Art Resources
Initiative Foundation – www.ifound.org
The Initiative Foundation exists for one purpose, to improve the quality of life in central Minnesota. At the core of our work is the belief that local people possess the talent, passion and ability to achieve a brighter future. Our programs and investments strive to give every person an opportunity to contribute to a shared vision and plan of action that strengthens community character and relationships.
Each foundation’s priorities are decided by the people in its own region, with grants and loans supporting such issues as economic development, leadership development, community building, and families, youth and seniors.
MUSIC FOR LEARNING – www.classicalmpr.org/topic/education
Classical MPR’s Music for Learning portfolio of programs is designed to foster your students’ passion for classical music. It’s your go-to resource for materials that meet Minnesota K-12 music education standards.
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center – www.kulcher.org
The NYMRCC is dedicated to expanding the cultural and creative opportunities of rural Americans by offering innovative, quality arts programming, and demonstrating how the arts can be used as an economic development tool in rural communities across the nation.
Saint Cloud Area UNITE4MUSIC – www.unite4music.com
The Bridge to your Musical community. A website designed for teachers, students, and parents to easily explore what is available in our area for young aspiring musicians that offers users the ability to seach for Instructors, Ensembles, Service and Repair.
Wirth Center for the Performing Arts – www.wirthcenter.org
The Wirth Center for the Performing Arts has been at the cutting edge of performing arts instruction in the upper Midwest since 1981. Offering an array of educational programs, from Early Childhood Instruction to the professional level, The Wirth Center offers music to all ages.
Compas – www.compas.org
COMPAS is a statewide, non-profit arts organization affiliated with the Young Audiences Arts for Learning network that sparks students’ imaginations, brings creativity into the lives of older adults, and inspires people to create. At its core, COMPAS brings art to people. Professional artists work alongside students, teachers, senior citizens, patients and sometimes just passersby to help them discover their own creativity and learn a new skill.
Cultural Data Project (CDP) – www.culturaldata.org
The Cultural Data Project offers a powerful online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organizations. This groundbreaking project gathers reliable, longitudinal data on the sector.
Forecast Public Art – www.forecastpublicart.org
Recognized nationally as a major public art resource, Forecast Public Art provides facilitation and consultation services to a number of diverse communities, agencies and artists throughout the nation seeking to create public art. Our successful partnerships have helped leverage considerable support for public art and local public artists.
Forum of Regional Arts Councils of Minnesota
Throughout Minnesota, the Forum of Regional Arts Councils provides a strong voice and advocacy for small arts organizations and community-based, arts related activities. Important to the accomplishment of this mission are our working partnerships with organizations such as the Minnesota State Arts Board and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.
Only Minnesota has such a system of regional arts councils which can disseminate state and other funding for the creation, performance and appreciation of Minnesota art. Each of the eleven Minnesota Regional Arts Councils has a primary staff person. Together, these representatives comprise the voting membership of the Forum of Regional Arts Councils. Click here for our brochure.
LOFT Literary Center – www.loft.org
The Loft Literary Center is the nation’s largest independent literary center. The Loft supports the artistic development of writers, fosters a writing community, and builds an audience for literature. Thousands of students register for Loft creative writing courses each year; thousands more participate in Loft readings and other events. Loft competitions, grants, and honoraria help authors pursue the writing life. Loft publications and its website bring the writing life home to literature lovers everywhere.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts – www.artsmia.org
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts enriches the community by collecting, preserving, and making accessible outstanding works of art from the world’s diverse cultures.
MIA offers Exhibitions, Collections, the Museum, Education and Resources, Tours, Classes, Lectures, Youth and Family Programs and more.
The Minnesota Access Alliance (MNAA) – mnaccess.org
provides this Accessible Arts & Culture Calendar for patrons who use accessibility accommodations such as Audio Description, Captioning, ASL interpreting and sensory-friendly accommodations.
The Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP)
A curatorial department of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) dedicated to exhibiting and supporting artists living and working in the state of Minnesota. Generous support for MAEP is provided by The McKnight Foundation and Jerome Foundation.
Minnesota Association of Community Theatres – www.mact.net
MACT is a statewide, volunteer run organization which holds meetings, workshops, festivals and other events throughout the state of Minnesota.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) – mnbookarts.org
We celebrate the book as a vibrant contemporary art form that takes many shapes. Our mission is clear: to lead the advancement of the book as an evolving art form. MCBA is committed to book art, artists and appreciators. Our mission is achieved through quality programs that support a broad continuum of creators, learners and admirers.
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts – www.mncitizensforthearts.org
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA) is a statewide arts advocacy organization that organizes the arts community to lobby the Minnesota State Legislature and Congress. Our mission is to ensure opportunity for all people to have access to and involvement in the arts.
Minnesota Creative Arts and Aging Network – www.mncaan.net
MnCAAN is a network of Minnesotans dedicated to expanding opportunities for creative expression by older adults through the arts. This organization inspires older adults to create art; educates citizens, organizations, and public officials about the benefits of artistic self-expression for older adults; helps organizations develop effective arts programming for older adults; helps artists share their expertise through teaching and directing; showcases the work of older artists, links these groups to collaborate and learn from each other.
MN Music Coalition – www.mnmusiccoaltion.org
The Minnesota Music Coalition is a statewide network for independent musicians who care about creating and sustaining a vibrant popular music community. Through education, communication, and advocacy, we create access to resources and professional development services.
Minnesota State Arts Board – www.arts.state.mn.us
The Minnesota State Arts Board values the arts as a vital element in the life of our community. The arts, in their many forms, provide a vehicle for developing and expressing creativity, a tool for growth, and a means of connecting people across cultural boundaries.
Minnesota Theater Alliance – www.minnesotatheateralliance.org
Minnesota Theater Alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit service organization who’s mission is to leverage the collective strengths of Minnesota’s theaters and theater professionals to promote, support, and advocate for the Minnesota theater industry locally, nationally, and internationally, believing that theater is an essential public good, critical to a healthy and truly democratic society and invaluable as a source of personal enrichment and growth.
mnartists.org– www.mnartists.org
mnartists.org is an online database of Minnesota artists and organizations from all disciplines. It offers to Minnesota-based artists a central gathering place on the Web, and will grow to become a marketplace and community hub. It offers the public a new way to explore art and get to know artists. In addition to providing artists and organizations with a web page containing images and information, mnartists.org provides news and features about the local arts scene from a variety of sources.
Northern Clay Center – www.northernclaycenter.org
Northern Clay Center’s mission is the advancement of the ceramic arts. Ongoing programs include exhibitions by contemporary regional, national and international ceramic artists, as well as historical and architectural ceramics; classes and workshops for children and adults at all skill levels; studio space and grants for artists; and a sales gallery representing many top ceramic artists from the region and elsewhere.
Perpich Center for Arts Education – www.mcae.k12.mn.us
The Perpich Center for Arts Education (PCAE) is a dynamic agency of the State of Minnesota, and a unique state-of-the-art organization of national stature representing Minnesota’s dedication to excellent education. Perpich’s mission is to improve K–12 education for all Minnesota students and educators through innovative programs and partnerships centered in the arts.
Springboard for the Arts– www.springboardforthearts.org
Springboard for the Arts is a non-profit Artist service organization. Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to cultivate a vibrant arts community by connecting artists with the skills, contacts, information and services they need to make a living and a life.
Textile Center – www.textilecentermn.org
The Textile Center is a national center for fiber art. Its mission is to honor textile traditions and promote excellence and innovation in fiber art. The Textile Center represents and supports fiber artists working in all forms of textile media including weaving, quilting, knitting, sewing, needlework, lace making, basketry and beading. A critical part of the Textile Center’s mission is to bring validation and visibility to this field of art. Textile arts arise from all cultures and the Textile Center works to preserve traditional forms as well as to encourage experimentation and the development of new fiber art forms.
