In the gallery: Cole Behrends
You are invited to join SMAC in welcoming artist Cole Behrends to our gallery! Please join us for an opening reception on Thursday, July 11 from 5-7 pm. During the reception from 5:30-6:30 pm, enjoy music from special guest Zachary Ploeger: conductor, trumpeter & composer.
Ploeger is also a SMAC
Individual Artist grant
recipient.
Behrends' exhibit will run from July 11 through August 30, 2019.
About the Artist:
Cole Behrends received an
Emerging Artist grant
in 2018 for art supplies and to aid in the printing of his zines. Behrends lives in Lakefield Minnesota and studied studio art at South Dakota State University. He currently works at the Livewire Printing Company in Jackson Minnesota as a graphic artist. He says, "I love pizza, cold beer, laughing and my black lab Mazy."
Behrends will be exhibiting some work from his zine project, titled "The Paintbrush Graveyard". Behrends said, "This project stemmed form drawings that were created due to the lack of a painting studio during a Minnesota winter. I set a goal to draw 100 drawings on these four by six inch cards I found. I wanted people to see these drawings as a set and I thought a free zine would be the perfect format to present them. Four zines in total. Each holding 25 drawings." You can read more
here
.
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Mark your calendar to visit with Cole and see his work at an Artist Reception from 5-7pm on Thursday, July 11.
Stay to listen to
ZACHARY PLOEGER
of Pipestone, who will be performing from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Ploeger is quickly emerging as one of the most promising musicians of his generation. As an active conductor, trumpeter, and composer, he is constantly in demand. At 24 years of age, he has already performed for audiences all around the world. Zachary is also a 2018 SMAC
Individual Artist grant
recipient.
Regular gallery hours to visit the exhibit are M-F 8 am-12 pm and 1-4:30 pm
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These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Additional funding provided by the McKnight Foundation. Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive. The McKnight Foundation supports working artists to create and contribute to vibrant communities.
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SMAC Welcomes Three New Board Members
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Please help us welcome
Carisa Clarke of Slayton to the SMAC board as a co-representative for Murray county. Clarke is a visual artist and the project director for the Slayton Community Mural, founder of the "Challenge the Art" Facebook group, has assisted in multiple art classes such as "Paint & Sip" and "Chalk Couture", taught jewelry making classes, is a board member for the DAC of Murray county, has been a member of the Prairie Music Association and is a volunteer for Relay for Life, Lunch Buddies, Meals on Wheels, various church positions and been a part of many other fundraisers. When asked why she was interested in becoming a member of the SMAC board, she said "I look forward to networking with fellow artists, but mainly I'm excited about bringing arts awareness to the county I live in, and encouraging youths." We are very excited to have you, Carisa!
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Please also help us welcome co representatives for Swift county,
Alison Nelson of Kerkhoven (pictured right with her son) and
Lynette Swenson of DeGraff.
Alison Nelson is involved with many arts disciplines, including a studio art degree, music (piano and saxophone), writing a weekly column published in four local newspapers, dance throughout her life, as well as choreographing local musicals on occasion. When asked why she was interested in serving on the board, she said "I think it is important to have our county represented in the region and be up to date on SMAC offerings and activities, as well as have the inside track as to how grant dollars work to be able to utilize them to promote the arts in the region. We do 'okay', but we could always improve!" We agree, Alison, there is always more that can be done to make sure our dollars reach a wider variety of arts programming and artists!
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Lyn Swenson is a visual arts teacher and folk artist, especially in rosemaling. She teaches community education visual arts classes, is a member of the Swift county food shelf advisory board, teaches religious education, volunteers with the Prairie Five Action Council and is a teacher at the Milan Village Arts School. When answering why she was interested in becoming part of the SMAC board, she said because it would be "a way to strongly advocate for the arts within the area."
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SW MN Arts Council Offering Rural Arts and Culture Summit Scholarships
Scholarships are available for individuals from the SW MN Arts Council region to attend the
2019 Rural Arts and Culture Summit in Grand Rapids, MN on October 3-5, 2019
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Funding is made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Organized by
Springboard for the Arts,
the Summit is a practitioner-driven gathering that celebrates and expands the field of rural arts-based community development by providing a space for learning, relationship building and celebration about the role of art and creativity in building strong, healthy and resilient rural communities. For more information, visit
www.ruralartsandculturesummit.com
.
