Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council
June News & Events
| | Selené Huff working with metal, submitted by Olmsted County | | SEMAC Grant Announcements | | SEMAC Awards Grants to Organizations | | |
On May 12, 2026, SEMAC's Board of Directors awarded $238,495 in Programming and Project Support Grants for Organizations to 28 applicants representing all 11 counties served. These project grants are meant to support activities directly involved in the creation, performance, publication, and exhibition of the arts with a focus on one or more of the three key areas identified in the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Legacy Amendment.
A full list of all grant recipients and their projects is on our website.
| | Application Opens June 28 for Project Support for Individual Artists & Culture Bearers Grant | | |
This grant program awards $2,000 to $6,000 to individual artists and culture bearers living in the 11-county SEMAC region to take the next step in their creative pursuits by providing the financial support needed to experiment, take on a challenge, or deepen their practice. The grant proposal must be used to support the creation of new work and include an opportunity for public engagement with that work.
There are two categories for these project grants: Emerging and Advancing. To be eligible to apply as Advancing, an applicant must demonstrate a sustained practice and have received statewide or national recognition.
| | Application Opens: June 28 | Submission Deadline: July 28 | | A free pre-recorded video with tips and other helpful advice for this grant opportunity will be available July 1 for interested applicants. | | Three free virtual Q & A sessions with SEMAC staff to answer any remaining questions after watching the Step-by-Step Video will also be available. Look for more details in the July newsletter. | | |
SEMAC has launched an Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) designed to provide rapid, short-term assistance to individual artists and culture bearers facing unexpected hardship. The funds are meant to help stabilize recipients so they can keep creating. Through a random selection process, SEMAC will make one-time gifts of $500 each to 60 creatives living in the 11-county region, including the Prairie Island Indian Community.
Funding is being awarded in three rounds. The first round closed May 19, and we are happy to announce that 21 applicants received awards, totaling $10,500 of emergency relief funding. Round One recipients represent eight of the eleven counties served by SEMAC -- Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, and Winona.
Applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis. Round Two will close July 7, and Round Three's deadline is September 15. Aapplications not selected in a round will automatically be carried forward to the next selection round.
| | ERF Round Two Deadline: July 7 | | 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. | | SEMAC In-Person Workshop Opportunity this June! | | Funding, Connections, and Resources
for Individual Artists & Culture Bearers | | |
Lindsay Krage creating natural tie-dye Adult & Youth Workshop series
Mainspring, Caledonia, MN, photo by Jacque VanRavenhorst (2024)
| | All creatives in our region are invited to join SEMAC staff at our upcoming free in-person grant workshop for individual artists and culture bearers at Mainspring, a nonprofit community arts organization in Caledonia, MN. We will share an overview of our grant programs and professional development opportunities, discuss the process of applying for a Project Support for Individual Artists & Culture Bearers Grant (the next deadline is Tuesday, July 28, 2026), and share helpful tips and resources. Light refreshments will be provided, as well as time for conversation and connection. | |
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 | 6-8p
Mainspring | Caledonia, MN
| | Pre-registration is encouraged. | | |
Community Care for Creatives:
with Sarah Johnson
| | Photo submitted 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. | | Wednesday, June 24, 2026
12-12:15p CT | | Registration is required. | | |
Free Virtual via Zoom.
You are invited to drop in at any point during the session.
Please note that this session will not be recorded.
Automated Zoom captions will be available.
| | Accessibility accommodations are available upon request via SEMAC's workshop registration forms, or contact Sharon Mansur, Outreach & Accessibility Manager, directly at sharon@semac.org, 507.322.1088, 711 TTY. | | SEMAC-Funded Public Events | | June's arts and cultural events are made possible with the generous support of Minnesota taxpayers through the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. | | Current Houston County Artist Mentorship Participants, photo by Mainspring | |
Art Grown Here:
Houston County Artist Mentorship Exhibition
Saturday, June 6 | 5-7p
Mainspring
Caledonia, MN
Mainspring is proud to announce the Houston County Artist Mentorship Exhibition, featuring work from the 2025-26 cohort of artist mentees: Sarah Jane Babinski, Sammi Boyd, Heather Larson, and Rachel Von Arx. During the exhibition attendees are welcome to view the artwork, enjoy refreshments, listen to artist remarks, and relax to live music.
| | |
ART(is)T Therapy Artisan Market
Saturday, June 13 | 11a-6p
Little Thistle Brewing
Rochester, MN
Join us for a meaningful and creative day centered on art, music, community, and mental wellness. The ART(is)T Therapy Artisan Market brings the community together through art and music as a positive mental health practice. This gathering celebrates the powerful connection between mental health and the therapeutic process of creating—whether through visual art or live music.
| | |
Prairie Dreams: Trail of Quilts
Saturday, June 13 | 10a-5p
Frontenac State Park
Frontenac, MN
Experience the quilts of over 125 artists as inspired by their dreams of the prairie and displayed along a trail in Frontenac State Park. Discover a collection of quilts that incorporate all aspects of the prairie, with themes exploring elemental aspects, multi-generational stories, hope for the future, and the peace of cloud-watching to the music of songbirds.
| | |
Come Celebrate with Shorewood: Engaging the Arts
Sunday, June 14 | 1:30-3:30p
Shorewood Senior Campus
Rochester, MN
All are invited to celebrate the arts at Shorewood. Headliners include: Rochester Male Chorus, Rochester Salsa Community Dancers, and examples from the Shorewood Writers will be read. Bring your own chairs or blankets for the best seats!
For more information, contact
Marie Maher at 507.990.1597
or swp421@yahoo.com.
| | |
Artist-in-Residence Reception: Selené Huff
Monday, June 15 | 5-7p
Historic Chateau Theatre
Rochester, MN
Join Transforming Trash and their first artist-in-residence Selené Huff, for an exhibition of sculptural art created from reclaimed materials sourced from the Olmsted County Recycling Center and Landfill. The exhibition explores transformation, labor, and the creative potential of discarded objects through welded and forged steel sculptures. Learn more about creative reuse and sustainability through contemporary art during an Artist talk at 6 pm.
| | |
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
June 19-20 and 25-27 | 7p
June 21 and 28 | 2p
Frank W. Bridges Theatre
Austin, MN
The Summerset Community Theatre invites you to join them for their performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! You will find yourself tapping your feet along to the musical reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father, eleven brothers, and the coat of many colors, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Tickets are available online now.
| | Box of Poems at Imminent Brewing,
Northfield, MN. photo by Rice County Neighbors United (2024). | |
Immigrant Stories
Monday, June 22 | 6:30-8p
Mercado Local ARTS
Northfield, MN
Neighbors United invites the community to listen to the stories of local immigrants, including stories from one of their members about his life on a Mexican ranch.
| | |
Red Wing Sculpture Walk Celebration & Tour
Wednesday, June 17 | 5-8:30p
Central Park & Downtown
Red Wing, MN
Join the Red Wing Arts & Culture Commission for a celebration and guided tour of the newest temporary sculptures around downtown Red Wing. This free event features live music & artmaking. Learn more about the sculptures from this year’s participating artists, then stay for the concert featuring the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band. Food trucks will be open with tasty food starting at 6 pm.
| | |
Larger Than Life Unveiling Event
Saturday, June 27 | 10a-2p
Riverside Park
Mantorville, MN
Come to the unveiling and see the largest outdoor art show in Greater MN! We have 38 featured artworks for this year's show, 17 of which are new! We will have an art show, food and live music, and an artist raffle. Stroll around town and see other artworks from last year's show, over 50 pieces in all!
| | |
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, Steele, 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.
| | SEMAC activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund. | | | | |
