In this issue:
- A message from SMAC Executive Director
- Join SMAC for Arts Advocacy Week
- SMAC awards $32,039 to local organizations
- SMAC Third Thursday Artist Talk
- Virtual Public hearing on SMAC's Biennial Plan
- Upcoming grant deadlines & workshops
Pictured: "Shame and Judgement", hand forged steel sculpture by Talon Cavender-Wilson, currently in the SMAC exhibit gallery.
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A Message from the SMAC Executive Director
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The time to get creative and apply for a new project is now!
In the movie Heartbreak Ridge, Clint Eastwood told his Marines, "You improvise. You adapt. You overcome." Can you compare the committed determination of the United States Marines to the current situation of the arts on the rural Minnesota prairie? In this short message of encouragement, I hope so.
In the past few months SMAC staff and board members continue to hear that our arts organizations are feeling stuck. Stuck facing the limitations of an in-person audience. Stuck with limited staff, volunteers and a tiny trickle of income stream. Stuck with the thinking that they cannot do any of their traditional programming because of the pandemic.
The real, and hard-to-hear, news is that the old world is not coming back. There will be no “old normal” -- no offering programming exactly like we use to offer. Technology has changed and is changing. Relationships, health requirements, income and wealth parameters, and much, much more will be different. Audiences will be different and engaged in different ways than traditional audiences.
I’m not a Marine, nor a Hollywood movie star, but I know the answer is that the arts must embrace the new and the different.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer
The ability to improvise your plans and adapt your ideas when facing changing circumstances will enable you to transcend challenges. The bottom line is that we cannot expect yesterday’s thinking to bring success today.
What does that mean for the arts in Southwest Minnesota? Some deep thinking… dreaming really… of wild, new possibilities. We need to stoke the fires of our creative minds and make new plans. We are artists, makers, creatives, and visionaries after all – if we can’t imagine a new future, then no one can.
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Virtual Arts Advocacy Week
February 16th-19th, 2021
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All Programs and Meetings will be Virtual!
SCHEDULE
February 16th
8:30 AM
Opening Rally webinar to learn the "Message of the Day", celebrate arts supportive legislators and hear from other special guests.
9:30 AM
Creative MN: Facts and figures to make your case
10:00 AM
First time advocate training
February 16-19th
Legislative Zoom calls as scheduled. Meetings will be from 10am-4pm.
February 19th
4:00 PM
Virtual Happy Hour Wrap Up and Thank you to retiring Executive Director Sheila Smith.
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Southwest Minnesota Arts Council and
Minnesota Citizen's for the Arts
Invite YOU to Join us February 16-19!
Join us and your fellow Arts Advocates from Across Minnesota to create Action for the Arts. Minnesota’s premiere arts gathering has moved online! You are needed to help “rally the troupes,” recognize this community’s resilience, and make our voice heard at the State Capitol.
With your action – online and as part of Zoom calls with legislators – we can help legislators understand the importance of the arts to guarantee funding at this critical time. We may be at our own computers this year, but we can still connect and work together to advance our community.
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts is a recognized national leader is arts advocacy. Arts Action Week helps to preserve our Legacy Amendment and state grant funds.
Attend Arts Advocacy Day and help protect the arts funding you love.
PRE-REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 14TH!
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Can’t attend this year?
CLICK HERE to send your legislator a message about the importance of arts funding.
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
651-251-0868
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SMAC Awards $32,039 to local arts organizations
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The SMAC board met virtually on January 26, 2021 and awarded a total of $32,039 in grant funds to seven organizations within our SW MN region.
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The following four organizations were awarded a total of $27,581 from our Art Project Grant Program. These grants provide organizations in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 to stimulate and encourage the creation, performance and appreciation of the arts. No cash match required in fiscal year 2021.
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AMP (Arts & Mentoring Project) of Pipestone has been awarded $7,000 for their Moana Jr. Musical Theatre Camp. AMP will offer a summer musical theatre day camp for middle school aged kids with 3 outdoor performances in the summer of 2021. The camp will be held in Jasper. The performances will be outside at the Pipestone Hiawatha Pageant Park's amphitheater. The applicant said that the mentoring theme for the camp is "enriching our environment". There will be collaboration between AMP and the "We are Water" traveling exhibit at the Meinders Community Library in Pipestone through the traveling "We Are Water" exhibit. "We Are Water" uses educational storytelling to convey Minnesota's relationship with water. The applicant said, "this exhibit drills down our state's story to individual experiences and the importance of a healthy water source, which is much like the role water plays in the story of Moana".