Applications go through our online grants system, which can be accessed
here
or through our website by logging in under
"Grants"
.
SMAC accepts Scholarship applications through July 15, 2019 at 4:30 pm.
What you need to know:
- Scholarship applicants must wait to register for the Summit until their scholarships have been approved and they have received a registration code. Applicants will receive notification by August 16, 2019.
- Scholarships include registration (up to $200) and lodging (up to two nights at a maximum of $125/night), for a maximum award of $450.
- Each person attending must apply separately; no group applications will be accepted.
- Scholarships are non-transferable. If a recipient is not able to attend, they cannot send someone else in their place. Any costs already incurred cannot be reimbursed.
- Receipts for registration and lodging must be turned in with a final report/reimbursement request. Final reports are due October 21, 2019. Reimbursements will be made once final reports have been received and approved.
Limited funds are available.
Applications will be scored on the likely impact of the goals applicants have described, including what they hope to take back to apply to their own art and/or community and how they plan to measure their success.
Equity and geographic distribution of the scholarships will also be taken into consideration.
Scholarship Application Deadline: July 15, 2019
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The Fiscal Year 2020 Grant Calendar is HERE!
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July 15, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Rural Arts & Culture Summit Scholarship Applications Due
Scholarships are available for individuals from the SW MN Arts Council region to attend the
2019 Rural Arts and Culture Summit in Grand Rapids, MN on October 3-5, 2019
.
Funding is made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Click here to find out more!
July 24, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Art Project Grant & Art Legacy Project Grant Applications Due
Art project grants
provide organizations in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 in matching funds to stimulate and encourage the creation, performance, and appreciation of the arts (pre-packaged theatre residencies limited to $2,500).
Grantwriting webinar: June 11, 2019, for more information
click here
Art Legacy Project grants
provide organizations in the SMAC region with up to $25,000 in matching funds to stimulate and encourage the creation, performance and appreciation of the arts through large-scale projects that will leave an arts legacy in southwest Minnesota.
Grantwriting webinar: June 11, 2019, for more information
click here
August 1, September 1, October 1 & November 1, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Monthly Arts Organization Grants (Art Legacy Project Planning Grants, Arts Organization Development Grants & Arts Organization Start Up Grants) Applications Due
Monthly Arts Organization grants are on a first-come, first served monthly deadline until all funds have been expended. Deadline is the 1st of each month, 4:30 pm, August-November 2018 & January-April 2019. Earliest project start date is the first day of the following month after board action.
Art Legacy Project Planning grants
provide organizations with up to $2,500 to plan for a specific large-scale project or activity that will create or advance a strong arts legacy in Minnesota.
Arts Organization Development grants
provide arts organization in the SMAC region with up to $5,000 in matching funds to increase their long-term stability and capacity through organizational development and management projects.
Arts Organization Start Up grants
provide arts organizations with at least two years of programming up to $2,000 to develop articles of incorporation, by-laws, and apply for their 501(c)(3) status.
August 14, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Individual Emerging Artist Grants, Individual Established Career Artist Grants, & Individual Artist Community Collaboration Grants Applications Due
September 11, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Equipment/Facilities Improvement Grant Applications Due
Equipment/Facilities grants
provide arts organizations with up to $10,000 in matching funds for the purchase of equipment items and specific improvement that will strengthen the organization's capacity to serve the arts needs of the SMAC region.
Grantwriting webinar: August 1, 2019, for more information
click here
September 18, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Operating Support Pre-Application Deadline
Operating Support Grants
are two-year grants for arts organizations that have been designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) for a minimum of three years. For organizations with an average operating budget of less than $25,000, this grant provides up to 35% of the organization's average operating budget each of the two years. For organizations with an average budget more than $25,000, the grant provides up to 15% of the organization's average operating budget for each of the two years.
Required Pre-Application Deadline: September 18, 2019
(Submit financial information to determine your request amount.)
Grantwriting webinar: July 16, 2019, for more information
click here
October 9, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Arts in the Schools Grant Applications Due
Arts in the Schools Grants
provide grants to schools for artist residencies or field trips that include educator training and community involvement, juried student art exhibits, and prepackaged theatre experiences. Up to $2,500 (field trips, juried exhibits, or prepackaged theatre), or $4,000 (artist residencies).
