At the September 16, 2021, meeting, the Central MN Arts Board (CMAB) awarded $37,163 in Artist Career Development grants.
The CMAB Artist Career Development program provides funding in support of projects, training opportunities, purchases and other activities that assist artists in making the next step in their artistic careers. Funding for this program is provided by the McKnight Foundation.
Three criteria are used to evaluate applications: Artistic quality and merit, Professional Need and Ability to complete the proposal. An applicant must receive an average score of 15 points (50%) or higher to be considered for funding.
1. Mary Bruno, $4,000, framing and display for her work “The Rule of Saint Benedict”, consisting of seventy-three chapters of text and images letterpress printed on Thai Mulberry paper, for the preparation of the first of an exhibition series featuring the Scroll.
2. JD Jorgenson, $4,000, for studio equipment upgrades focused on safety, efficiency, and increased capacity in the studio kilns.
3. Elysia Larson, $1,163, for the purchase of music reading and notation technology to improve the time, resources, and organizations for studio art and teaching private music lessons.
4. Kelly Lundquist, $4,000, for a mentorship with Anna Qu, who will perform an in-depth edit of a completed book manuscript, “Beard: A Memoir”.
5. Desi Murphy, $4,000, to purchase a Pugmill for a commercial pottery studio and gallery in St. Cloud, MN.
6. Ronald Ringer, $4,000 to create a video recording of a dance performance that expands the bounds of traditional ballroom and Latin dance performed by male partners to the music of “Nessun Dorma” written by Giacomo Puccini for the opera Turandot.
7. Laura Ruprecht, $4,000, for consumable materials to expand her artistic portfolio, an iPad purchase for a more efficient way to organize and plan commissions and to maintain a commerce website subscription and online presence.
8. Timothy Takach, $4,000, for the newly composed “Unfashioned Creature” for choir, percussion, cello, and live dance collaboration with Minneapolis choreographer Penelope Freeh who will choreograph the dance piece for the James Sewell Ballet.
9. Hedy Tripp, $4,000, to assist in a mentorship with Ms. Pacyinz Lyfoung, a Minnesotan-grown and Southeast Asian/Hmong writer, and to attend David Mura’s “The ABCs of Narrative Construction: A Class for Writers of Color and Indigenous Writers” workshop through the Loft Literary Center in St. Paul.
10. D. Helene Woods, $4,000 to assist in the purchase and painting of an “Art Truck” for the transportation of supplies, materials, and artwork for exhibitions.
The Central Minnesota Arts Board supports collaborative and innovative arts opportunities through partnerships and financial investments in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties as one of eleven Regional Arts Councils designated by the Minnesota State Arts Board working with community partners to increase access to the unique cultural assets of Minnesota.
For more information about the Central MN Arts Board programs visit www.centralmnartsboard.org or call the office at 320-968-4290 or toll free at 1-866-825-1471.