Arts Tour Minnesota

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$25,647
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
University of Saint Thomas
Recipient Type
Public College/University
Status
Completed
Start Date
March 2015
End Date
May 2016
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Clay
Hennepin
Nicollet
Olmsted
Rice
Clay
Hennepin
Nicollet
Olmsted
Rice
Project Overview
Arts Tour Minnesota
Project Details
Vocalists Nirmala Rajasekar and David Jordan Harris, along with three musicians, will tour Song of Wonder, a concert of South Indian and Judeo-Spanish music and poetry, exploring wonder as a gateway to an illumined and impassioned life.
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
Olive Bieringa: Co-director, Body Cartography Project; Molly Chase: Managing director, Springboard for the Arts; Jeff Larson: Executive director, Minnesota Fringe Festival; Larry Long: Musician, song writer, founder and director, Community Celebration of Place; Natalie Morrow: Founder of The Twin Cities Black Film Festival; Stacy Richardson: Writer, editor, and music promoter; Dennis Whipple: Executive artistic director, Great River Educational Arts Theatre
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
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
$25,647
Other Funds Leveraged
$8,549
Direct expenses
$34,197
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

The musicians will have more opportunities to tour their unique collaborative project in a spectrum of Minnesota communities. The opportunity to tour Song of Wonder more broadly will be measured by the number of performances (and related community workshops) presented and the variety of performing/teaching venues. 2: The critically acclaimed musicians will bring their traditional ethnic music forms, as well as their collaborative fusions, to new audiences. The opportunity for professional ethnic musicians to bring their music to new audiences will be measured by a written survey gauging audiences' previous exposure to South Indian and Judeo-Spanish music.

Measurable Outcome(s)

The concert Song of Wonder and related residency activities were performed in four communities in southern, central, and western Minnesota. Song of Wonder hired a professional evaluator, Barbara Cox, to describe what was actually occurring in each community throughout the tour and to assess the degree to which it was meeting its projected outcomes. Besides measuring attendance at each event, Cox interviewed audience members, community partners, and the musicians to get a closer read on the impact of the concert and related activities. At the tour's conclusion she submitted a summary of her conclusions to the project director. 2: Song of Wonder was presented to audiences in four locales, most of whom had never previously heard the ethnic music forms these musicians performed. The Song of Wonder evaluator, Barbara Cox, interviewed audience members and community partners to get a sense of how the concert and supplementary activities affected them. She also questioned them on their previous musical experiences with world music traditions in addition to South Indian and Judeo-Spanish music. At the tour's conclusion she submitted to the project director a compendium of responses from the tour's audiences and her analysis of their remarks.

Description of Funds
Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
John Allen, Michael Dougherty, Lisa Anderson, Andrew Duff, Michael Ciresi, Timothy Flynn, Burton Cohen, Dr. Eugene Frey, Rev. Dennis Dease, Geoffrey Gage, Gail Dorn, Dr. Antoine Garibaldi, James Gearen, Mary Marso, Dr. Amy Goldman, Harry McNeely Jr., Mark Gregg, Alvin McQuinn, Kathleen Higgins Victor, Virginia Hubbard Morris, Thomas Madison, Dr. John Morrison, Rev. Edward Malloy, The Honorable Diana Murphy, Rev. John Malone, Stephen Nachtsheim, Aimee Petra, Ann Winblad, William Reiling, Mark Zesbaugh, Patrick Ryan, Dr. Julie Sullivan, Robert Ulrich, Brian Wenger, Dr. Frank Wilderson Jr.
Project Manager
First Name
David
Last Name
Harris
Organization Name
University of Saint Thomas
Street Address
2115 Summit Ave
City
St Paul
State
MN
Zip Code
55105
Phone
(651) 962-6984
Email
dh@visi.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