In this issue:
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Warm up with SMAC: Spring Arts Classes
- SMAC awards $4,937 to local schools
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Upcoming Grant Webinars & Grant Deadlines
Pictured: Class participant works on a beaded medicine bag from Fern Cloud's class in New London. There is still one more opportunity to take Cloud's class, this time in Pipestone. See class details in article below.
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Southwest Minnesota Arts Council is holding a series of smaller art classes taught by artists from the region for artists in the region.
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- Classes are $15 per person, per class
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- Class size maximum: 10 participants
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- All supplies provided at classes; no need to bring your own unless preferred
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Please contact SMAC with accessibility inquiries for specific locations.
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Poetry
with Saara Myrene Rappana
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Native Art:
Beaded Medicine Bags
with Fern Cloud
Pictured: Fern Cloud teaching the beaded medicine bag class in Milan, MN.
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Plein Air Painting
(Painting outdoors with oils)
with John Sterner
*Please email info@swmnarts.org if you are concerned with purchasing a day pass for a Minnesota State Park to take this class.
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Watercolor Painting
with by Tamara Isfeld
This class will focus on a negative space watercolor lesson.
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SMAC Awards $4,937 to local organizations and young artists
The SMAC board met virtually on May 25, 2021 and awarded a total of $4,937 in Arts in the Schools grants to 2 schools within our SW MN region. Arts in the Schools grants fund schools for artist residencies or field trips that include educator training and community involvement, juried student art exhibits, and prepackaged theater experiences. Up to $2,500 (field trips, juried exhibits, or prepackaged theater) or $4,000 (residencies). No cash match required. The following 2 schools were award in May:
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Russell Tyler Ruthton Schools in Tyler was awarded $4,000 for an artist residency with Copper Street Brass (CSB). CSB will hold two sessions with the Middle School and High School band students. That evening the CSB will host a concert in the school auditorium. The applicant said they plan on honoring their veterans in the local community as special guests at the concert.
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BOLD Public Schools in Olivia has been awarded $937 for a Plein Air Art Field trip. Prior to the trip, 5th & 6th grade art students will have classroom instruction on the benefits of plein air (outdoor) experience and learn how to draw from observation and control their media while working outside and in front of their living subject matter. The project will entail 2 one-hour instructional periods in the classroom and 2 one-hour "hands on" outdoor excursions to show students the difference between static still life drawing and living/moving objects in an outdoor setting. Students will travel to Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls, allowing them time to draw, walk, and explore the park for the full plein air experience. A follow up-class will instruct and guide the students to use watercolor pencils to finish their works. The applicant said, "this last class is crucial to bring home the students final thoughts of the trip as well as their personal art." A small critique will be held for each student to share their personal experience and show off their drawings to the class.
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Nicole Zempel, Wild Roots MN
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Nicole Zempel is in the gallery through June 25, 2021 with her exhibit Wild Roots MN. Zempel was born and raised in Granite Falls, MN. She is a nature artist, outdoor enthusiast, mycophile, forager, public speaker, writer and photographer. She aims to inspire new relationships with the natural world by sharing what she’s learned and observed by way of art exhibits, art classes and other interactive events and presentations about the magical and mysterious world that exists all around us.
She eloquently explains her photography focus for this exhibit: "It is impossible to walk the same stretch of woodlands or prairie twice. The land is always changing, transforming…becoming something different than even a few moments before. Because of this, I can say the same about my work, which is really natures work. As in the natural world, my work is always evolving as I go deeper and deeper into the countless microhabitats and the life within. Using only my cellphone for photography, my passion is bringing the 'unseen' or 'overlooked' into the light – to share what nature shows me. My work is truly a blend of science and art and fittingly, so is the natural world.
Stories, knowledge gained from the land and photographs come together in this exhibit in a unique way that aims to inspire others to form their own relationships with the natural world."
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Join us for our Third Thursday Virtual Artist Talk with Nicole Zempel on Thursday, June 17 starting at 5:30 pm.
Pictured: Attendees at Nicole Zempel's artist reception that took place on May 13th, 2021.
