Briand Morrison is a frequent performer at local venues. He is pictured here sharing an original composition at the WTIP Radio Waves music festival. Thanks to a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, Morrison will soon have a CD of 12 original tracks. A CD release concert will be held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in September 2014.
In January 2014, the Minnesota State Arts Board awarded 13 grants totaling $100,000 to Minnesota artists and organizations through Cultural Community Partnership grant programs. Receiving a $4,500 grant was the North Shore Music Association (NSMA), to enable a collaborative project with North Shore guitarist Briand Morrison.
The Cultural Community Partnership grant program supports the artistic and career development of artists of color. Artists can apply for grants to help support a collaborative project with another Minnesota artist of color or a Minnesota nonprofit organization.
Music Association Director Kate Fitzgerald said, “The NSMA board members and I are familiar with Briand’s great talent as a guitarist through his participation in NSMA showcases, as well as his gigs around the county. So when the chance arose to apply for MSAB’s Cultural Community Partnership, created to advance the careers of artists of color, Briand naturally came to mind.”
“When I approached Briand about partnering with North Shore Music Association for this grant, he said what would help him most at this stage of his career is the chance to produce a high-quality CD featuring his work,” said Watson.
Thanks to the Minnesota State Arts Board funding, the music association and Morrison will work together to produce a jazz/blues/rock CD of 12 original tracks and live performance at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais.
Morrison began writing jazz/ rock/blues compositions for the CD in March. The CD will feature his guitar playing as well as the talents of 10 other area musicians. Morrison is doing the recording, mixing, and mastering at his home studio in Grand Portage. The concert is scheduled for September 20 at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
The Artist Initiative grant program is funded by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature from the State of Minnesota general fund and the arts and cultural heritage fund and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Cultural Community Partnership grant program is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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