Pictured: Arts in the School (artist residency) grant project by Yellow Medicine East titled "Rainbow Room: A Multimedia Art Installation".

The following three arts organizations were awarded SMAC Equipment & Facilities Improvement Grants.

Back in March 2020, the SMAC offices closed temporarily following governor’s order caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time – for 2 years and 3 months – SMAC staff have kept our office doors open with limited interaction between staff members in order to mitigate the spread of the virus and keep ourselves and our families safe. It has worked well although we’ve experienced few office visitors and had limited response to our in-person gallery receptions.

Coupled with that, SMAC shares a building with other tenants who, to put it lightly… are LOUD. Not their fault since they operate a fitness center and yelling motivational phrases amid pulsing music is part of their daily routine. You can imagine that our SMAC staff’s quiet, focused grant programming work is not a good match for constant yelling throughout the entire work day.

A hard decision was made with unanimous support of the SMAC Board to give notice at this location and move out. Our last office date at 114 North Third Street, Marshall will be July 15, 2022.

I know the next question… where are you moving to? The answer: not sure yet.

Are we working on it? Of course!

Is the stress level high amongst staff? Are you kidding me… yes!!

Three decades of work experience and a well-lived (aka wild-ride) lifestyle have taught me that during times of maximum stress, there is opportunity and growth just waiting to emerge. Putting all of the drama aside, there are definitely realizations and positives to this new path. So, we’ll be working hard moving on with plans to “create spaces” that meet the needs of our grantees and arts-interested public that we serve.

**HEAR YE, HEAR YE... an UPDATE: The SMAC Board has approved a move into a space on West Main Street in downtown Marshall. Although lots of details are up in the air and the contract is under lawyer review, we will move in mid-July... LOOK FOR photos and space reveal coming soon!

Send SMAC staff good thoughts on a seamless transition,

SMAC Executive Director

Wednesday, July 27 from 9am-12pm in conjunction with the Petting Zoo & Carnival at the Marshall-Lyon County Library*

*Please note: This exhibit will NOT be at the SMAC downtown gallery location on 3^rd street.

Thursday, August 4 at 5:30 pm. Join Dan Wahl's Virtual Artist Talk Zoom Meeting

Don’t Doubt Your Horses is an interactive exhibition that includes your drawings with mine. It has been in development for 7 years, beginning with the 400 Horses Project.

Born from a desire to understand the equine body structure, the 400 Horses Project began as a drawing exercise. I set out to create 400 horse drawings from January 1 to December 31, 2015. All was going well until I got blocked a few months into the project. I journaled and meditated and drew my way through the artist’s block. Then came a truly unexpected idea. I discovered that the project was not about making horse drawings. It was about liking the horse drawings.

If the project was to be completed at all, I would have to accept all the horses. Every drawing, every horse. This was much easier said than done.

The shift of focus from the act of drawing to the act of liking necessitated a deeper appreciation for the horses themselves. In order to accept them I had to let them be who they were. Who they are.

This approach to the project began raising essential questions about standards and aesthetics. What is “bad art”? What drawings would artists hide in their sketchbooks? What horses would be crumpled up and thrown away? In the end, it seemed right to include every single drawing in one exhibition.

The phrase “Don’t Doubt Your Horses” traveled along with some of the more adventuresome horses who were harder to like. I repeated the phrase to myself. Without that mantra some of these horses might never have come into being.

Dan Wahl is an artist and writer from the prairie land of southwest Minnesota. He thanks all people, past and present, who hold the land in their hearts. For several decades he has been asking friends, acquaintances, and strangers, “Could you please draw me a horse?”

Please let us know of any accommodations needed for you to enjoy any of our events, virtual or in-person: info@swmnarts.org. Visit SMAC's Access Page for more information and resources.

The Marshall-Lyon County Library hours are Monday through Friday 10 am to 8 pm & Saturday 9 am to 2 pm. The library building has accessible parking, as well as being an accessible building and space. If you have questions about the location, please contact the facility at 507-537-7003 or library@marshalllyonlibrary.org.

Did you miss our last exhibit Wowicakekage from artist Wičáŋȟpi Iyótaŋ Wiŋ (Autumn Cavender) of Granite Falls? View Virtual Wowicakekage Video Tour or watch Wičáŋȟpi Iyótaŋ Wiŋ's Virtual Artist Talk.

Wowicakekage is a travelling exhibit of Wicanhpi Iyotan Win (Autumn Cavender)’s exploration and experimental applications of digital and generative art practices within a Dakota context. This exhibit highlighted just one of the generative processes that Autumn has explored and developed.

Pictured: Autumn Cavender (second from left) and guests at the in-person artist reception in Marshall.