Grantwriting webinar: August 29, 2019, for more information
click here
October 16, 4:30 pm, 2019:
Operating Support Grant Deadline
Operating Support Grants
are two-year grants for arts organizations that have been designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) for a minimum of three years. For organizations with an average operating budget of less than $25,000, this grant provides up to 35% of the organization's average operating budget each of the two years. For organizations with an average budget more than $25,000, the grant provides up to 15% of the organization's average operating budget for each of the two years.
Required Pre-Application Deadline: September 18, 2019
(Submit financial information to determine your request amount.)
Grantwriting webinar: July 16, 2019, for more information
click here
Click on the links for more information
!
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You are invited to join us in celebration of the arts and artists of our 18 county region!
This year our annual celebration will be held in
Olivia
at
Max's Grill
with a delicious meal, local entertainment, the award ceremony for this years
SMAC Prairie Disciple Linda Clarksean
, a review of what SMAC has done in this past year and more!
We hope to see you there!
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SMAC EQUITY TASKFORCE
*New Opportunity*
Do you represent an underserved community? Would you like to build relationships and increase arts access in an underserved community?
First, maybe it’s best to define what “underserved” or “underrepresented” means:
Underserved refers to a population of individuals who have historically been outside the purview of arts and humanities programs due to factors such as a high incidence of racial discrimination, income below the poverty line or to geographic isolation. Being underrepresented means to have insufficient or inadequate representation in decision-making or program support.
SMAC recognizes we can build increased connectivity and economic strength through supporting cultural and artistic expression of all social identities including race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, sexuality, religion, ability, socioeconomic background and the intersectionality of these identities.
We are starting an EQUITY TASKFORCE to work with our board and staff members on bridging the gaps and improving our systems and processes. We are searching for
s
ix individuals to fill paid positions that will meet 4 times over the course of a year starting in August 2019.
We are seeking arts-leaders and/or culture-bearers from underserved communities in our 18 county region as defined above.
If interested, please contact SMAC Director Nicole DeBoer at
nicole@swmnarts.org
or 800-622-5284.
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Southwest Minnesota Arts Council seeks panelists to review grants 2019-2020
For grant programs in fiscal year 2020 (July 2019 - June 2020), the SMAC Board of Directors seeks panels of artists, arts administrators, arts volunteers, and arts appreciators representing multiple artistic disciplines from throughout the SMAC geographic region.
You may apply to serve on one or more of the following panels:
Grant review panel dates for 2019-2020
Round I: August 17, 2019
Round II: January 4, 2020
Round III: April 18, 2020
Round I: October 12, 2019
Round II: March 7, 2020
November 9, 2019
Arts in the Schools Round I: November 2, 2019
Arts in the Schools Round II: February 15, 2020
Art Study Opportunity for Youth: April 21 (Tuesday Evening)
Round I: September 7, 2019
Round II: February 1, 2020
Round I: September 7, 2019
Round II: February 1, 2020
TO APPLY:
- Please read the Grant Panel Responsibilities.
- Read and sign our Conflict of Interest policy.
- Download, print, or fill out a copy of the Grant Review Panelist Application (pdf) or word document (you can also fill out an online form here).
- Email your completed application, resume, and signed Conflict of Interest document to info@swmnarts.org or use the submit button below, or mail to SW MN Arts Council, PO Box 55, Marshall, MN 56258.
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Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Seeks Board Representatives for Lincoln County & Meeker County
SMAC seeks a representative for
Meeker County and
Lincoln County to serve on it’s Board of Directors. The Board meets monthly on the 4th Tuesday evening at the SMAC office in Marshall to set policies, make final decisions on grant awards with input from grant review panels, share ideas and information from their representative counties, and to design programs that enable SMAC to best serve our communities. To learn more and to fill out an application, go to
www.swmnarts.org/about/become-a-board-member/
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Updates: What has SMAC been up to?
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SMAC is keeping busy hosting events in and for our region! Check out the above photos from the
Arts Organization Summit held in May, with special guest presenter DeeDee LeMier on "Owning Who We Are: Strategies for Assessing and Communicating Equity in Rural Organizations"
(upper right) followed by Anne O'Keefe-Jackson & Eileen O'Keefe presenting "Honoring Indigenous Peoples & Lands"
(bottom left).
The blocks of pictures below are all from SMAC's annual
Artist Gathering in June. It was an inspiring night of learning and networking. This year we held it in Granite falls, the first stop being the
Granite Area Arts Council where president Tamara Isfeld spoke about how their arts council formed, what is does, where it hopes to go, and what opportunities it has for artists and arts appreciators. Guests took a look at the murals in progress along the riverfront and then we traveled to the
YES! House where Ashley Hanson spoke about thier projects and objectives, as well as gave tours and spoke about future plans for the building. We finished with dinner catered by
The Rock to
Bluenose Gopher Public house where artists were invited to network with one another.
