Emergency Working Artist Project Grant FY21
Emergency Working Artist Project Grant FY21
?When is it time?? an Extended Play (EP) recording of 3 new original songs reflecting a theme,?When Is It Time??
Tara Makinen: former-Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Tammy Mattonen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, visual artist, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Kathy Neff: musician, Director, Fine Arts Academy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Emily Swanson: arts administrator at Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community; Kris Nelson: artist, teacher; Roxann Berglund: musician; Bill Payne: Professor of Theater at the University of Minnesota-Duluth
Tara Makinen: former-Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Kris Nelson: artist, teacher; Classie Dudley: ARAC Equity Fellow; Christine Marcotte: writer
ACHF Arts Access
I have been a performing artist now for 50 years and dependent on music for my livelihood. The grant allows me to maintain my status as a working artist and will allow me to replenish a portion of the 80% lost income lost during2020. It will allow me to carry on with my music, sell product and have new work to perform. My fans always comment they like it when I sing the music of the more famous artists/performers, however, we prefer your original music. I am thrilled to be inspired again to create new music and appreciate the opportunity to be paid for my musical work. The grant makes it possible for me to continue my profession which has been so generous to me it'd be a huge shift to find another line of employment especially at my age one that could cover all my financial responsibilities and way too late in life to switch carriers. I've always thrived on creating music and enjoy giving myself a a challenge especially as it appears that while I may have online performances with less work or a few in-person performances. I welcome the opportunity to commit to creating music around this theme and return songwriting/music making of my own rather than creating Tribute recordings. So many questions leave us up in the air regarding the life we knew to be our own and I think my theme reflects this aspect. Receiving the grant would be like accepting one of the many commissions I've been asked to create for special occasions and events such as Clara's House (music for documentaries, TV Shows, halfway house for St. Cloud Hospital, Smile Network etc. My video work sample illustrates my taking a challenge from MN Public Radio, taking it on and presenting it in time for air time. It is one of my specialties: working creatively, effectively and providing a professional quality outcome thus having accomplished all my goals.I will have composed and recorded lyrics/music to 3 new original tunes which I will promote as an EP (extended play or short recording) The song theme reflects the project name "When is it time" and written with wherever I desire to go. I love spending time daydreaming aka research I will write the music as i always have by using my intuition. I've made a career of performing and selling records of my music, and I will receive orders for the new music and will hear favorable comments from my fans/audiences such as, "so glad to hear your own music again, I've missed it," "I love your new song, particularily the one about...or I really enjoyed all 3 but the second one on the 2nd one on the EP hit me the most". I will be receiving feedback via texts/email/messages/USPS and in person.
I achieved all my stated goals. I wrote and recorded 3 songs on the topic "When Is It Time." I loved it as a creative exercise. One tune was inspired by a fan's facebook post about her pandemic hobby and I was able to present her a copy of it on CD. She was over the moon that the song was about her. It seriously caught me by surprise that I would be writing about a crocheted monkey sitting all alone on a shelf! The other two tunes related to my personal experiences during the past year. It was fun to notice how many media adverts out in the social and regular media came my way and kept telling me, "The Time Is Now", "It's Time," and "For When It's Time!" That was funny... like little reminders. I paid my wages, purchased the CDs and USB Guitars. Additionally, following the grant, I made an announcement to my group email list that the recordings were available for purchase and I used the logos/phrase appropriate for MN grant funding. (see attached media file)