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July 15 through August, please help us welcome Mary La Patka of Willmar to our Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery!
La Patka's work centers around botanical art and Illustration. She received a SMAC Individual Artist Grant in 2020. Watch for more details on La Patka's exhibit!
Pictured: White pine illustration by Mary La Patka.
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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.
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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Our Voices segment features stories from from SMAC grantees and participants about their experiences. This month we're hearing from filmmaker Daryl Hrdlicka, who received a SMAC Individual Artist grant to fund a short movie entitled "Pale Dawn", which is a sequel to a short movie he participated in making in 2018. The movie was filmed almost entirely in Minnesota, using all local actors and crew. This is the feedback Hrdlicka had for SMAC in his final report for his grant. SMAC staff can assist you with your grant through a number of services:
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Set up a meeting with our grants administrator, Caroline Koska, here: https://calendly.com/carolinekoska-smac
- Attend virtual "Open Office" hours that are held once a month
- Attend online interactive grantwriting webinars, held approximately 6 weeks before every grant deadline.
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The new grant calendar is here! |
Click here to view Southwest Minnesota Arts Council's fiscal year 2022 grant programs calendar, which runs from July 2021 through June 2022. Applications should be open with updated grant webpages by mid- June.
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- Provides organizations with up to $2,500 for activities such as planning for an Art Legacy Project, strategic planning or board training, costs to apply for a 501(c)(3) status, small equipment purchases, or small arts projects. **Register for June 28 Webinar from 5:30-6:30 pm here!**
- Provides organizations in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 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. **Register for July 7 Webinar from 12-1 pm here!**
- Provides arts organizations with up to $10,000 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. **Register for July 27 Webinar from 5:30-6:30 pm here!**
- Two-year grants for arts organizations with a current 501(c)(3) and at least two years of programming and financials, to be used for operating expenses. Submit financial info in a pre-application to determine your request amount, 15% or 35% of your organization's average operating budget, depending on budget size. **Register for August 5 Webinar from 12-1 pm here!**
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- Provides organizations with up to $2,500 for activities such as planning for an Art Legacy Project, strategic planning or board training, costs to apply for a 501(c)(3) status, small equipment purchases, or small arts projects.**Grantwriting Webinar: June 28, 5:30-6:30 pm. Register here!**
- Provides up to $4,000 to aid Black, Indigenous, and other artists of color with projects that will advance their skills and artistic career. **Grantwriting Webinar: July 1, Noon-1 pm. Register here!**
- Provides organizations in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 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: July 7, Noon-1 pm. Register here!**
- Provides artists with up to $1,000 for activities such as purchasing supplies, attending classes, and small artist-led community projects. **Grantwriting Webinar: July 19, 7-8 pm. Register here!**
- Provides arts organizations with up to $10,000 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. **Grantwriting Webinar: July 27, 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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Save the date for Southwest Minnesota Art Council's Annual Celebration! This year will be mix of in-person and virtual offerings on Saturday, September 15, 2021. Watch for more updates, we can't wait to spend the day celebrating the arts with you!
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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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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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Memberships
From April 27 to May 28, 2021
Contributors: Crow River Singers, Hutchinson • Maureen Keimig, Marshall • Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce, Pipestone • Mary Jane Mardesen, Rushmore • Jon & Ruth Hoyme, Slayton • John and Karin Gilbertson, Willmar •
Supporters: Joe Paddock, Litchfield • Nicole DeBoer, Marshall • Jean Replinger, Marshall • Mark & Kathy Wilmes, Tyler • David & Marilee Strom, Windom • Sharon DuBois, Willmar • Worthington Federal Savings Bank, Worthington • Worthington Public Arts Commission, Worthington •
Sustainers: Rolland C. Digre D.D.S, Hendricks • Cheri Buzzeo, Spicer •
Patrons: Tim & Carol Ceynowa, Luverne •
Other Donations: Marilyn Leach, Marshall •
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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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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 & Michele Huggins
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Executive Director - Nicole DeBoer
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Grants/Financial Administrator - Caroline Koska
Marketing Coordinator - 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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