LRAC Announces This Year’s Fall Legacy Grant Awardees
Lake Region Arts Council, Fergus Fall, MN has announced the results of the Fall Legacy Grant Round held in November 2022. $15,668 was awarded to three Legacy Individual Artist Grants, and $68,855 for eleven Legacy Organization Grants. The available amount to be awarded was $84,568 between the two funding pools, and $149,730 was requested.
On behalf of the LRAC Board, we are pleased to announce the following recipients of this year’s Fall Legacy Grant. Help us in congratulating the following individuals and organizations!
Legacy Individual Artist Grant Program Awardees
Jim Bjork
$4,800
Otter Tail County
“Floating Blue Place Setting” by Jim Bjork.
Bjork will use the grant funds to purchase a new kiln, allowing him to continue community outreach activities such as mentoring high school students, teaching pottery workshops to groups of homeschooled students, and doing demonstrations at the Lake Region Pioneer Steam Threshers reunion in Dalton.
Leigh Nelson
$3,170
Becker County
Leigh Nelson will refresh some mural panels in downtown Detroit Lakes.
Nelson’s Legacy Project consists of designing a series of 4, 4x8' panels to be displayed downtown Detroit Lakes. This grant will fund the supplies required for the project, including primer, paint, top coat/sealant, substrate, and artist's time. “This project adds much needed vibrancy to the downtown Detroit Lakes area - an area full of tourists during the summer months and a destination for many artist events, just blocks from the city park and Historic Holmes Theater,” stated Nelson. The panels will be installed in the spring of 2023.
Nancy Valentine
$7,698
Otter Tail County
“Dragon” by Nancy Valentine.
Valentine will use the grant funds to create an online course to introduce traditional Chinese folk painting and culture to the public. She hopes that the long-range impact of this project will allow her to continue broadening her audience of reach and impact locally, regionally and globally through internet platforms. “By creating a high-quality digital course, I’ll not only increase my regional community’s access to traditional Chinese folk painting techniques, but also offer a platform for intercultural understanding,” Valentine stated.
Legacy Organization Grant Program Awardees
Evansville Arts Coalition
$2,950
Douglas County
EAC will install an automatic door opener at their facility.
EAC will complete the accessibility of their facility by installing an automatic door to create hands free access to the art center. The ability to open the door by pushing one button removes the door as a barrier: people using walkers or cane or those who struggle with the weight of the door. This project will require mounting the activator, placing the two activation switches, and hiring a qualified technician to tune the system.
DLCCC, Inc.
$8,950
Becker County
DLCCC (Historic Holmes Theatre) will expand their summer youth musical theatre program.
This Legacy project is to expand and enhance the Historic Holmes Theatre Summer Musical Theatre Program. Over the years this program has developed the acting, singing and dancing skills of many area students and provided a creative outlet that otherwise does not exist for this age group during the summers in our region. The organizations will build on these programs by integrating the acting intensives into the regular theatre camp by hiring an additional acting coach (Lorraine Bahr, MFA) to the rehearsal process and hire a theatrical designer (Emma Arends Montes - MFA) to lead a week of technical theatre design camp.
Detail from “The Mirror” by Michael Weatherly. Weatherly will teach printmaking workshops at the Kaddatz Galleries.
Kaddatz Galleries, LTD
$6,140
Otter Tail County
In 2023, the Kaddatz Galleries, together with other area partners, will celebrate the artistic legacy of Charles Beck through a year of exhibitions, events, and educational activities. Inspired by what would have been his 100th birthday, the Kaddatz will offer a series of printmaking workshops that will guide students through the process of creating original work on the Kaddatz’s Printmaking Center’s presses. This grant will allow the organization to provide these workshops at reduced rates. We’ll offer tuition-free participation to 2 groups that are historically underserved and with whom the Kaddatz has ongoing relationships – Matthew House residents and SAGA Youth. Work created in the workshops will be featured in a Kaddatz exhibit in Sept ‘23.
Otter Cove Children’s Museum
$3,960
Otter Tail County
Children creating in the Maker Shop at Otter Cove Children’s Museum.
This Legacy Project will allow us to develop the curriculum for an instructor-facilitated experience to be offered at Otter Cove for children ages 3-7 based on the work of Michelle Kay Compton and Robin Chappele Thompson in their book ArtMaking: Using Picture Books and Art to Read Our World (2022). Children will explore elements of art including, color, lines, shapes, textures, and spaces. Funding for this project will allow us to purchase all necessary supplies and develop the curriculum for an anticipated spring/summer 2023 launch date.
