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
ZTP AKA zAmya Theater Project
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
November 2020
End Date
October 2021
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Morrison
Ramsey
Scott
Todd
Washington
Anoka
Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Morrison
Ramsey
Scott
Todd
Washington
Project Overview

Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Project Details

zAmya Theater (ZTP) will expand capacity to reach participants experiencing homelessness, and audiences for their work, through online workshops and broadcasts.

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

Matt Connolly: Matt Connolly is an assistant professor of film studies in the department of English at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He received his MA and PhD in communication arts with a focus in film studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His scholarly work on LGBTQ cinematic history has been published in Cinema Journal and Spectator. Connolly writes film criticism, which has most recently been published in Film Comment and Reverse Shot, the publication for the Museum of the Moving Image. He is a former programmer for the Wisconsin Film Festival and has been a judge for the Speechless Film Festival.; Christina Cotruvo: Living on the shore of Lake Superior inspires Cotruvo's music. Her arrangements and recordings include celtic, new age, folk, ethnic, and therapeutic harp music. She helps those with challenges through her Harp-Abilities program and provides music at medical facilities and residences as a certified case manager. She has been a music coach to those with visual disabilities as founder and publisher of No-C-Notes audio music score publishing. She has a thirty year career as a nonprofit accountant, grant writer, and software consultant.; Amy Cousin: Amy Cousin is a jewelry artist whose work revives surplus or discarded items and recycled precious metals, juxtaposed with gemstones associated with healing properties. Before focusing on wearable art, Cousin owned and operated a brick and mortar book, gift, and art boutique in both Minnesota and South Carolina. Previously, she served as a senior community health worker for the Hennepin County Healthcare for the Homeless Project. Cousin also was a consultant to the Women's Bureau of The United States Department of Labor during the development of the Work and Family Clearinghouse. Cousin has a BA from Tulane University in communication.; Marisa Gaetgaeow: A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Lily Gaetgaeow recently graduated from the University of Iowa with a master of arts in musicology. Her academic interests centered on authenticity and identity, especially as they intersect with folk music revivals. Gaetgaeow was a writing tutor at Knox College and continued to help students as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Iowa. As events and room scheduling assistant for the UI School of Music, Gaetgaeow deftly managed logistics while encouraging student musicians. Her experiences inspired her to seek opportunities outside of academia to advocate for the arts, which led her to Minneapolis.; Sean James: James is the owner of gifted compositions, LLC, a small yet powerful design company, that he created to help small businesses get access to best in class designs. He also operates dotado?? apparel, a clothing company, that designs fun and socially conscious apparel. James currently is the digital content specialist and UX specialist at Nature's Way. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a BA in journalism and currently serves on its student advisory board.; Sophia Kim: Sophia Epony Kim is an actor and writer. She is the recipient of a Hertog Fellowship and multiple Arts Board Artist Initiative grants. A founding member of Theater Mu, she has acted in theater and television in the United States and Korea. She obtained a bachelor of arts in English from Macalester College and attended the MFA Creative Writing Program at Hunter College (CUNY) for a year. She is currently working on her first novel about Koreans in the diaspora.; Walter Olsen: W. Scott Olsen is the author of twelve books of narrative nonfiction. For 23 years he was the editor of the literary magazine Ascent. His work appears in many literary and commercial publications such as Kenyon Review and Pilot. He is also an award winning photographer, book critic, and journalist, with work appearing in places such as the Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Forum, LensCulture, and Frames. He teaches at Concordia College in Moorhead; Martha Weitekamp: Weitekamp works as the rigger and boathouse manager for the women's rowing team at the University of Minnesota. Previously, she worked at Urban Boatbuilders teaching wooden boatbuilding. Weitekamp received funding from the Arts Board in 2019. She graduated from Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO) with a degree in geology and has volunteered for multiple nonprofit arts organizations in the Twin Cities.

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 Arts Education

2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$15,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$15,000
Administration costs
$1,737
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

zAmya will expand our ability to digitally connect with participants experiencing homelessness and audiences for our work. Number of participants who attend online workshops will be measured. Digital views and listens of online broadcasts and podcasts will be counted. Traffic on our website and social media will be monitored.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Through digital expansion, zAmya connected with 37 new participants, a majority with lived experience of homelessness, and served 800+ Minnesotans. Tracking participant numbers and number of views for online content.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
achieved proposed outcomes
Recipient Board Members
Amy Danielson, Andi Cheney, Annette Bryant, Corey Walton, Emily Seddon, Lecia Grossman, Monica Nilsson, Morgen Chang, Robert Blood
Project Manager
First Name
Maren
Last Name
Ward
Organization Name
ZTP AKA zAmya Theater Project
Street Address
3501 Chicago Ave
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Zip Code
55407
Phone
(612) 760-4804
Email
maren@zamyatheater.org
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