Summary Report for Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy Funds Appropriated to the Minnesota Humanities Center for the Biennium July 2009 – June 2011

The Humanities Center leveraged support from the State of Minnesota with private and corporate foundation support to create strong partnerships to build collaborative programs that respond to some of Minnesota’s top needs, including the achievement gap, the rapidly changing demographics of the state, and the challenges and opportunities these bring. From July 2009 through June 2011 the Humanities Center’s Legacy Appropriation:
• supported and engaged 2,596 educators through in-person and online environments impacting 10,700 students and
• distributed 2,900 DVD-based educational resources to Minnesota classrooms and libraries throughout the state.

Absent Narratives Programming - $76,845.65
During 2009-2011, the Humanities Center launched Absent Narratives, programming that amplifies unmediated voices. This approach recognizes that people and their communities have unique narratives to tell and unique contributions to make. Absent Narratives programming during 2009-2011 focused on strengthening our relationship to each other, to our communities, and to the places we live and work.

Legacy funding engaged 2,596 of Minnesota’s educators in embedding compelling and meaningful humanities and cultural content in classrooms statewide. This innovative content was developed in partnership with communities the content represents. This content is proven to help increase student engagement, academic achievement, and strengthen the student-teacher relationship.

Increase Student Engagement Through Absent Narratives - an online, self-study offering designed for individual teachers. The unique content and approach lends itself to meaningful and powerful discussion among colleagues whose personal experiences and histories differ. For the first time, between 2009-2011, the Humanities Center reached more teachers through online environments than in-person, further increasing the statewide reach of the agency. Expenses included content scholars, video taping content, and Humanities Center program staff time to design and implement this innovative programming.

Professional Development and School Partnerships - $60,247.60
Partnering with teachers and schools throughout Minnesota, the Humanities Center prepared educators to understand Absent Narratives as human experiences that change our minds and hearts and lead us to empowerment and a brighter educational and economic future.

Offering/ Date/ Registered
Reading the Write Way, April 7, 2010, 56
Teaching the Geography of MN, May 20, 2010, 64
Iron Range: MN Building America, online. 17
Revolutionary Leadership, December 3 - 4, 2010, 27
Weeklong Workshop supplemented by Legacy funding but primarily funded by NEH funding
Building America: Minnesota’s Iron Range, June 12-18, 2010, 41
Building America: Minnesota’s Iron Range, August 2-6, 2010, 41

Expenses included printing program brochures and Humanities Center program staff to design and implement these innovative workshops.

Impact of Programming
“I attended the program called Revolutionary Leadership at the MN Humanities Center. To prepare for the two day seminar I took an online class called "The Absent Narrative." As a member of our school's leadership team I felt this was a good opportunity to look at new ways to approach the way we teach students from diverse backgrounds. Part of our school improvement plan is to help all teachers be culturally responsive in their practice and this program at the Humanities Center provided resources and information to begin to achieve this goal. “
2010 program participant

“Reinforced the significance of including multiple perspectives and sharing stories in the classroom and beyond.” 2009 program participant

Digital Resources, Websites, online learning portal - $114,267.50
The Humanities Center’s new 2009-2011 Absent Narratives programming and educator access to resources across Minnesota regardless of location, required a robust technology infrastructure. Funding supported $30,000 for design and development of a resource database, $23,200 for development and implementation of portal/video/online learning modules, $2,100 for Rapid Intake software for writing online courses, $1,500 for equipment for online course video development, $2,000 for portal costs of hosting fees, and staffing costs to design, build, implement, and maintain these resources.

Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) - $15,356.09
Beginning in March 2011, Minnesota hosted the Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street exhibit, New Harmonies. New Harmonies focuses on America's music and the story of freedom that is heard when one listens carefully. Planning began early in 2011 for the September 2012 launch of a new traveling Smithsonian exhibit, The Way We Worked. This traveling exhibit explores how work became such a central element in American culture by tracing the many changes that affected the workforce and work environments over the past 150 years.

“This experience offers a chance for personal growth, gives our Historical Society the credibility to expand fundraising projects… provides professional quality experience and training for and lays the groundwork for collaboration with other organizations on future projects.”

Legacy funding provided matching support for Humanities Center MoMS program staff and host site support in Absent Narratives programming development and implementation. It also paid $3,000 (of $9,000 total) for Smithsonian exhibit fees and $6,600 (stipend and travel expense) for musicians for local programming in six New Harmonies host communities. Host communities reported that 3,250 Minnesotans have visited Museum on Main Street exhibits statewide since July 2009 (12 communities).

