Make your voices heard from March 14-18!
Make an impact on Zoom to vouch for the positive impact arts grants and funding gives to the community.
MN Capitol with a backdrop of several works by MN artists and a photograph of a musician playing the violin
The Minnesota Legislature is back in session! This year, all our arts friends can tell their Legislators how important the arts are by participating in Arts Advocacy week which is March 14-18. Scheduled to be a virtual event again this year, our message will be broadcast LIVE. We will use this platform to tell our Legislators that the arts organizations in Minnesota have been greatly impacted by COVID and State funding is vital to their recovery.
Your Story Advocates for All
On Feb. 9, the House Legacy Finance Committee heard testimony from a variety of arts organizations about how COVID eliminated their audiences, forced reductions of their staff and increased costs. Our own Amy Stearns from the Holmes Theatre in Detroit Lakes, gave compelling testimony of how the Holmes was forced to cut staff, cancel performances and how important funding from the MN State Arts Board and Lake Region Arts Council was to their organization.
“We have dreams, we want to be better than we’ve ever been, so many great ideas of things that we can do but we definitely need the help, and support,” Amy told the House Legacy Finance Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives. “We need the continued support from the great programming from the State Arts Board Legacy Amendment grants and opportunities we can tap into there.”
Amy Stearns went on to say, “We want to get back to serving our community, having full theatres, having people in the pool, and doing what we do best which is bringing our community together and serve this region.”
If you would like to hear how Amy Stearns, Historic Holmes Theatre, talks about her organization’s experiences with COVID in the last two years, please watch the video below.
Stories like Amy’s provide great examples of why Legacy Funding and grants are beneficial to entire communities – not just the organizations or artists themselves.
Join us and Register for Arts Advocacy Week 2022!
In the past, meetings like this have been hosted at the Capitol. As COVID precautions remain in place, we will again host a short zoom rally followed by zoom meetings with legislators themselves, asking them to protect arts funding throughout Minnesota.
LRAC Will be sending out additional information regarding how you can carry a similar message to your Legislator during Arts Advocacy Week 2022, Mar. 14-18.
Keep an eye out for future emails and Facebook posts for more information from LRAC!
Maxine Adams
LRAC Executive Director
