Mosaics in a Kiln by Mary Beth Magyar, 2026. Photo by Mary Beth Magyar.

Grant Opportunities

Artists & Culture Bearers in the Schools Grant

This program awards $2,000 to $4,000 to provide students in grades K-12 with opportunities to work directly with artists and culture bearers during the school day. Grant activities must supplement the school’s arts curriculum and not be a substitute for these basic requirements and can be in any discipline, including but not limited to, painting, photography, printmaking, textiles, music, dance, theater, storytelling, literary arts, intermedia arts, and traditional arts.

No public event is required however the participating school must agree to share the residency in their district’s communications to families, with the School Board, and/or with any local press contacts to raise awareness of the importance of the arts.

Application opens: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Submission deadline: September 30 or November 30, 2026

Programming and Project Support Grants for Organizations

This program awards $3,000 to $11,000 grants to nonprofit arts and non-arts organizations, schools, local government, and tribal entities to support the creation, performance, publication, and exhibition of the arts focusing on one or more of the three key areas identified in the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Legacy Amendment – Arts Access, Arts Education, and Cultural Heritage.

Proposed budgets should prioritize paying fees to artists or culture bearers, creative production team members, and people providing technical assistance to build southeastern Minnesota's arts ecosystem.

All projects must include an accessible public event, and collaborations between arts and non-arts organizations are encouraged.

Application opens: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
 Submission deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Emergency Relief Fund

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Step-by-Step Video

Is this your first time applying for a grant, or would you like more information about the ERF? A video recording that goes through the application step-by-step is available on our YouTube.

Upcoming Workshops

Work of Art Workshops
Fall 2026 Business Skills
for Artists & Culture Bearers

Springboard for the Arts’ virtual Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists workshop series continues with three more free offerings this fall, including an expanded invitation open to individual artists and culture bearers in the regions served by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (PLRAC), the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC), and the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC).

Each session will include time for connection and conversation across southern Minnesota, co-facilitated by a SEMAC staff member. Attend one, two, or all three!

Recordkeeping
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 | 6-8p CT

Learn how to track revenues and expenses, make informed projections, and gain a clearer understanding of your artistic business finances.

Legal Considerations Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 6-8p CT

Obtain general information about your intellectual property, contract basics, and structuring your artistic business. *Work of Art instructors are not attorneys. Information presented is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Funding
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | 6-8p CT

Learn how to think creatively about diversifying your funding streams by exploring different models for generating value, resources, and revenue.

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded.

Springboard’s Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists is a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists and culture bearers in all disciplines – visual, performing, and literary arts. It starts with career planning and moves through topics like pricing, marketing, funding, and business plans. Work of Art can be helpful if you are just starting your creative career, or if you need a refresher as you advance your work.

Springboard’s Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists curriculum is available as a free workbook and downloadable from their website as a helpful reference

during or after the workshops.

Save the Dates 
Community Care for Creatives:
with Sarah Johnson

Bright, sunny image of colorful sunrise-shaped mural with the words "You Are Not Alone" painted in white cursive on a small wooden shed, located at Winona Catholic Worker in Winona, MN. Photo by Sarah Johnson. 

A Moment to Breathe & Be Together

Taking a moment to pause, breathe, and be together can offer a brief respite when the demands, injustices, and strains of the world don't stop. Join us for a free, 15-minute virtual opportunity to reset together with community engaged artist Sarah Johnson of The Joy Labs, hosted by SEMAC. Sarah will offer a short framing and a guided practice to tap into our own wisdom and groundedness. Attend one or both sessions as works for you.

Virtual Sessions

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 12-12:15p CT

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 12-12:15p CT

Virtual via Zoom

Free, registration required.

You are invited to drop in at any point during the sessions.

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded.

Automated Zoom captions will be available.

August's arts and cultural events are made possible with the generous support of Minnesota taxpayers through the Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Giant robot puppet from 2025 Flourish performance. Photo submitted by Dreamery Rural Arts Initiative

Flourish Summer Camp Performances

Saturday, August 1 | 3-5p

Dreamacres Farm

Wykoff, MN

Join Dreamery Rural Arts Initiative in celebrating the creative expression of the Flourish campers with a showcase around the farm. Each of our students spent the week developing their own unique performance to share.

Mary Beth Magyar teaching tile making at Fillmore County Fairgrounds, Preston, MN in 2026, Photo by Britta Dornfeld, Environmental Initiative.

Community Water Art at the Western Days Grower's Market

Thursday, August 6 | 3-6:30p

Chatfield City Park

Chatfield, MN

Mary Beth Magyar, the Source Water Protection Collaborative’s artist-in-residence for 2026, is working with the Chatfield community throughout the year to build two public mosaics rooted in the region’s karst geology. All ages are invited to join her to cut, texture, and glaze tiles for the mosaic during the Western Days Chatfield Grower’s Market. While you engage in this free art activity, Mary Beth will also discuss how you can protect your drinking water!

