Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$15,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Rain Taxi, Inc. AKA Rain Taxi Review of Books
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
November 2020
End Date
October 2021
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Beltrami
Blue Earth
Carver
Chisago
Clay
Cook
Crow Wing
Dakota
Hennepin
Hubbard
Isanti
Olmsted
Otter Tail
Ramsey
Scott
Stearns
St. Louis
Washington
Wright
Anoka
Beltrami
Blue Earth
Carver
Chisago
Clay
Cook
Crow Wing
Dakota
Hennepin
Hubbard
Isanti
Olmsted
Otter Tail
Ramsey
Scott
Stearns
St. Louis
Washington
Wright
Project Overview

Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Project Details

Rain Taxi will expand virtual events featuring diverse voices, deepen communications and services to readers and partners, and reach out to engage more Minnesotans of all demographics in the literary arts.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Ardell Brede: former mayor of Rochester; Peggy Burnet: entrepreneur, art collector, and community volunteer; Uri Camarena: business consultant, Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA); Michael Charron: executive director of grants and sponsored programs for Saint Mary's University of Minnesota., Saint Mary's University of Minnesota; Sean Dowse: former mayor of Red Wing; former executive director, Sheldon Theatre; Anthony Gardner, vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Boutique Air, founder and owner of Bluedoor 74, adjunct college faculty; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: executive director, Lyric Center for the Arts; Thomas Moss: consultant to nonprofits and government agencies; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former managing director, Penumbra Theatre

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Rhonda Dass: Dr. Rhonda Dass studied art and art history at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, focusing on oil painting, weaving, and museum practices. She completed her education at Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), receiving an MA in folklore with a focus on museum studies, and dual PhDs in folklore and American studies. In 2008, Dass joined the faculty of Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is currently a full professor in the anthropology department. Dass is the director of the American Indigenous studies program as well as the museum studies program and is interim department chair.; Rebecca David: David holds a BA in art and a BS in business administration from Waynesburg University (Waynesburg, PA). David currently volunteers at the Art Shoppe at the Midtown Global Market, outside of her day job. From 2008 to 2015 Rebecca was a teaching artist at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and managed a variety of grant funded community programming projects. She participated in the Northern Clay Center's New Institute for Ceramic Education in 2016. Exhibitions include Hopkins Center for the Arts, Artistry, Vine Arts Center, Chicago Avenue Fire Arts, and Dakota Fine Art (Fargo, ND).; Christlo Gittens: Christlo Gittens is a commercial actor and gigging extra. He has assisted curators to put together art events in Minneapolis showcasing music, dancing, painting, and other forms of art under the group Energy Dance Collective usually operating at the Public Functionary when events are hosted. Educationally, he has taught dance to more than 100 students at the University of St. Thomas and won the "Are You Local" music award 2017 with the artist Nick Jordan.; Douglas Harbin: Doug Harbin is a composer, performer, and educator residing in Moorhead. He composes acoustic and electroacoustic systematic music and his works have been performed throughout the world. He is currently assistant professor at Concordia College and has been on faculty at several institutions including Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, Mesa Community College, and Taylor University. He holds composition degrees from Arizona State University (DMA), Ball State University (MM) and Taylor University (BM & BA in mathematics). Harbin has served on two Artist Initiative panels and adjudicated for national and statewide composition competitions.; Peter Latner: Latner is a Minneapolis based photographer, concentrating on the cultural and geographic face of the American Midwest. His most recent photographs, made on the Great Plains, stem from long-standing interests in American history, geography, landscape, and sense of place. Previous projects include small town life, the changing look of main street. the upper Mississippi River valley, suburban landscapes, and Civil War battlefields and reenactors. His work is in numerous public and private collections, and he is the recipient of grants and fellowships from The McKnight Foundation, the Arts Board, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Jerome Foundation, and the Society of Contemporary Photography. He taught photography at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and Dakota County Technical College (Rosemount).; Mary Magyar: Magyar received a painting degree from Michigan State University. She has worked for Graphicstudio (Tampa, FL) and produced relief sculptures for Richard Anuskiewicz and Robert Stackhouse. Magyar took classes with Carlton Newton, William Bennett, and was one of three founding members of the artists cooperative, Bozart. ??In 2014, after a move to Minnesota she restarted her art career. Her work and inspiration are primarily drawn from the environment.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2019 First Special Session, chapter 2, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Cultural Heritage

2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$15,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$15,000
Administration costs
$1,500
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Rain Taxi will create new and improved ways to engage with our readers, supporters, and other underserved communities during and beyond the pandemic. Board members will gather input from constituents as well as outside panels/advisors on our plan to engage with underserved communities at both the start and end of the project. This will take place primarily through online and email surveys.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Rain Taxi engaged with readers, supporters, and underserved communities through free virtual events and distribution of the quarterly Review. Rain Taxi evaluated outcomes by counting audience/artist participation, surveying artists and attendees, and tracking of distribution points to measure the amount of free issues picked up around the Twin Cities and beyond.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
achieved most of the proposed outcomes
Recipient Board Members
Kris Bigalk, Tom Cassidy, Mary Moore Easter, Kelly Everding, Lissa Jones-Lofgren, Nicola Koh, Steven Larsen, Eric Lorberer, Mo Perry, Paul Von Drasek, Amanda Wigen
Project Manager
First Name
Kelly
Last Name
Everding
Organization Name
Rain Taxi, Inc. AKA Rain Taxi Review of Books
Street Address
PO Box 3840
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Zip Code
55403
Phone
(612) 825-1528
Email
kelly@raintaxi.com
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency