Art Project
Art Project
Spoon Gathering Green Woodworking Event
John White: writer, photographer, retired journalist; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor/director/teacher; Marilee Strom: musician, former art teacher, business owner; Kathy Fransen: musician, theatre, Rhythm of the River coordinator; Janet Olney: visual artist, Willmar Area Arts Council coordinator; Joyce Meyer: photographer, retired art teacher, Canby Arts Council; Pam Blake: retired art teacher, visual arts, Tyler Arts Council, Southwest Minnesota Weaver's Guild; Michele Knife Sterner: theatre actor, Southwest Minnesota State University Associate Director for Access Opportunity Success program; Tom Wirt: artist, owner of Clay Coyote Gallery, Hutchinson Center for the Arts, past member of Hutchinson Public Arts Commission; Joyce Aakre: visual arts, writing, Discover Dassel committee, Board member for Litchfield Community Education, Exhibit committee for Dassel Area Historical Society; Kelly Muldoon: graphic artist, Prairie Music Association, Prairie Oasis Players; Dan Wahl: writer, visual artist, director, adjunct English instructor Southwest Minnesota State University; Anne O'Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Cindy Reverts: visual artist, Rock County Fine Arts Association treasurer, Council for Arts in Humanities in Rock County; Brett Lehman: Worthington International Festival, Worthington City Band, Worthington Concert Association; Reggie Gorter: vocalist, theatre, voice and dance teacher; Dana Johnson: producer/filmmaker; Claire Swanson: visual arts, arts teacher, Meander Art Crawl Committee.
Ruth Ascher: Arts administration; Cheryl Avenel-Navara: Arts appreciator; Pam Blake: Visual, Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Board; Bill Gossman: Visual, music; Dusan Milanovic: Visual, theatre; Andrew Nordin: Visual; Janet Olney: Visual, Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Board, Eric Parish: Music, theatre.
ACHF Arts Access
The primary goal is to promote the green woodworking and folk arts in Minnesota by providing a high quality event that is accessible by all. The success of the event is gauged by attendance and attendee feedback. Feedback goes on throughout the event by talking with attendees and a feedback survey is sent out after the event. In addition, success is gauged by returning carvers. In any given year, some 70% of attendees are returning carvers with approximately 30% new carvers attending each year. The information collected from attendees is extremely important for future planning and had led to significant improvements in the event.
Ticket Sales are the best way of judging the outcomes. Revenue from ticket sales were up this year. We had hoped to reach the 200 maximum, but the extreme heat for the weekend may have discouraged some from coming. We keep a database of attendees. There were a larger number of new attendees than in previous years. While returning numbers were lower in past years, the growing number of new attendees is a good sign for future Spoon Gatherings. Interest from outside Minnesota is another measurable outcome. In the early days, nearly everyone attending was from Minnesota. Now the event attracts carvers from 15 or more states. The fact that carvers will travel 1500 miles or more to participate is a good indicator of the success and quality of the event. New interest is also a measurable outcome. Even though it is still 2017, Milan Village Arts School receives several emails a week from carvers who ask to be added to the email list for the 2018 Spoon Gathering.
Other, local or private