- The City of Granite Falls/EDA was awarded $7,000 for a project they're calling "Get to Know Granite Falls-Then & Now". Partnered with the Granite Area Arts Council (GAAC), the city will do a "Call for Artists" to design paintings in categories that depict significant Granite Falls arts, heritage, culture, and amenities, including: Historical scenes (Minnesota River Valley, Roebling Walking Bridge, Hydroelectric Dam), Notable influencers (Andrew Volstead, Upper Sioux), Transportation routes (National Scenic Byway, Yellowstone Trail), Natural disasters (Floods, Tornadoes) and Legislation (Prohibition, Volstead Act). The GAAC will use a rubric to select fifteen works of art that will be used to make wraps for fifteen benches. The applicant says this will "add beauty and inform the public while providing a practical function -- display a one-of-a-kind painting on a public bench in Granite Falls riverfront plaza, riverside parks and downtown".
- The Canby Area Arts Council has been awarded $6,581 to support their "Music on Mondays" program (a series of five summer concerts that bring in regional artists to perform in Canby Central Park) as well as their "Art in the Park" program (a series of four art workshops held in the Canby park). In addition to the evening concerts, some performers will also do artist talks and performances during the day in locations such as assisted living facilities, care center, youth center, and the public library. For the "Art in the Park" program there will be a mix of classes: Plein Air painting for adults, mixed media prairie and farmland art work for ages seven and up, a youth pottery class, and an adult pottery class.
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Jackson Center for the Arts was awarded $7,000 to support their "Music at the Market" and "Arts in the Park" programs. In collaboration with the Jackson City Council, the Jackson Parks and Recreation Department, and the Riverside Farmer's Market, Jackson Center for the Arts (JCA) plans to expand and enrich the regular Thursday Farmers' Markets offered to the public. The applicant said, "with Covid19 limiting JCA's community arts and social outreach including our Winter Concert Series, our intent is to build community spirit, increase arts in our community, boost support of the Farmers' Market and Park system, and provide family friendly social events during our summer season." The JCA will offer six free concerts in Ashley Park, accompanied by a demonstration of Plein Air Art, and creative arts classes that will be offered by JCA staff for children who attend with their parents.
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The applicant said the Granite Area Arts Council (GAAC) plans to use this grant to develop a partnership with the regional community and downtown Granite Falls creative businesses, and to promote art as an important part of life and commerce. The council will work on developing a monthly Maker's Market that will take place in downtown Granite Falls once a month in the summer. The project will start with two virtual planning sessions that include downtown business owners, the EDA, planning committee and any potential vendors who want to attend. Modeled on the practice of urban art galleries’ “First Thursdays,” where galleries open their doors to the public into the evening to promote new shows, these monthly Maker’s Markets will highlight the wealth of art and creativity in the region while expanding the reach of both GAAC and the larger artistic community. Granite Falls current City Artist in Residence, Dani Prados, will be hired as a consultant. GAAC’s Makers on the Minnesota will conduct art activities, free classes, coordinate with local artisans, organize food offerings, and host musical performances during these monthly events that will take place the first Thursday of each month.
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The following two arts organizations were awarded a total of $1,958 for our Going Virtual: Equipment, Technology & Training Grants. These grants provide up to $1,000 to arts organizations in the SMAC service region for equipment or technology that will allow them to provide virtual events and programming. Applicants can also use the funds to participate in “go-virtual” training or consultations.
- The Lake Benton Opera House was awarded $958 for equipment and software. They plan to purchase desktop external hard drives, a refurbished webcam laptop and a year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Members of the organization will use the equipment for creating video productions, which will require digital storage space for video performances and shows recorded. Adobe software will be used to edit videos and process them for online access, as well as advertising and marketing initiatives. The webcam laptop will be used for board members that do not have the ability to join virtual meetings from home and use the Lake Benton Opera House as a location to join the virtual board meetings.
- The Willmar Community Theatre/The Barn Theatre was awarded $1,000 to support individualized training through “Arts in Digital Spaces” with Adam Reinwald and Open Voices. The applicant says Reinwald has been hosting webinar workshops that target their needs. The theatre will also purchase video equipment to make virtual transitions simpler for volunteers and staff, like a camera, SD card, tripod and wireless microphone to enhance virtual experiences. They will also be purchasing a Zoom account that allows for live-streaming, recorded content and access to virtual classes. The applicant said "the Barn Theatre wants to stay vibrant in west central Minnesota and hopes that operating virtually will give us the needed boost to stay energized about our mission".
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We have given out a total of ten Going Virtual Grants, and we still have funds designated for two more!
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Our monthly conversation for individuals will be on Thursday, August 20th at 5:30 pm. Network, share, receive advice, find inspiration, and more through connecting with other area artists. We'd love to "see" you there! Guest artist speaker to be announced.
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How to Join:
follow the link
Meeting ID: 941 1517 8113
Passcode: 220941
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SMAC to hold public hearing
on Fiscal Year 2022 & 2023 Biennial Plan
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On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) will hold a hearing at 7 pm virtually.
