Art Project Legacy
Art Project Legacy
A Prairie Homeless Companion.
John White: writer, photographer, retired journalist; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor, director, teacher; Anna Johanssen: fiber artist, art teacher, Remick Gallery board, president of Windom Women’s Investment group, treasurer of Cottonwood County Animal Rescue, officer of Cotton Quilters; Kristen Kuipers: musician, private lesson and K-12 classroom music instructor, theater, writing, volunteer with Jackson Center for the Arts; Janet Olney: visual artist, Willmar Area Arts Council coordinator; Joyce Meyer: photographer, retired art teacher, Canby Arts Council; Michele Knife Sterner: theater actor, Southwest Minnesota State University Associate director for Access Opportunity Success program; Lisa Hill: musician, Crow River Singers, attorney; Emily Petersen: visual artist, art teacher; David KelseyBassett: visual artist, musician; Anne O’Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Scott Wessels: theater actor, director, writing, media, communications, board member for Green Earth Players; Brett Lehman: musician, social worker, Worthington City Band, Worthington Concert Association; Erica Volkir: performing arts, Director of Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB; Claire Swanson: visual arts, arts teacher, Meander Art Crawl Committee.
Kathy Fransen: music, arts administration; Jeff Iverson: music, theater, education; Janet Olney: visual art, arts administration, Southwest Minnesota Arts Council board; Teresa Peterson: writing; Don Sherman: visual art; John White: visual art, Southwest Minnesota Arts Council board; Tom Wirt: visual art, arts administration.
ACHF Arts Access
With this project, we see direct overlap with two of SMACs goals: Supporting artists and arts organizations in creating, producing and presenting high-quality arts activities - by engaging zAmya's combined crew of professional artists and people with lived experience of homelessness, we are simultaneously providing an authentic and high-quality experience for our audiences. Overcoming barriers to accessing high-quality arts activities - by our target audience and participants being people with lived experience of homelessness, we are overcoming barriers with folks that may have not otherwise felt invited into arts events. Additionally, our internal goal is that more people are aware of the realities of rural homelessness and how they can get involved in supporting the effort to end rural homelessness in our region. Evaluation will include project surveys and interviews with the artists, partners, service providers, audience and engaged residents which will ask questions such as "how often have you attended arts events in the past?" and "how much more aware of issues of homelessness are you after this experience?" We will track this data and use it to inform the impact of our project and our success in meeting our goals. We will adapt the survey to meet our needs for the performance phase.
We engaged zAmya's and PlaceBase's combined crew of professional artists and people with lived experience of homelessness to provide an authentic and high-quality experience for our audiences. One survey respondent said: "I was so very impressed..They were very warm in their welcome and professional as they helped community actors and musicians contribute to the show. Clearly they took homelessness in rural Minnesota seriously while finding a way to use humor and drama to break down barriers that keep people from looking at the challenges our communities and world face." We provided free performances with our target audience and participants, being people with lived experience of homelessness. By doing so, we are overcoming barriers with folks that may have not otherwise felt invited to arts events. Over 300 people attended the events.
Other,local or private