Details are still being worked out, but we know we'll be highlighting various arts locations in Swift County! Our celebration will celebrate and publicly present awards to SMAC's 2022 Prairie Star John Sterner and 2022 Prairie Disciple, Melanie Loy. As always, we'll also feature local arts entertainment, food, and our Spirit of the Region Raffle: A $10 raffle ticket will get you the chance to win a basket of specialty goods made in the SMAC Region (from wine to honey, beer to fudge). Raffle tickets available in advance through SMAC Staff or a SMAC Board Member, and available onsite at the celebration. Watch our emails, social media on Facebook and Instagram, and the SMAC website for more info!

Other events looking forward: We're taking a break in July, but be ready for more Arty Party's in August--we'll be in Meeker County! You'll be invited to network with artists and arts supporters in the Meeker County area during this free event open to all. Date soon-to-be-announced!

This will be our eleventh program in our 18-county series of networking events for every county in our region. Like the other Arty Party's, we'll have arts entertainment, some tasty treats, and opportunities for networking with artists and arts supporters. SMAC staff will be available to connect with attendees and get the word out about who SMAC is, what we do, and what services and assistance we can offer for our communities. Keep up to date about this event through our social media on Facebook and Instagram, or you can always email us for details: info@swmnarts.org.

The grant is in the amount of $7,800 and will be dedicated funds to our Artist Equity Grant Program, enabling us to fund TWO MORE grants for this program in fiscal year 2023! Artist Equity Grants provide up to $4,000 to aid Black, Indigenous, and other artists of color at any career stage with projects that will advance their skills and artistic career.

Application Deadline: 1st of the month August 2022 through May 2023 by 4:40 pm Request staff to review application before submission: One week before application deadline. Earliest project start date: 1st day of the following month (after submission).

Request staff to review application before submission: July 13, 2022

Earliest Project start date: September 1, 2022

Request staff to review application before submission: August 3, 2022

Earliest Project start date: October 1, 2022

Request staff to review application before submission: August 31, 2022

Earliest Project start date: November 1, 2022

SW MN Arts Council grants administrator Caroline Koska is available to meet with you by phone, web conference or in person to answer your questions on grant eligibility and using the application system or to review a draft of your application. Schedule a time with Caroline Koska.

Call 800-622-5284 or email us info@swmnarts.org with your questions. Please let us know of any accommodations needed for you to attend any of our events, virtual or in-person. View SMAC's Access page for more information.

The SMAC Board of Directors continually seeks panels of artists, arts administrators, arts volunteers, and arts appreciators representing multiple artistic disciplines from throughout the SMAC geographic region and from all our communities including BIPOC, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. Being a grant panelist is a positive way to strengthen your grantwriting skills by understanding the process as a whole. It's also a great way to learn and support what exciting projects are happening in rural SW MN! Panelists are compensated $75 for a panel. More details on being a SMAC panelist

SMAC encourages Artists and Arts Organizations to apply for the Minnesota State Arts Board’s (MSAB) Creative Support grant for Individuals and Organizations. These grant programs are available statewide, but we encourage eligible applicants from our 18-county region to apply. 

We encourage Artists to apply by July 15 for the Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Individuals and request up to $10,000. This program is flexible and meant to help Minnesota artists and culture bearers adapt to a changing and challenging environment in which to work. This grant program will help them maintain their visibility and financial sustainability. Grantees will be able to use funds to sustain their practice and stay relevant and connected to audiences, participants, students, or communities now and in the future. Grant size and range: $6,000-$10,000.

MSAB Creative Support for Individuals grant deadline is July 15, 2022. We encourage Artists from our region to apply for this grant. For more information contact (800) 866-2787 or CreativeSupport-Individuals@arts.state.mn.us. Visit the Creative Support for Individuals Program page for the online application link.

We encourage Arts Organizations to apply by September 9th for the Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Organizations and request up to $30,000. This program provides support to help organizations deliver arts programming and meaningfully engage their communities in a time of transition. While the grants are designed to be flexible, applicants will be asked to align their activities with one of three program outcomes that address the intent of the legacy amendment and the Arts Board's goals. Grant range: $5,000-$30,000.

MSAB Creative Support Organization grant deadline is September 9, 2022. We encourage Organizations from our region to apply for this grant. For more information contact (800) 866-2787 or CreativeSupport-Organizations@arts.state.mn.us. Visit the Creative Support for Organizations Program page for the online application link.

For more opportunities and resources be sure to check out our latest news posts (updated DAILY!) on SMAC's website

SMAC's grant administrator, Caroline Koska, has just wrapped up three in-person grant writing workshops in Minneota, Worthington, and Willmar (images pictured from the Minneota location). These sessions covered SMAC’s new lineup of grant programs for fiscal year 2023 (starting July 1). If you missed these, plan on signing up for one of our online grant workshops or Q&A Sessions. Check out all your options on SMAC's Workshops & Assistance page. And please know that you can request a visit from SMAC staff for a group workshop to your town or organization: Contact SMAC Staff

We are continuing to post both in-person and virtual arts events in our region on our website calendar. If you have events to let us know about, please email the details to info@swmnarts.org!