Art Project
Art Project
The Defrost Project: We Are Milan 2021 Theater Residency
Cheri Buzzeo: theater, music, The Barn Theatre administration, Willmar Main St participant; Jessica Welu: writing, music, SW Regional Development Commission; Anna Johannsen: fiber artist, art teacher, Remick Gallery board, president of Windom Women's Investment group, treasurer of Cottonwood County Animal Rescue, officer of Cotton Quilters; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor/director/teacher; David KelseyBassett: visual artist, musician, Hinterland Art Crawl board; Shawn Kinsinger: theater director, actor, musician, Palace Theatre executive director, Green Earth Players vice president, Luverne Street Music board member, Luverne High School Theater artistic director; Darlene Kotelnicki: theater, city council, library board. Kristen Kuipers: musician, private lesson and K-12 classroom music instructor, theater, writing, volunteer with Jackson Center for the Arts; Cheryl Avenel Navara: education, Worthington Public Arts Commission chair, SW MN Opportunity Council volunteer; Alison Nelson: art, music, and dance teacher, KMS Community Ed director, Kerkhoven Fire Department Auxiliary fundraiser; Anne O'Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Betsy Pardick: musician, actor, Dept. of Public Transformation committees; Michele Knife Sterner: theater (actor), SMSU Associate director for Access Opportunity Success program; Louella Voigt: music, fiber art; Blue Mound Area Theatre board; Erica Volkir: performing arts, Pipestone Performing Arts Center board, Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB director; Janine Teske: music, theater, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley school board; Mark Wilmes: Lake Benton Opera House board president, actor/director, musician, reporter;
Cheri Buzzeo, theater, SMAC Board; John Ginocchio, music, education; Beth Habicht, music; Joyce Meyer, visual art, education; Alison Nelson, music, dance, theater, education, SMAC Board; Ron Porep, arts admin, folk/traditional arts; Sheila Tabaka, theater, education.
Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, Nicole DeBoer (507) 537-1471
ACHF Cultural Heritage
Regional residents will experience a greater understanding of and appreciation for the ability to work through challenges using the arts. Using the medium of applied theatre, participants will explore local issues and imagine possible solutions. Residents will also learn new arts skills and techniques. In the applied theatre workshops, they will learn new skills in creating original art that expresses challenges, imagines solutions, and celebrates the uniqueness of their community. Specific artistic skills used in each workshop will be based on their interests and may include theater devising, storytelling, visual art, and music. Residents will build connections to their own and others' cultural heritage by participating in workshops and as audience members at the final performance. To measure this, the Defrost Project will conduct written surveys and verbal reflections within each workshop. Residents will report specific skills that they gained. We will build an in-person reflection session into the final event where community members reflect on questions about the specific community issues that emerged throughout the project?if progress is made around confronting any of those challenges as a result of our project, we'll know it's been a success. We will examine the number of community members who participated in the project (overall and at the final event), and we will examine participation from various groups, especially groups that have historically participated less in previous community art projects.
The community art-making invited residents to reflect on community challenges and imagine solutions. 4H and MYC campers developed skills in their collaboration, performance, and installation design. They worked together to curate the time capsule, which included the community?s posters, interactive activities, music, performance, puppetry, original movie, and objects. They also designed a corner where they could keep making art in their installation. We had over fifty attendees at the final event from all ages, both Micronesian and white. Residents said how happy they were to have younger people leading this work. 4H and MYC campers shared how much they did not want these camps to end because they loved doing them so much.
Other,local or private