Cast dancing in a line onstage during The Wedding Singer rehearsal, in Chatfield, MN in 2026.
Photo submitted by Wits' End Theatre

The Wedding Singer

Friday, July 31 | 7p
August 2, 6, 7, 8, | Various Times

Potter Auditorium

Chatfield, MN

Join Wits' End Theatre for their production of The Wedding Singer, a laugh-out-loud musical comedy based on the 1998 movie of the same name. Set in 1985, it follows wedding singer Robbie Hart, after he gets dumped at the altar and needs to rebuild his faith in love. The play contains adult humor and is not suitable for young children.

Stefanie Margaret Tranchida, Abigail Dawydenko Johnson, Erin Haefner and Marinda Carey sing the role of The Brook in The Miller's Daughter, set in the Austrian countryside. 

The Miller's Daughter

August 8, 14, 15 | 7:30p
August 9, 16 | 3p

Rochester Civic Theatre

Rochester, MN

Join Hometown Opera Company for The Miller's Daughter, a captivating new one-act opera by Jodi Goble inspired by Franz Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin. Performed in English and set to Schubert's timeless music, the opera follows a young woman determined to forge her own path while a young wanderer's love for her grows increasingly consuming. 

Youth participating in Waves of alignment. Photo submitted by Ashante Gills.

Waves of Alignment:
National Night Out

Saturday, August 8 | 5-7p

Friendship Place

Rochester, MN

Join the Friendship Place volunteers during their National Night Out to learn more about the Waves of Alignment program. The community is invited for an evening of food, games, cultural reads, and connecting with local organizations and services.

Members of the Artaria String Quartet. Photo submitted by Stringwood Chamber Music Festival.

Stringwood Music Festival

August 8-23

Various Locations

Lanesboro, Chatfield, Northfield, and Winona, MN

Join a variety of quartets and professional musicians in a series of live Classical String Chamber Music Concerts and masterclasses. In addition to career musicians, the festival celebrates the hard work of young musicians (ages 12-22) during the Stringwood summer program. Celebrate their growth while attending multiple student concerts being held throughout southeastern Minnesota.

Students rehearsing for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Wabasha, MN. Photo submitted by grantee.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

August 13, 15, 20, 22 | 7p
August 16, 23 | 2p

Wabasha-Kellogg
Performing Arts Center
Wabasha, MN


SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical (a Nickelodeon Broadway production) is a community theatre production that includes performers of all ages. This is a high-voltage, feel-good spectacle packed with heart, humor, and larger-than-life characters. Don't miss River Junctions Art's full-scale production bursting with bold costumes, unforgettable songs, and the kind of creative energy that lights up the entire community.

David Ullman-The Furious Light-then-now Photo submitted by David Ullman.

The Furious Light - Documentary Work-in-Progress Screening

August 13 | 6:30p

Doors open at 6p
Northfield Arts Guild Theater
Northfield, MN


Built from 35 years of archival footage, performances, journals, and interviews, The Furious Light follows filmmaker and musician David Ullman back to his childhood home in rural Ohio, where he interviews his father, uncle, and brother about the dreams, disappointments, and shared history that shaped them. Together, the Ullman Boys reconsider success, belonging, and creative fulfillment.

Admission is free and all are welcome, though the film does contain adult language.

Live Music Oronoco Gold Rush Days

August 14 & 15 | 12-7p

Downtown Bandstand

Oronoco, MN

Join the celebration at Oronoco Gold Rush Days for the second year of live music! Celebrate summer in Minnesota while listening to live music at the bandstand. Friday and Saturday have a packed lineup of local artists, including Jimmi and the Band of Souls, D'Sievers, Tim Dallman, and more!

Members of the band Time After Time who will be performing at Whalan's Music in the Bluffs. Photo submitted by the City of Whalan.

Music in the Bluffs Summer Music Series

Saturday, August 22 | 4-8p

Whalan Park at the Gazebo

Whalan, MN

Starting at 4 pm, the husband and wife duo of Matt & Brenda Stier bring their unique blend of music, performing traditional Irish melodies, folk tunes, old & new country songs, and soft & classic rock. Topping off the evening at 6 pm, Time After Time brings their unique blend of music, fusing electrifying 80s synth and powerful vocals and harmonies, with a pop and rock trip through the 80s. Both performances are FREE and open to the public.

Tap dancer Sarah Reich. Photo by Lauren Desberg.

Chamber Music Festival 2026

August 21-28

Various Locations
Northfield, MN


The Bridge Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 27th season with seven events held in Northfield between August 21 and 28. This dynamic and varied series encompasses classical chamber music, jazz, and young artist performers. Featured performers include jazz tap artist Sarah Reich, vocalists Marita Stryker and Wesley Dunnagan and the Artaria String Quartet.

Sarah Johnson during a Ride the Wave session at MMAM in 2025, Winona, MN. Photo submitted by MMAM.

