Arts Tour Minnesota

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$81,011
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Minnesota State University-Mankato AKA Good Thunder Reading Series
Recipient Type
State Government
Status
Completed
Start Date
May 2013
End Date
June 2014
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Blue Earth
Nicollet
Brown
Watonwan
Martin
Faribault
Waseca
Le Sueur
Sibley
Blue Earth
Nicollet
Brown
Watonwan
Martin
Faribault
Waseca
Le Sueur
Sibley
Project Overview
Arts Tour Minnesota
Project Details
The Good Thunder Reading Series brings vital voices in contemporary literature to south central Minnesota. The series will feature seventeen writers during its 2013-2014 season, and includes residencies, public readings, and other activities.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
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: Board member, Minnesota State Arts Board. 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.
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Christopher Atkins: Coordinator, Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Eva Barr: Artistic Director, Dreamery Rural Arts Initiative; Steve Heckler: Executive Director, Twin Cities Jazz Festival;. Director, Festival of Nations; Sarah Howell: Events Coordinator, MacPhail Center for Music; Charles Maguire: Songwriter and musician; David Marty: President, Reif Arts Council; Rebecca Petersen: Executive Director, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra; Marcie Rendon: Writer, performance artist and theater artist; Jill Underwood: Associate Director of Institutional Giving, Guthrie Theater|Jeanne Zwart, Board member, Elysian Area Library; chair, Elysian Fourth of July Parade
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2011, First Special Session, chapter 6, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$81,011
Other Funds Leveraged
$87,687
Direct expenses
$168,698
Administration costs
$59,543
Number of full time equivalents funded
1.33
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Audiences will better understand the diversity of contemporary literature. Audiences will better understand individual artistic aims and/or the role of the arts in our public life. We will use online surveys for all (instead of only select) residency audiences, and thus increase the feedback we receive. 2: New and underserved audiences will have better access to our programming. We will continue to use hard-copy evaluations, distributed and tabulated by classroom teachers, for high school visits. Counters at our Web site will tabulate unique visits to our pages and audio archive.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Our residency model created opportunities for audience members to understand and experience literature in a variety of ways: through small conversations among writers, through radio interviews, through general craft discussions, through performances. Our web and paper surveys confirmed we achieved our outcomes. Our program created opportunities for Minnesota artists as well: We hosted eight Minnesota writers of the seventeen total. 2: Built into our programing was targeted outreach to youth through high school visits. Our surveys after those visits confirm we were successful. Our web statistics for the year confirm we are reaching new audiences for our archive of interviews and performances, which are of particular value for remote or place-bound audiences.

Description of Funds
Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
Candace Black, Geoff Herbach, Diana Joseph, Richard Robbins, Roger Sheffer, Richard Terrill, Richard Straka
Project Manager
First Name
Diana
Last Name
Joseph
Organization Name
Minnesota State University-Mankato AKA Good Thunder Reading Series
Street Address
230 Armstrong Hall
City
Mankato
State
MN
Zip Code
56001
Phone
(507) 389-5144
Email
diana.joseph@mnsu.edu
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency