in the 25-36 range in math and science, and in the 22-36 range in English.  They should also have extensive extracurricular activities, such as participation in school clubs, academic or athletic teams, community activities, volunteer service or work.  Applicants must be legal residents of Iowa or dependents of members of the military who are legal residents of Iowa.  Applicants must be unmarried with no children or legal obligation for a child, and at least 17 years of age but not past their 23rd birthday on July 1, 2012.

Q.  How can interested Iowans apply for your nomination?

A.  Iowa has such a large pool of impressive students that it gets more difficult to choose who to nominate for the few available slots each year.  The young people chosen are outstanding representatives of Iowa.  Interested students should complete and submit the form located on my website at http://grassley.senate.gov/info/academy_nominations.cfm.  The following materials are also required:  four letters of recommendation from Iowans -- one must be from the applicant's high school guidance counselor and one must be from a teacher; the applicant's ACT scores (SAT optional); the applicant's school transcript; the applicant's class size and rank; and an essay of no more than 300 words, written by the applicant.  The essay should describe what the applicant hopes to gain from an appointment to a service academy and how the experience would be used in the future.  Applications for nominations for the 2012-2013 school year must be submitted to my Cedar Rapids office by October 1, 2011.  Nominations will be made by February 2012, and appointments will be announced when they are offered by the academies.  I suggest that interested students start the application process in the spring of their junior year of high school.

As Iowa's high school students look past graduation, there are many great opportunities for them to consider.  One option, for those young people interested in military service, is our nation's military academies, which offer outstanding opportunities.  Following my graduation from Iowa State University in 1962, I served as a Navy pilot and understand both the challenges and rewards of a military career.  As a senator, it is a genuine honor to nominate outstanding young Iowans to military service academies.  For more information on how to apply for a nomination to a military academy, please keep reading.

Where are the military academies located and what can students study there?

Students can specialize in a variety of fields at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs and the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point.

Who is eligible to receive a recommendation?

Each applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1st of the year of admission to an academy.  They must be at least 17 years old but not have passed their 23rd birthday; must be a U.S. citizen; must not be married, pregnant, or have legal obligations to support children or other dependents.  Nominees must be a resident of the state from which they are nominated.

For every opening I have at an academy, I can nominate an unranked slate of up to ten Iowans for that opening.  After evaluating my nomination slate, the academy will make the final decision on which nominee(s) will be offered a letter of acceptance to the academy.

What is the selection process to be nominated?

Most of Iowa's high school guidance counselors should have information about the application procedures that prospective candidates must follow.  I use a competitive method to screen applicants, which includes the evaluation of ACT or SAT scores, high school grade point average, leadership abilities and physical aptitude.  I have also appointed an academy selection committee to conduct personal interviews with academy finalists and provide me with their recommendations.  I review the applicant's file and the selection committee's recommendations prior to making my decision on who to nominate.  It is always a difficult choice.    

How do I begin the nomination application process?

I am currently accepting applications for nomination to the United States' military academies for the class entering in the summer of 2012.  Interested individuals should complete the Service Academy Nomination application, which can be found on my website http://harkin.senate.gov.   Any additional questions should be directed to my Academy Nomination Coordinator, Tom Larkin, at 319-365-4504.

The best of luck to all of you who apply.

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