Minnesota Festival Support

CulturFest 2012 was held on September 22nd, as planned, with an audience of approximately 2,500 people attending. The weather was a factor this year, with fewer people present in the first couple of hours. This year's festival included all Minnesota artists, except for one mainstage performer. We were able to expand artistic expression by increasing the number of creative demonstrations. Included among the artists were Minnesota-based Mariachi mi Tierra, an eight-person Mexican band; Rince na Chroi, Irish dancers; Roger Hellesvig, Norwegian immigration reenactment; ArtOrg, steamroller printing with a Mexican focus; Shakun Maheshwari, Rangoli from India; James Grafsgaard/Brenda Flores, visiting Mayan arts residency; Carolyn Waskow, angora rabbit wool spinning with Minnesota lamb and wool producers; Minnesota Lace Society, four representative artists; Steele County Historical Society, a leather worker; and Dan/Paula Simon, Minnesota Alpacas. From Tennessee, we welcomed Mary Brown, bluegrass singer/songwriter. Ten Thousand Villages was our only vendor of art, offering Fair Share sales. 2: During this year's event, we maintained five presenting artist groups and increased our demonstrating artists--from an average of five last year to eleven this year. Audience surveys showed that the increased demonstrations were a popular and well-received component of the day's activities.