Individual Artist Project Grant

"Taking up the guitar has introduced me to a whole population of Minnesotans that I'm marveled by and delighted to get to know." ~ John Sanford "Sandy" Dugan, Darin Bergsven Guitar Studio student, Coffee and Guitar Supporting Member, and regular viewer. The community value of Coffee and Guitar lies first and foremost in the amazing guitar music it shares freely with the community every Saturday morning. The stream has seen its community of guitar-minded Northwoods folk steadily expand as each guest brings their own fans, friends, and fellow musicians into the fold. The channel now sees more than 80 views in any given 48 hour period and has added nearly 12,000 views, 1000 hours of watch time, and 100 new subscribers in 2022. It is valuable to the regional guitar-playing community for the exchange of ideas and passing on of skills among guitar players, guitar teachers, and guitar students rooted in this place. More than just a weekly livestream, Coffee and Guitar is a community hub where guitar players and enthusiasts from across the region can come to learn from each other. With playlists of past full episodes, singles, and instructional videos, Coffee and Guitar's website hosts a wealth of material freely available to the guitar-loving public. Such an open exchange of musical ideas among a passionate community of musicians can only serve to inform, inspire, and ultimately elevate the music and musicianship of the region for players and listeners alike.My goal is to present high-quality, well-prepared musical performances of Coffee and Guitar live streams and related video content to an ever-growing community of guitar-minded Minnesotans in the Northwoods. The time it takes each month to book and promote, prepare sheet music, practice, perform, edit, and publish is significant. Without funding it is a significant roadblock to the sustainability of this work. Measurable outcomes include: creation of promotional materials, 1 full-length episode, and 3 short-form videos for each of 11 featured guest episodes each month, published online and freely accessible as well as growth in daily views, public watch hours, and subscriptions on Coffee and Guitar's YouTube channel from April of 2023 through March of 2024. ARAC should be confident that I will follow through with this task because I have consistently aired this weekly Saturday morning show since April of 2020. Moreover, I've booked, prepared music for, and promoted monthly guests since May of 2021 and currently have guests booked through January of 2024.I will know this project is a success because I am able to adequately pay monthly featured guest musicians for their time and talent without putting myself in financial stress. I will know the work was a success because I have adequate funded time to create and share compelling high-quality video content with my guests. This success is reinforced when my guests are excited to share Coffee and Guitar materials, too, with their students, their teachers, and their fans. All of these measures (video count, share's, views) are readily available via YouTube analytics. I already know that Coffee and Guitar is a success because I see featured guests come back to watch the show, listen to other featured guests, and learn from each other. For example, Sandy's comment to me (quoted above) in a recent conversation. There it is! A growing Northwoods guitar community sharing with and learning from each other. Success!