Ride the Wave

Saturday, August 29 | 10:30a-12:30p

Minnesota Marine Art Museum

Winona, MN

Ride the Wave is a metaphor for skillfully adapting to and coping with the ups and downs of life. Facilitated by artist and therapist Sarah Johnson, this interactive program offers mindfulness practice and creativity to allow participants to explore and develop skills for effectively "riding the waves" in our own lives. Each workshop is unique and focuses on a current exhibition or artwork at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum; past themes have focused on acceptance, self-compassion, and willingness, among others.

This free program requires pre-registration due to limited space!

Emerging artists and their mentor posing by outline of Minnesota sculpture at Austin Artworks Festival in 2024, Austin, MN. Photo submitted by Austin Area Arts.

Emerging Artists Program at the Austin ArtWorks Festival

Saturday, August 29 | 9a-5p
Sunday, August 30 | 10a-4p

Heart of Downtown Austin
Austin, MN


The Emerging Artists tent on the festival grounds will feature a group of eight Emerging Artists. These artists identify as a member of one or more equity populations and face barriers to exhibiting at the Austin ArtWorks Festival. With grant support, the artists are mentored and equipped to exhibit, gain experience, meet customers, network with peer artists, and build relationships with Austin Area Arts. In addition to potential sales at the event, the artists will gain a resumé credential and knowledge of exhibiting at festivals.

MSAB Visits Southeastern Region

LaTia Childers, Co-Executive Directive of Austin Area Arts leads a tour of Austin ArtWorks and the Historic Paramount Theatre for SEMAC and MSAB in Austin, July 7, 2026. Photo submitted by SEMAC.

SEMAC board and staff joined the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB) in Austin and Owatonna, MN, at the beginning of July. While in Austin, we were led through guided tours of Austin Artworks Center, the Historic Paramount Theatre, and the MacPhail Center.

After these fantastic tours, we made our way to the Owatonna Public Library, where we held a combined session with board and staff members from SEMAC and MSAB to discuss the various ways the arts impact southeastern Minnesota and to explore how we can make the arts and culture of the region even more accessible.

The second day of our joint meeting consisted of a roundtable at the Steele County Historical Society, tours of the Little Theatre of Owatonna and the Owatonna Arts Center, and concluded with a business meeting of the Arts Board.

It is not often that SEMAC and MSAB meet together in the SEMAC region, and it was wonderful to see everyone in person. We look forward to continuing to provide top-tier support to all creatives and culture bearers in Southeastern Minnesota!

SEMAC in Motion

In-Person Grant Workshop in Caledonia

Desmond Anabrang (left) and Sharon Mansur (right) leading attendees during in-person grant workshop in Caledonia, MN, June 2026. Photos by Jacqueline VanRavenhorst.

Desmond Anabrang, SEMAC Grant Programs Manager, and Sharon Mansur, SEMAC Outreach and Accessibility Manager, enjoyed co-facilitating an in-person grant workshop for individual creatives in Caledonia on June 16. They shared an overview of who SEMAC is, our grant programs, including the Project Support Grant for Individual Artists & Culture Bearers, professional development opportunities, and helpful tips and resources towards developing a project proposal. Workshop attendees also reflected on what it means to cultivate creativity, and where to look for support in their communities.

Thank you to Mainspring for hosting us! If anyone is interested in bringing this workshop to their community, please contact Sharon at sharon@semac.org or 507.322.1088, 711 TTY to discuss.

Participant responses:

“Sharon and Desmond were very inspiring and I feel a renewed energy to continue onward and upward.”

“I am so grateful I was there to experience both you as well as the other artists. All of it was inspiring to me.”

“I felt like Sharon and Desmond's way of sharing information, helping us all feel confident in the process and their encouragement to ask for help when needed were all so valuable in my learning to write an effective grant for SEMAC.”

Welcome New SEMAC Board Member

Emily Winn is originally from Georgia and moved to Minnesota in 2014. She is a choreographer, dance educator, community theater lover, and has a degree in Creative Writing from Georgia Southern University. She has taught dance at several dance studios, is currently a faculty member at Ballet Royale Minnesota, and is the Operations and Development Coordinator at Twin Cities Ballet.


This fall, Emily is directing The Nutcracker for Rochester Ensemble of Dance, and in February 2027, she is choreographing Pirates of Penance at the Little Theatre of Owatonna, where she recently completed her first term as a board member.

Emily wanted to join the SEMAC Board to help connect artists in Steele County with resources and opportunities from SEMAC. Emily lives in Owatonna and enjoys reading, Thai food, and crochet.

We are excited to have Emily join SEMAC's board!

Get Involved with SEMAC

SEMAC is committed to building bridges and nurturing meaningful relationships. We are seeking artists, arts professionals, and arts enthusiasts to join our Arts Advisory Panel and Board of Directors. The Panel is responsible for reviewing grant applications and making funding recommendations to the Board.

We currently have vacancies on the Board for representatives from Fillmore, Wabasha, and Winona Counties.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for these service opportunities, please follow the links below for more information or contact Anastasia Shartin, executive director, at director@semac.org..