Northwest Minnesota Arts Council News | |
The Latest in Regional Arts Opportunities | |
Exhibits, Grants, Announcements, Events, Trainings, Calls for Art, Awards, & More! | |
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- March 25 Drop off art for NW Art Exhibit
- March 27-April 21 NW Art Exhibit in Lake Bronson
- April 16 at 10 AM Grant Writing Workshop via zoom or in person
- April 21 NW Art Exhibit and Awards Reception & Program
- April 24 6PM Artist Reception with Jeanne O'Neil & Erin O'Neil
- April 30 Grant deadline for Gov't and Non-Profit Project Grants
- Ongoing School Residency Grants Applications and Quick Turn Around Grants for Individual Artists
Learn more about these programs, services, and events in this newsletter!
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Check out our latest NWMAC Gallery exhibit | |
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Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints
Featuring Jeanne Griffin O'Neil & Erin Jeanne O'Neil
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery
Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls
Open Now through April 2024
Artist Reception Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM with live music by the O'Neil Family Band
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints Featuring Jeanne Griffin O’Neil and Erin Jeanne O’Neil. This exhibit is open through April at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.
Jeanne O’Neil explained, “The focus of this show is the celebration of Erin's recently completed book, Twenty of Plenty, in which twenty of her original fiddle tunes are transcribed. We are both folk musicians and visual artists, and it is fitting to bring these forms of artistic expression together, as the tunes and art are both inspired by the rural landscapes we live in.”
The newest prints in this show come from a series of sketches made over the past summers on Jeanne’s land. “Walking the fields and pathways every day, year after year, the colors, contrasts, textures and lines of trees, grasses, sky, river are impressed in my mind, creating an accumulated knowledge of these places. The making of each print creates a deeper knowing and a stronger connection to that knowing.”
The Twenty of Plenty tune book project was an effort to get some of Erin O'Neil's tune compositions transcribed so that they could be introduced into wider circles of musicians. With a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through funding from the McKnight Foundation, she collaborated with a folk musician originally from Norway. The descriptions and illustration throughout the book offer insight into the meaning of the compositions. The cultural influences for these tunes include French Canadian, Irish, Scandinavian, Scottish traditional fiddle music, New England Contra Dance music, Old Time Appalachian music, and Metis fiddle tunes.
Erin also has Rag Folk pieces in this exhibit. The Rag Folk represent preservation of what has been used in everyday life and creating new lives out of old scraps and rags. Erin started creating these pieces with a passion for recycling and reducing waste and a desire to connect with others.
Jeanne and Erin both play in the O’Neil Family Band. Erin plays the fiddle and feet, while Jeanne plays the banjo and concertina. The band holds many community dances in our region.
Watch this video featuring Erin’s music for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/8lZbCEPmtik.
An artist reception at the gallery will be held at Northland Community and Technical College on Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM . Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. There will be live music, drinks, and dessert.
The O’Neil Family Band (this includes Erin O’Neil, Jeanne O’Neil, and Tom O’Neil) will perform at the Artist Reception. You don't want to miss seeing the O'Neil Family Band perform!
Most of the art is for sale so consider purchasing one of these unique pieces. You can purchase it at any time and pick it up when the exhibit is over.
The NWMAC Gallery is located at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30-5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.
For more information about this exhibit visit our website at www.NWArtsCouncil.org, or if you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 745-8886 or email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com. Email director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886 to reach our office during regular business hours.
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The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is Pleased to Announce
Of the Year Award Winners
Three awards are given each year to recognize artists and arts advocates within our seven-county region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Of the Year Award winners were nominated by area residents.
Of the Year Award Winners include:
Radio Host Rom Ogaard is Arts Advocate of the Year.
Our Arts Advocate of the Year award honors someone who is a voice and advocate for arts within the community, local school, or our region. Arts includes all disciplines. It comes with $500.
Musician Randy Larson is Artist of the Year. Our Artist of the Year award can be given to any discipline artist including visual, performing, or creative writing who are emerging or at a mid-way point in their artistic endeavors. It is a cash award of $500 to use however they see fit.
Potter Betsy Saurdiff will receive the NW Star Award. Artists can only receive our Northwest Star Award once, as a lifetime achievement award. This award is for $5,000 and can be a wonderful gift to those who have chosen a hard career path related to artistic expression.
Awards will be presented at the NW Art Exhibit reception at the Kittson County History Museum in Lake Bronson on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 3 PM. Funding for Northwest Star and Northwest Artist of the Year comes from The McKnight Foundation. Funding for Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year comes from the Minnesota State Legislature.
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Some FREE services offered in our office space! | |
Did you know that we offer free services in our office space?
We have an audio recording room, a grant writing station, meeting rooms, a photography room, and an enhanced art gallery that you are free to use at no cost!