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SMAC staff members attend Americans for the Arts Pre-Conference in the Twin Cities
Americans for the Arts held their national conference in Minneapolis and St. Paul this year, and a few staff members were able to attend sessions on Intercultural Leadership and Public Art. It was a valuable experience!
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Below: "Why We Matter" session in Minneapolis during the Intercultural Leadership pre-conference.
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Below: From the public art tour, "Small-scale Public Art Interventions in St. Paul". These images are part of the public art project for the Arlington Community Center, including the "Alphabet of Shared Ingredients". The drawings were taken from a community event where community members were asked to draw herbs, vegetables, fruits and plants provided for visual references, that were frequently used in their own community. Then the images were made into designs for the walls and free recipe cards kept at the center. Find out more about the whole project here:
http://arlingtonhillscc.com/belong-together/
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Remember to check out our regional arts calendar!
Click here
to see the many arts events happening in our community!
If you would like your arts event to be listed on our calendar,
submit here
.
Left: Painting from Sima Amid Wewetzer, who received a SMAC Emerging Artist grant and will be exhibiting in New York in July.
Click here for more information
.
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Continue to keep up with news about the arts in our region!
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Click the links below to read about:
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The following costs are ineligible for SMAC grants: “
Payment of costs for projects that will take place outside the geographic boundaries of the state of Minnesota or costs related to travel outside the state of Minnesota, including performer, artist, or consultant travel. (Does not apply to Individual Artists receiving McKnight Foundation funds.)”
(SMAC General Grant Guidelines, FY2020, updated 6/17/19)
ALL transportation or mileage costs for bringing artists into Minnesota need to be paid for separately by your organization, outside of your grant budget.
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SMAC staff held 3 general grant writing sessions around the region: Appleton, Bird Island (pictured above), and Luverne.
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The monthly segment where you can hear from SMAC grantees, participants, and members about their experiences!
This was a response we got from a participant at our Artist Gathering, held on June 18 in Granite Falls.
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Would you like to become a contributing member of SMAC or renew your membership?
You can do so online or by mail, for an individual membership, business membership, or organizational membership. For more information, visit:
Memberships
From June 1 to June 25
Contributors:
Kylie Rieke, Fairfax
•
Gene Stukel Photography, Granite Falls
•
Lac qui Parle Broadcasting Co./KLQP-FM, Madison
• Lac qui Parle County Historical Society, Madison •
Supporters:
Anonymous Donor
•
Milan Village Arts School, Milan
•
Wilder Pageant, Walnut Grove
•
Sustainers:
Bob Schwoch, Lynd
•
Donation in memory of Bob Lindaman, Windom
•
Benefactor
:
Rock County Commission, Luverne •
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2019 SW MN Arts Council BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Big Stone
- John White
Jackson
- Kristen Kuipers
Pipestone
- Erica Volkir
Rock
- Scott Wessels
Yellow Medicine
- Claire Swanson
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Chippewa -
Georgette Jones
Kandiyohi
- Janet Olney
Lyon
- Michele Knife Sterner
Murray
- Emily Petersen &
Carisa Clarke
Redwood
- David KelseyBassett
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Cottonwood
- Anna Johannsen
Lac qui Parle
- Joyce Meyer
McLeod
- Lisa Hill
Nobles
- Brett Lehman
Renville
- Anne O'Keefe-Jackson
Swift -
Alison Nelson &
Lynette Swenson
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Executive Director
- Nicole DeBoer
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Grants/Financial Administrator
- Caroline Koska
Marketing Coordinator/Receptionist
- Krystl Louwagie
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SW MN Arts Council
The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) is a non-profit organization committed to promoting and encouraging the development of the arts in the eighteen counties of southwestern Minnesota by serving as a source of funds and technical services which enable local organizations, educational institutions, and individuals to sponsor and/or create and promote the arts in their communities.
SMAC receives funding from individuals, businesses, organizations, schools, cities, counties, private foundations including the McKnight Foundation, an allocation from the State of Minnesota, and a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, made possible by the voters of Minnesota.
Thank you for supporting the arts in the southwest Minnesota region!
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