Henning Landmark Center
$7,260
Otter Tail County
Kristi Kuder teaching a class at the
Henning Landmark Center.
Henning Landmark Center will continue with Arts Workshop Series for 2023, featuring 6 artists offering a variety of workshop opportunities over a total of 12 days and including 60 participants. Workshops include Mary Jo Wentz Wet Felting, Ruth Hanson Watercolor Batik, Mike Weatherly Linocut Printmaking, Clayton Johnson Relief Wood Carving, Patricia Wahl Acrylic Painting, and Mimi Seykora Pottery. All workshops will be located at the Henning Landmark Center, and vary in length from 1-day to 5-day Workshops, open to all ages and experience levels. With the aid of Grant Funding, all materials will be included in registration fee and tools will be available for students to take home and continue exploration of individual art forms.
Art of the Lakes Association
$7,890
Otter Tail County
Kristi Kuder will teach snow dying as an Art of the Lakes workshop.
Art of the Lakes will add a winter/spring series of activities targeting the local youth and families with young children. These classes include Glass Beadmaking + Bracelet w/J Peterson, Snow Dyeing w/K Kuder, Wet Felting a Purse or Bowl w/MJ Wentz, and a Welcome Summer Week: Kite Making. This week-long drop-in event will include an opportunity for attendees to design, paint, & complete a pinwheel or “Sled kite”. Weather permitting, they will then hold a kite flying event on Saturday, June 24 in Railroad Park, Battle Lake.
City of Moorhead Parks and Recreation
$3,850
Clay County
The McDonald School of Irish & International Dance will perform at the Celtic Festival in Moorhead.
The City of Moorhead - Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor the annual Celtic Festival featuring Celtic music, dance, storytelling, and other cultural enrichment performances. During the event there will be numerous vendors and information booths that share their products and information related to specific Celtic heritage. The music, dance, stories, and food make this an event that is fun for all ages and the goal is to continue to increase the exposure of this event and the culture of the Celtic nations year after year. The Festival will take place on Saturday, March 18 at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, MN.
Central Square
$6,950
Pope County
Artist George Maurer will create a “sound walk” experience at Central Square. Photo provided.
Central Square will use the grant funds to bring renowned musician, composer, storyteller, adventurer, and 2021 McKnight Fellow, George Maurer to Pope County in October of 2023. The organization will focus on marketing this event to area students and will work with Mr. Maurer to develop an educational component for students such as a “sound walk”. Students will create a piece of work accompanied by a poem, song, or story. The student art will be featured in the Central Square gallery and Mr. Maurer will help us create the “sound walk” experience.
Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
$4,715
Clay County
HCSCC will help keep the art of Hardanger fiddle making alive.
HCSCC will facilitate the preserving and passing on of the folk-art traditions of Hardanger fiddle making and performing by hosting Robert “Bud” Larsen to guide four Minnesota apprentices in building their own Hardanger fiddles culminating in a performance at the Hjemkomst Center. The apprenticeship will take place throughout 2023, and the performance will take place in December 2023.
New York Mills Public Library
$8,000
Otter Tail County
Field scene by Scott Gunvaldson. Gunvaldson will create a mural at the New York Mills Public
The New York Mills Public Library’s Legacy Project is to hire artist Scott Gunvaldson to create a mural in the children’s section of the library. Mr. Gunvaldson will accomplish this project by painting the mural onto canvas and installing it onto the wall in the children’s section of the library. The long-term artistic benefit of this project is to provide public art for the patrons of the library. The mural will be visible for all to see, but specifically, it will be for the children to feel welcome in “their” library.
Perham Center for the Arts
$8,190
Otter Tail County
“Peace” by Amanda Callahan.
The Perham Center for the Arts will use the grant to establish a clay studio/center where people can take classes. The organization believes that ceramics is a fun, versatile and accessible art form for all ages and ability levels. PCA will be working with ceramic artist Amanda Callahan to implement ceramics classes for youth, adults and older adults throughout the grant period.
Spring Into Action for LRAC’s Next Grant Round!
Mark your calendars! The next grant cycle is approaching for our FY23 Spring Legacy Grants. For those interested in applying, make note of the following important dates and deadlines:
Applications Open: Monday, January 9, 2023
Applications Due: Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 5:00pm
Grant Review Timeline: April 18 and April 25, 2023
Awarded projects may begin in mid-May of 2023.
It’s never too early to start preparing your grant application! Whether you’re new to the application process or need a reminder on how to apply, we offer instructional videos for grant writing assistance that are available online and may be watched at any time.
LRAC Legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