SMAC is offering this to ensure response to constituent needs in the SMAC's 2022-2023 Biennial Plan. This hearing is designed to gather testimony about the Arts Council's programs and policies. Commentary and recommendations will be considered prior to final submission of the Biennial Plan.
Individuals or groups can present testimony at the virtual meeting. SMAC invites the public to address what is important to their community, suggestions for programs and services, and what special areas the Arts Council should address. Written testimony may be submitted to info@swmnarts.org or SW MN Arts Council, PO Box 55, Marshall, MN 56258.
A summary of the Biennial Plan is available here or can be reviewed at the SMAC office at 114 N 3rd St in Marshall. For more information call SMAC at 507-537-1471 or 800-622-5284 or email at info@swmnarts.org.
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How to Join:
follow the link
Meeting ID: 978 4087 3689
Passcode: 697846
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Grants from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council are made possible by the voters of Minnesota, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and through an appropriation from the MN State Legislature with money from the State's general fund. Additional funding for artist grants 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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In the Gallery:
DAKOTA COMMUNITY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE (CAIR)
Supporting Artist-Led Solutions to COVID-19 Related Challenges
Image: Horses by Fern Cloud. Painted figures, parfleche, leather & wool. $300 each, contact SMAC staff if you are interested in purchasing. 100% of the sales go to the artist.
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The SMAC Gallery is proud to present works of art from the three Dakota Community Artists-In-Residence, FERN CLOUD, TALON CAVENDER-WILSON, AND LISA NEZ, through February 26, 2021. This exhibit includes: Fern Cloud's traditional painting on deer hide as well as her traditional dolls, figures, and parfleche boxes; blacksmith artist Talon Cavender-Wilson's series of three metal bowls and other metal sculptures; Lisa Nez's infant-sized moccasins showcasing her traditional knowledge and artistic beading talents. View a virtual tour of the exhibit here: https://youtu.be/GLUr5eODK1E
The Department of Public Transformation (DoPT), Dakota Wicohan, and Racing Magpie collaborated to co-design the Dakota Community Artist-in-Residence (CAIR) program -- a pilot project supporting artist-led solutions to community challenges impacting the Upper and Lower Sioux Communities during the COVID-19 crisis. For the pilot Dakota CAIR program, three Dakota artists based in the 18-county Southwestern Mnisota region, Pezihutazizi Oyate (Upper Sioux Community) and Cansa’yapi (Lower Sioux Indian Community) were selected to work for two weeks “at-home” to utilize their artistic practice to design and implement a creative project addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on their community. Click HERE for a recording of an interview with the artists.
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Next in the Gallery: John Kellen's Photography
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Pictured: John Kellen's mother, Colleen, standing next to her portrait at his exhibit in Willmar.
John Kellen of Willmar received a SMAC Emerging Artist grant to work on a project called "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: The Language of Photography". The final project includes 25 matted and framed photographs and accompanying text that share the story of his mother's journey with Alzheimer's as the two of them create life experiences together. Kellen also exhibited his show at the WEAC (Willmar Education and Arts Center) this past fall; though the exhibit was not open to the public due to Covid-19, the Willmar Area Arts Council worked with him to do a virtual exhibit. Kellen will be exhibiting March through April, 2021. Watch our website and social media channels, like Facebook and Instagram, for more details and updates!
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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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The Prairie Disciple applications are now OPEN!!
Who will you nominate?
Applications are due April 15, 2020.
The Prairie Disciple Award ($1,000) provides awareness and recognition of one individual per year from southwest Minnesota, whose activities and involvement have substantially contributed to the arts over an extended period of time. The accomplishments of arts advocates working in the region are often not widely known or appreciated. In recognizing these individuals publicly, the awards will raise the profile of the arts in their community and throughout the SMAC region.
Learn more, see past Prairie Disciple Winners, and start your nominations:
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SMAC has live grantwriting webinars for every one of our grant programs, usually one for every single round! The webinars are then recorded and posted with captions on each one of our grant pages, so you can always watch the most recent webinar when you're going through any phase of your grant project. For example, you could visit our Art Project grant page and scroll down to register for upcoming live webinars, or if they've already happened, see the recorded version. See the snapshot of our website below. If you are having any issue finding past recorded webinars or registering for a new one, please email: info@swmnarts.org
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Provides up to $4,000 to aid Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other artists of color with projects that will advance their skills and artistic career. No match requirements. **View Grant Webinar from August here.**
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Provides up to $1,000 to arts organizations in the SMAC service region for equipment or technology that will allow them to provide virtual events and programming. Applicants can also use the funds to participate in “go-virtual” training or consultations. No match requirements.