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Our photography room offers amateur headshots, photography of instruments and samples of art pieces, as well as live recording shots.
You must make an appointment for this service. director@NWArtsCouncil.org or 218-745-8886.
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Need an images of your art?
Take advantage of this free service to elevate your arts business.
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Do you need a headshot?
Or images of you performing your art?
Take advantage of the photography room.
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Upcoming Deadlines for Arts Grants Applications
Organizations, Individuals & Schools -- Apply Now
Applications are open for arts grants to nonprofit arts organizations, communities, schools, and other nonprofit organizations. Applications are being accepted from our seven county Minnesota service area including Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties.
Nonprofit arts organizations can apply for general operating funds. Applications are open now. The eligible grant amount is based on total expenses within the previous two completed years and the organization's history of arts programming. These organizations will be able to add to this grant, as the year progresses, if they need additional funding. Funding sources for these grants come from Clean Water, Land and Legacy funds and general allocation funds from the State of Minnesota.
Quick turnaround grants for $500 will be available on an ongoing deadline starting in January. These grants are awarded to performing artists, visual artists, media artists, and creative writing artists from our seven county Minnesota service area including Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties.
Individuals must be out of high school and at least 18 years of age to be eligible. College tuition is not an eligible expense. This is the main category that individuals use to support their artistic business or advance their technical skills. This category is for non-hobby artists who make substantial yearly income from their art. Support for this program comes from The McKnight Foundation.
Individuals absolutely must reside in our region (for one year prior) and remain living in our region during your entire grant year (2024). In the case of college students, your school or your home mailing address must be in our region. You will have to show proof of residency, usually your driver’s license.
All other nonprofits and government organizations can apply for one arts project at a time. Grants are between $500 and $10,000. Funding sources for these grants are Clean Water, Land and Legacy funds and general allocation funds from the State of Minnesota.
Organizational arts activities funded through these two very important grant opportunities include festivals, community theatre projects, folk music entertainment, sponsorship of visual demonstrations, creative writing workshops and many other activities that improve the quality of life of people in our communities.
The deadline to apply for a project grant for governments and non-profits is April 30.
Schools in our seven-county region can also apply now for an Artist Residency grant of $2,600 plus an additional $400 if the residency needs supplies. Our teaching artist roster is a great resource to view artists available to teach in our area and is available on our website at www.NorthwestMinnesotaArtsCouncil.org under the artists tab. Another resource to view artists available to enhance curriculum is COMPAS.
Schools can initially apply for one residency. Then based on remaining funding, can request up to three additional residencies into spring and summer. Funding for residency activities comes from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in Minnesota.
In addition, there is Arts Equipment funding for school districts available up to $3,000 with 25% cash match required
Read more here about our grants and how to apply.
We offer grant training workshops via Zoom or in person at the NWMAC office in Warren. You must RSVP to attend. Email director@nwartscouncil.org to RSVP or with questions. Don’t let your questions about the grant process keep you from applying! We are here to help.
Upcoming Grant Writing Trainings
To learn more about grant programs and start an application visit www.NorthwestMinnesotaArtsCouncil.org. The grant application process is completely online and NWMAC's Director Mara Hanel can help walk you through the process of using the grants portal to get accustomed to it. Please contact her at director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886.
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Let's Talk Art is our weekly radio interview and podcast with Pioneer 90.1's Ron West. | |
Let's Talk Art Podcast
Do you listen to our weekly podcast? If not, you are missing out! We feature artists, arts organizations, and arts events in our region. The podcast begins as a radio interview on Pioneer 90.1 radio. The interviews air on Tuesdays at 3:05pm. Then, we put the interviews on our website so you can listen to them at any time. It's a simple and entertaining way to learn about all the arts happenings in our region and even about some statewide arts organizations and efforts. To hear all of the past podcasts visit our website here.
Some of the recent podcasts include:
3.19.24 Cindy Adams Museum Director Cindy Adams spoke about the Kittson County History Museum in Lake Bronson, upcoming and past arts events, grants they've received from the NWMAC, a fashion exhibit on the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and being the host of the NWMAC’s annual NW Art Exhibit this spring. The NW Art Exhibit will include over 70 adult entries and over 40 student entries ranging from oil, acrylic, watercolor painting, pencil drawings, pen and ink, pottery, sculpture, fiber art, glass mosaic, and mixed media. The exhibit opens on March 27 (and runs until April 21) and is a great way to see what our regional adult and student artists are creating in their studio spaces and in the classroom. The awards ceremony honoring exhibit winners and Of the Year awardees (Potter Betsy Saurdiff, Musician Randy Larson, and Radio Host Rom Ogaard) will be Sunday, April 21. Listen here.
