Artist Initiative

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Brian D. Sostek AKA Brian Sostek
Recipient Type
Individual
Status
Completed
Start Date
March 2015
End Date
January 2016
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Hennepin
Rice
Hennepin
Rice
Project Overview
Artist Initiative
Project Details
Sostek will re-work his show Pieces of Eight using the unorthodox combinations of live theater, dance, and puppetry in a completely original work that brings a cinematic aesthetic to the stage. Performances will take place at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
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. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Rebecca Davis-Lee: Touring pianist, piano and music theory teacher; Wendy Dayton: Arts and community leader and philanthropist.; Sean Dowse, Executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Treasurer, Minnesota State Arts Board.; David Glenn: Executive director of the Minnesota Project, ceramic artist; Ellen McInnis: Director of Twin Cities government relations, Wells Fargo. Member of Bottineau Boulevard Partnership. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Thomas Moss: Consultant to nonprofits and government agencies; Janice Sivertson: Gallery owner and visual artist
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Julie Ahasay: Director and actor, Duluth Playhouse, faculty member, University of Minnesota Duluth; Sonya Berlovitz: Theatrical and dance costume designer; Richard Cook: Artistic director, Park Square Theatre; Aaron Gabriel: Award-winning composer and theater artist; Heather Hamilton: Associate professor of theater, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Jamil Jude: Freelance director, producer, playwright, and dramaturg; Janaki Ranpura: Playwright and puppeteer; Nadine Schmidt: Associate professor of theatre and theatre program coordinator, Southwest Minnesota State University
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
Yes
Conflict of Interest Contact
Executive director Sue Gens (651) 215-1600
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2013, Chapter 137, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$800
Direct expenses
$10,800
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

I will undertake a major re-working of a piece I created as a first draft in 2005 and then had to abandon for ten years. By the end of 2015, I will have a new script, which I will present in two weekends of public performance. Between performances, I will make further changes based on audience and advisor feedback. 2: I will expand on the collaborative work I have done with artists from different fields to enrich my work. By the end of 2015, I will have engaged a filmmaker, a lighting designer, a choreographer and a composer, all of whom are familiar with my work, to serve as unorthodox dramaturges and advisors.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Brian Sostek completely re-wrote the script for the show Pieces of Eight and presented it, with portions of new staging, in two public showings. To determine how well I achieved my proposed outcome, I compared my original script and a video of a performance in 2005 to the current script and portions of the show which I re-choreographed and performed at public showings. 2: Brian Sostek developed a collaborative relationship with five other artists from varying fields. To determine how well I achieved my proposed outcome, I compared my historical method of writing with the new process I used for this specific project.

Description of Funds
Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Project Manager
First Name
Brian
Last Name
Sostek
Organization Name
Brian D. Sostek AKA Brian Sostek
State
MN
Phone
(612) 384-6914
Email
briansostek@gmail.com
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