Community Conversations – “Lunch and Learn” and Evening Events - $104,241.04
The Center collaboratively created new arts and cultural heritage programming for broad public audiences by forging strong partnerships with local and state cultural organizations. These new content programs were developed through new partnerships, collaborative community input, and innovative approaches. Between December 2009 and May 2011, the Humanities Center offered more than 15 events for nearly 500 participants. These were new audiences from a wide range of local and state cultural organizations and businesses, many of whom were previously unaware of the Humanities Center. Expenses included Humanities Center program staff development and execution of events, rental costs for program sites, scholar fees, and incidental food costs.

Legacy Programs - $14,254.67
These direct expenses were to build partnerships and explore or co-sponsor specific programs $5,000 sponsorship to Juxtaposition Arts for the Bruner Loeb Forum, $2,200 for program related staff travel in Minnesota, planning meetings expenses, program consultants, facilities fees, postage, and program supplies.

Development of Legacy Projects and Programs - $35,010.66
Costs to plan, design, and execute new arts and cultural heritage events statewide, establish programmatic and administrative procedures, design and implement tracking and reporting systems, and design and implement financial reporting codes, systems and procedures. $2,000 ad for a Legacy staffing position, remainder is for travel and planning meeting expenses and $15,000 is the 2.5% allowable administrative charges per appropriation language. (Most grants received by the Humanities Center allow 15% to 18% administrative costs. Therefore, the Humanities Center had to supplement administrative costs with funding from other sources, specifically its National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) operating support.)

25 Year Framework and 10 Year Plan for All Arts Funding - $17,147.53
The Humanities Center’s share of the costs for the consultant the State Taskforce on the Legacy Arts Funding worked with, along with travel and conference calls related to the public hearings on the 25 Year Framework and 10 Year Plan for the Arts Funding. Costs were shared by the Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota History Center, and the Humanities Center. The Humanities Center’s President’s compensation for time spent on this work was supported by the Center’s NEH operating funding.

COLLABORATIVE Programs and programming with the Councils.
In order to build new and authentic relationships with Legacy funding partners, the Humanities Center used some of its Legacy appropriation to support its implementation of collaborative programming with each Council.

Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) – Treaties Programming $62,272.24
Funding supported Humanities Center program staff and community-based content specialists to plan, design, and launch an innovative travelling exhibit, Why Treaties Matter: Self-Government in the Dakota and Ojibwe Nations. Funding also paid to develop an American Indian Author Series for Educators, and funded one small grant to an American Indian-led organization near Detroit Lakes for an arts and cultural heritage event for regional K-12 educators.

Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM) – Public Events $9,444.59
Funding supported cultural and heritage programming associated with public events: scholar fees, purchase of 50 copies of the book “Yellow” for attendees at CAPM events, program staff at 2010 Dragon Festival, and CAPM program meetings at the Humanities Center.

Chicano Latino Affairs Council (CLAC) – Absent Narratives $55,545.52
Funding included Humanities Center program staff development and implementation of three Absent Narratives video projects, now available on the Humanities Center’s website:
Absent Narratives: St. Paul’s West Side
Exploration of the history and development of St. Paul’s West Side into a thriving business center of Latino culture and commerce through a series 16 video segments featuring 13 past and present West Side community members.

Absent Narratives: Minneapolis’ Mercado Central
The unique history of Mercado Central, a Latino retail business cooperative on Minneapolis’ East Lake Street, is explored through a series of interviews with individuals who were active in its development.

Absent Narratives: Voices from Greater Minnesota
Individuals within the Latino communities of Duluth, Northfield, St. James, Rochester, and Willmar who are helping to revive and create local culture and business opportunities in greater Minnesota share their stories.

Other incidental expenses included facilities rental for video recording, public screenings of the videos (with more than 130 attendees), and meetings expenses during the 11 months of production.

Council on Black Minnesotans (CBM) – Absent Narratives and Community Grants $35,366.91
Funding supported Humanities Center program staff facilitation of the new Community Grants program offered by the Council. Funds also supported new programming for MLK Day and participation in a Racism conference in Rochester. An additional $50,000 of Humanities Center program staffing costs for CBM related projects and meetings were paid for from the Humanities Center’s NEH Operating support.