Arts Access
Professional theater artists engage members of the west side neighborhood of Saint Paul to inform and inspire the creation of a script and score, then build on those conversations and relationships to include community members in performance, production,
Judson Bemis Jr., Actor, arts administrator, founder and principal of Clere Consulting. Secretary, Minnesota State Arts Board., Ardell Brede, Mayor of Rochester, elected 2002., Peggy Burnet, Businesswoman, art collector, and community volunteer. Chair of the Nominating Committee, Smithsonian National Board. Trustee, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board., Michael Charron, Dean of the School of the Arts, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board., Sean Dowse, Executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies., John Gunyou, City manager, Minnetonka., Benjamin Klipfel, Executive Director, Alexandria Area Arts Association, Inc. Director and arts educator.,Ellen McInnis, Director of Twin Cities government relations, Wells Fargo. Member of Bottineau Boulevard Partnership. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board., Pamela Perri, Executive vice president, Builders Association of Minnesota., Margaret Rapp, Former educator, Saint Paul Academy and Summit School. Officer at-large, Minnesota State Arts Board., Anton Treuer, Professor of Ojibwe, Bemidji State University.
Abner Arauza: Interim assistant director of intercultural affairs, Concordia College, Moorhead. Producer, "Notas Latinas."; Alice De Yonge: Program director, Project G.E.M.; Millicent Engisch-Morris: Artistic director, The Crossing Arts Alliance. Owner, Quiet River Studio.; Andrew Maus: Executive director, Minnesota Marine Art Museum.; Timothy Peterson: Marketing and operations manager, Cantus.; Bree Sieplinga: Associate director, Upstream Arts.; Audrey Thayer: Adjunct professor, Bemidji State University. C
ACHF Arts Access
Arts organizations build relationships with members of, or organizations that serve, groups that have traditionally been underserved by the arts or by the applicant organization. Real or perceived barriers to participation are identified and addressed. More Minnesotans are able to participate in the arts. We encouraged all audience members to complete surveys; approximately 15% did so. Of those, 14% indicated that this was their first time attending a theater production. Since we had large numbers of community youth attending and most of the surveys were completed by adults, we suspect this is an underrepresentation of first-time or rare theater-goers.
Our biggest success in this area was involving community youth. Many of the ideas in the play came from story circles held with students at RiversEdge Academy and Humboldt High School. Several Humboldt students also attended the play. We held auditions at El Rio Vista Recreation Center, situated between three public housing facilities, and more than fifteen kids who happened to be attending the recreation center that evening auditioned. Of those, five participated as performers. Rehearsals and performance were held in the Neighborhood House facility attached to the recreation center. The audience was mostly community members. We target the diverse communities of the West Side of St Paul and aim for intergenerational participation. We selected the West Side because of its richness of diversity and stories and because many of the artists involved live or work on the West Side. Ninety-eight percent of audience surveys and 100% of community participant surveys indicated that this production fit the West Side," and over 90% of audience surveys and over 80% of community participant surveys indicating an "excellent" or "very good" fit. Additionally, over 90% of community participants rated the overall experience as "excellent" or "very good." We have built relationships by going to places West Siders already gather (e.g., public housing community meetings, English language and citizenship classes, school rooms) and hosting story circles within the community. This works better than hosting our own gatherings. 2: Adults and youth who had never or rarely participated in or seen live theater participated onstage, back stage, and as part of the audience. Financial barriers to participation were removed. Prior year feedback from community participants identified that even "pay as you can" tickets are perceived as a barrier. As a result, we added the strategy of distributing free tickets through community partners. Community partners also identified transportation as a barrier. To accommodate, we held auditions, rehearsals, and performances within walking distance from locations near our primary audience."
Other, local or private