George Daily Auditorium Awarded State Grant

George Daily Community Auditorium

OSKALOOSA, IA — Did you know that Oskaloosa will celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2019? For those playing along at home, that’s a demisemiseptcentennial. The George Daily Auditorium is looking forward to getting a head start in commemorating Oskaloosa’s history, as well as looking toward the next 175 years, thanks to an Arts Build Communities Grant from the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Daily is one of three recipients of the statewide grant, which will culminate in a multimedia variety show that highlights stories of Oskaloosa’s past, present, and visions of the future. Working alongside cultural providers, schools, the business sector, and other local partners, this project looks to sit down with the community and foster conversations about our future while also documenting and preserving our collective history. The George Daily Auditorium is paired with a university partner, Iowa State University, whose input and resources will help shape the project over the next year.

“We’ve been preparing for this project in small steps through a pilot program in which this summer’s Youth Theatre campers wrote and performed a 50-minute showcase about the history of Oskaloosa,” says Allison McGuire. “After experiencing the community-wide involvement necessary to mount a revival of Iola Powell Cadwallader’s George for the Daily’s 20th Anniversary, as well as seeing the work of the Alley KADTS and other local groups, we believe that Oskaloosa is primed for this type of community-led discussion.”

The Iowa Arts Council is committed to cultivating creativity, learning, and participation in the arts. The Arts Build Communities Grant looks to improve communities using cross-sector partnerships with artists and arts organizations.