**Monthly Arts Organization Grants Are BACK!**
Applications Due February 1, March 1, April 1, 4:30 pm, 2021. 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, January-April 2021. Earliest project start date is the first day of the following month after board action.
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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. **Click here to view a recording of our January 21, 2021 webinar.**
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Arts Organization Development grants provide arts organization in the SMAC region with up to $2,500 in matching funds to increase their long-term stability and capacity through organizational development and management projects. **Click here to view a recording of our November 18, 2020 webinar.**
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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. **Click here to view a recording of our November 18, 2020 webinar.**
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Provides arts organizations with up to $10,000 in matching funds for the purchase of equipment items and facilities improvements that will strengthen the organization’s capacity to serve the arts needs of the SMAC region. No cash match required this year. **Click here to view a recording of the January 5, 2021 webinar.**
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Provides organizations in the SMAC region with up to $20,000 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. No cash match required this year. **Click here to view a recording of our January 21, 2021 webinar.**
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Provides 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). No cash match required this year. **Grantwriting Webinar: February 11, Noon-1 pm. Register here!**
- Provides up to $500 to allow young artists entering grades 5 – 12 to attend an enrichment camp or specialty study. Standard weekly lessons (such as piano or voice lessons) are allowed only for those students who qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program. Arts supplies costs are allowed for students attending a MN public arts high school. No match requirements.**Grantwriting Webinar: February 18, 5:30-6:30 pm. Register here!**
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The Prairie Disciple Award ($1,000) provides awareness and recognition of one individual per year from southwest Minnesota, whose activities and involvement have substantially contributed to the arts over an extended period of time. The accomplishments of arts advocates working in the region are often not widely known or appreciated. In recognizing these individuals publicly, the awards will raise the profile of the arts in their community and throughout the SMAC region. Learn more, see past Prairie Disciple Winners, and start your nominations here.
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- Provides 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). No cash match required this year. **Grantwriting Webinar: February 11, Noon-1 pm. Register here!**
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Provides up to $500 to allow young artists entering grades 5 – 12 to attend an enrichment camp or specialty study. Standard weekly lessons (such as piano or voice lessons) are allowed only for those students who qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program. Arts supplies costs are allowed for students attending a MN public arts high school. No match requirements.**Grantwriting Webinar: February 18, 5:30-6:30 pm. Register here!**
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For more opportunities and resources be sure to check our the latest news posts (updated DAILY!) on SMAC's website:
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SMAC is still seeking representatives from Lac qui Parle County and McLeod County to serve on it’s Board of Directors.
If you live or work in Lac qui Parle or McLeod county and are interested in a position on our board here are some details: The Board meets monthly on the 4th Tuesday evening, currently virtually, 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, please go to
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Want to see what grants SMAC gave to your county in our fiscal year 2020? You can view that here.
What else did we do in fiscal year 2020? Check out some of our highlights here!
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Memberships
From December 29, 2020 to January 25, 2021
Contributors: Brad & Margaret Madsen, Dawson • Granite Area Arts Council, Granite Falls • MN Pottery Festival, Hutchinson • Robert Mattson, New London • Duane & Pam Blake, Tyler • Cottonwood County Historical Society, Windom • Prairie Arts Continuum, Windom •
Supporters: Virginia Homme, Granite Falls • Willmar Area Arts Council, Wilmar •
Patron: Ken & Marlys Knuth, Slayton •
Benefactor: Peggy Crosby & David Pederson, Dawson • Lac qui Parle County Commission, Big Stone County Commission, Ortonville • Meeker County Commission, Litchfield • Murray County Commission, Slayton •
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Would you like to become a contributing member of SMAC or make a donation?
The arts have suffered tremendously since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our arts organizations and individual artists have had to modify, postpone or cancel most, if not all of their projects and events, since March of this year. These closures mean lost income and lost opportunities. Although we will certainly see a reduction of funding from our state funding which comes from sales tax revenues, the SW MN Arts Council will continue working to support and fund arts access for the citizens of your county. We need you to help us support the arts.
You help by contributing online or by mail, for more information, visit:
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE ARTS!
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Check out our regional arts calendar!
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!
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2021 SW MN Arts Council BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Big Stone - Janine Teske
Jackson - Kristen Kuipers
Lincoln - Mark Wilmes
Meeker - Darlene Kotelnicki
Pipestone - Erica Volkir
Rock - Shawn Kinsinger &
Louella Voigt
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Chippewa - Georgette Jones
Kandiyohi - Cheri Buzzeo
Lyon - Michele Knife Sterner
Murray - Jessica Welu
Redwood - David KelseyBassett
Swift - Alison Nelson
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Cottonwood - Anna Johannsen
Nobles - Cheryl Avenel-Navara
Renville-Anne O'Keefe-Jackson
Yellow Medicine-Betsy Pardick
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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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