3.12.24 Scott Artley MRAC Accessibility Program Director Scott Artley spoke about accessibility, including resources, planning, and services. MRAC — the Metro Regional Arts Council is one of the NWMAC’s fellow arts councils. The NWMAC strives to increase arts access. Scott is also MRAC's designated ADA Access Coordinator and serves as the first point of contact for needs related to accessibility for people with disabilities. As the Accessibility Program Director, Scott (he/him and they/them pronouns) has a dual role at MRAC. Along with other staff, he develops and manages grant programs for artists and arts organizations in the Twin Cities Metro. He also coordinates efforts to ensure MRAC's own grant processes, meetings, and other activities are accessible; and creates and mobilizes resources to expand the arts participation of people with disabilities in the region. Listen here.
3.5.24 Jeanne O'Neil Musician and Visual Artist Jeanne O’Neil spoke about her music (she plays concertina and the banjo) and the new exhibit Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints Featuring Jeanne Griffin O’Neil and Erin Jeanne O’Neil at the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery at NCTC in Thief River Falls through April 2024. Jeanne and Erin are folk musicians and visual artists.The tunes and art are inspired by the rural landscapes where they live. The focus of this show is Erin's recently completed book, Twenty of Plenty, in which 20 of her original fiddle tunes are transcribed. Jeanne and Erin both play in the O'Neil Family Band, along with Tom O'Neil. The exhibit includes Rag Folk pieces created by Erin. The Rag Folk represent preservation of what has been used in everyday life and creating new lives out of old scraps and rags.The prints in this show are created by Jeanne O'Neil and come from a series of sketches made over the past summers on Jeanne's land. This includes silkscreen, lithograph, mono prints, etchings, and linocuts. An artist reception at the gallery will be held on Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. There will be live music by the O’Neil Family Band and refreshments. Many pieces of art in this exhibit are for sale. Listen here.
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Traveling Art Exhibit is
at the Ada Public Library
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC)'s annual Traveling Art Exhibit is touring NW Minnesota libraries. This year the exhibit includes 15 original pieces of art by regional adult and student artists, chosen from works submitted for our annual juried exhibit. The exhibit is in Ada until March 26.
The 2023-2024 Artists and Artwork:
Adults
- Ross Hier, Crookston, Watercolor
- Tim Anderson, Goodridge, Wood Bowl
- Nancy Vraa, RLF, Hat and Mitten Set
- Lillian Ramsey, TRF, Acrylic Painting
- Kathy Panek, Goodridge, Acrylic Paint
- Jodi M Smith, EGF, Photography
- Dennis Lee, RLF, Acrylic Painting
Students:
- Madilyn Crompton, Borup, Digital Photo, Ada-Borup-West
- Makaela Longoria, Ada, Ceramic Sculpture, Ada-Borup-West
- Emma Gunderson, Crookston, Acrylic Painting, Crookston School
- Kaydence Skibicki, Fertile, Silk Screen Print, Fertile-Beltrami School
- Carter Lee Johnsrud, Goodridge, Mixed Media Graphite Pencil, Goodridge
- Quinn Pittman, Greenbush, Pen Drawing, GMR School
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Rhiana Utter, Greenbush, Linoleum Print, GMR School
- Maryjane Crane, RLF, Acrylic Painting, RLF School
Watch for the exhibit to make its way to your town!
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Spring Afternoon Community Dances with
North Country Fiddle and Dance
When: Sat, April 6 from 2 - 4:30 PM
East Grand Forks Senior Center
O'Neil Family Band with visiting banjo player Jefferson Reynolds
When: Saturday, May 4 from 2:30 to 5 PM at the Embassy Community Center, 603 3 ST SE, Fosston
Music by The O'Neil Family Band with Caller Robin Nelson of Minneapolis
All are welcome, all ages, all dances are taught and are easy to learn
American traditional folk dances- reels, squares, contras, circle mixers
East Grand Forks Senior Center, 538 Rhinehart Dr. S.E.
Music by O'Neil Family Band
Donations at the door
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The current exhibit at the Sorenson Gallery in Fosston is titled "Preserving Local Indigenous Heritage Through Regalia" by artist Pamela Edivold. This series of acrylic paintings features local Anishinable dancers acompanied by their narratives of the cultural and personal meaings of their regalia. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural fund.
The exhibit will be in the Sorenson Gallery through April with an artist reception at 11:00 AM on April 27th. The gallery is open during library hours.
| If you're in Bemidji don't miss the Bemidji Sculpture Walk 2023. Roseau Metal Artist Sue Suess's piece "Strolling with the Wind" is one of the featured works of art! | |
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council
is on the Radio!
Tune in on Tuesdays
at 3:05pm to
Pioneer 90.1FM
as Ron West talks Art
with our latest guest!
Would you like to be featured on our radio program?
Email Kristin Eggerling
The podcast of the interviews on our website. This is a great way to promote your art! Listen here!
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