Art Project
Art Project
Crafternoons at Tracy Public Library
Cheryl Avenel-Navara: education, Worthington Public Arts Commission chair, SW MN Opportunity council; Judy Beckman: vocal music, Big Stone Arts Council, Big Stone County Historical Society, Big Stone Lake Area Chamber of Commerce CEO; Jessica Welu: writing, music, SW Regional Development Commission; Anna Johannsen: fiber artist, art teacher, Remick Gallery board, president of Windom Women's Investment group, treasurer of Cottonwood County Animal Rescue, officer of Cotton Quilters; David KelseyBassett: visual artist, musician, Hinterland Art Crawl board; Shawn Kinsinger: theater director, actor, musician, Palace Theatre executive director, Green Earth Players vice president, Luverne Street Music board member, Luverne High School Theater artistic director; Darlene Kotelnicki: theater, city council, library board. Cheryl Avenel Navara: education, Worthington Public Arts Commission chair, SW MN Opportunity Council volunteer; Kylie Rieke: ceramics, murals, music, theater, T-Bird Community Arts Board; Kristine Shelstad: visual arts, Madison Mercantile art gallery, Madison Arts Council, Lac qui Parle Players; VFW; Gillian Singler, MN West Community and Technical College chair of Humanities and English instructor, Creative Healing Space volunteer, writer, theater director; Erica Volkir: performing arts, Pipestone Performing Arts Center board, Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB director; Mark Wilmes: Lake Benton Opera House board president, actor/director, musician, reporter;
Cheri Buzzeo, theater; Beth Habicht, music; Anna Johannsen, visual art, education, SMAC board; Brett Lehman, music; Melanie Loy, music; Michael Van Keulen, theater.
Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, Nicole DeBoer (507) 537-1471
ACHF Arts Access
This project has had a huge impact on its participants, which is why we would like to see it continue. Participants have the opportunity to learn from a local artist about various art techniques, and complete projects which they can take home and display in their homes. Many have been discovered to be gifted artists who just never had these types of opportunities. The program provides important social opportunities for ECCO clients, and promotes acceptance of individuals with developmental disabilities within the community. Library staff, the library board, and the Tracy City Council, recognize the importance of the library as a vector for the arts within the community, especially when these opportunities have been reduced elsewhere, including in the local school district. We have occasionally used written evaluations to measure the impact of this project. However, this can be burdensome for participants. Library staff make an effort to check in during each class to observe and engage with participants. Through these observations and conversations, staff have seen a marked increase in confidence among repeat participants. Participants demonstrate a great deal of pride in their work upon completion of each project.
The classes in acrylic paint, alcohol ink, sculpture, jewelry making, and more were deliberately designed to be simple so that they would be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. We found that even the simplest of projects can be a challenging a
Other,local or private