The Weavers Guild of Minnesota (WGM) – www.weaversguildmn.org
Preserving and advancing the arts of weaving, spinning, and dyeing. Since its founding in 1940 by six women, including Hilma Berglund, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota has established itself as a nationally-recognized resource for the arts of weaving, spinning, and dyeing. The Guild offers classes and events year round, serving nearly 700 new and experienced fiber artists each year. It was the catalyst in the formation of the Textile Center, where the Guild currently maintains classroom, retail, and library space.
Youth Performance Company – www.youthperformanceco.com
Founded in 1989, Youth Performance Company (YPC) is rich in character and commitment to serving young artists, young audiences, and the community. YPC’s mission is dedicated to igniting and fuelling the artistic spirit of youth by developing, empowering and advancing young artists. YPC works towards this mission by targeting excellence in theatre performance, arts education, and diversified youth-centered programming which promotes artistic quality, arts advocacy, self-determination, leadership, volunteerism and community service, facilitated by a professionally staffed theatre arts organization.
Actors Fund – www.actorsfund.org
The Actors Fund is a nationwide human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis or transition.
American Association of Community Theatre– www.aact.org
The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) is the national community theatre organization, representing the interests of community theatres across the U.S.
Americans for the Arts – www.americansforthearts.org
Our mission is to serve, advance, and lead the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain, and support the arts in America. Connecting your best ideas and leaders from the arts, communities, and business, together we can work to ensure that every American has access to the transformative power of the arts.
Arts Midwest– www.artsmidwest.org
A non-profit regional arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest serves audiences, arts organizations, and artists throughout the nine states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and beyond. Our history spans more than 25 years.
Bush Foundation – www.bushfellows.org
Bush offers fellowship programs in the areas of arts, leadership and medicine. These programs are a core part of our strategy and tie directly to our goal of developing courageous leaders. Over time, we plan to purposefully expand and introduce new aspects to these vital programs and will invite all of our fellows to help advance the outcomes of the Foundation. For more information about the Bush Foundation and other programs they offer visit www.bushfoundation.org
Ceramic Arts Network – www.ceramicartsnetwork.org
An online community serving active potters and ceramic artists worldwide, as well as those who are interested in finding out more about this craft. CeramicArtsNetwork.org provides a wide array of tools for learning about and improving skills in the ceramic arts, and a place for artists to share ideas and perspectives about how their art and life interact to shape each other.
US Department of Education– www.ed.gov
The U.S. Department of Education offers information on resources for teachers, parents, and students on a variety of topics, including the arts
McKnight Foundation – www.mcknight.org
The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based private philanthropic organization seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations. Through grantmaking, coalition-building, and encouragement of strategic policy reform, they use their resources to attend, unite, and empower those they serve
Midwest Art Fairs – www.midwestartfairs.com
Midwest Art Fairs is your regional guide to over 1,200 art & craft fairs, festivals and events in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota & South Dakota. This guide features the information needed to plan a busy show schedule.
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies –nasaa-arts.org
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization that unites, represents and serves the nation’s state and jurisdictional arts agencies.
National Association of Latino Arts & Culture –www.nalac.org
The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) is dedicated to the preservation, development and promotion of the cultural and artistic expressions of the diverse Latino populations of the United States.
National Endowment for the Arts – www.arts.gov
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
Native Arts & Cultures Foundation – www.nativeartsandcultures.org
The Native Arts & Cultures Foundation is dedicated to supporting, developing and revitalizing the diversity of artistic expression in American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities across the United States.
NFYA Source – www.nyfa.org
NFYA Source is the nation’s most extensive databank of awards, services, and publications for artists in all disciplines, providing online access to listings in dance, folk arts, media, performance and interdisciplinary arts, visual arts, music, literature, theater, and arts related professions. NYFA Source is available to artists free of charge.