The Grand Marais Art Colony will be featured in a Minnesota State Art Board exhibition that is showcasing the community impact of art events supported by the state’s arts and cultural heritage fund.
A Creative Investment exhibition, celebrating 10 years of Legacy art and impact, opens on April 26 at the Minnesota State Arts Board in Saint Paul, and will be on display through the fall. The exhibition highlights the breadth of art engagement throughout the state and features work by all ages—kindergartners to older adults—and all abilities. Its theme is that all Minnesotans are creative, and all benefit from the arts.
The Legacy Amendment has broadened access to the arts. The Grand Marais Art Colony receives Arts Board grant funding to support the annual Grand Marais Arts Festival. In supporting over 70 regional artists, the event boosts the local economy, fosters community pride, strengthens relationships, and provides opportunities for community members and Minnesotans of all ages to participate in numerous art-making activities and demonstrations.
In 2008, Minnesota voters approved the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment to the state’s constitution. For a period of 25 years, the amendment will dedicate a pool of funds for clean water, parks and trails, outdoor habitat, and arts and cultural heritage. The Arts Board and the state’s regional arts councils receive appropriations from the arts and cultural heritage fund. In the first 10 years, the Arts Board and regional arts councils have awarded 13,894 legacy-supported grants.
“Since the passage of the Legacy Amendment, more Minnesotans have access to and are able to participate in the arts, and the funding has put the arts to work in new ways to help achieve important public goals,” said Sue Gens, executive director of the Minnesota State Arts Board. “In addition to supporting arts programming in traditional settings like theaters and concert halls, Legacy funds are helping bring the arts into community settings. Collaborative arts projects are bringing neighbors together, traditional artists are helping to foster cultural understanding, arts activities are promoting health and well-being for older adults, young people are developing their talents and skills through community arts education, and artists and arts organizations are being recognized as important tools in economic and community development.”
The Minnesota State Arts Board is a state agency that stimulates and encourages the creation, performance, and appreciation of the arts in the state. It serves as fiscal agent for a network of 11 regional arts councils. Together, the Arts Board and regional arts council system serve all 87 counties, distributing arts funding to individuals and organizations through competitive grant programs and providing services around the state.
Leave a Reply