Artist Access Grants
Artist Access Grants
To create a short documentary film on a gentleman and artist that grew up in an institution.
Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Moira Villiard: visual artist, Cultural Programming Coordinator at American Indian Community Housing Organization; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Margaret Holmes: visual artist, poet, and former Children’s Theatre employee; Tammy Mattonen: visual artists, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Kayla Aubid: Native American craft artist, writer, employee at MacRostie Art Center; Ariana Daniel: mixed media artist, arts instructor; Kathy Neff: musician, Director, Fine Arts Academy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Emily Swanson: arts administrator at Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community; Christina Nohre: writer and arts advocate.
Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Kayla Aubid: Native American craft artist, writer, employee at MacRostie Art Center; Kathy Neff: musician, Director, Fine Arts Academy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner
ACHF Arts Access ACHF Arts Education ACHF Cultural Heritage
My goal is to create and show a short documentary-style film that follows Don, an artist in his mid-70s as he revisits his childhood home. His childhood home was the state institution in Owatonna, Minnesota. Part of the former facility is the State Orphanage Museum and also what is now the Owatonna Arts Center, which will be showing Don’s artwork through the month of October 2019. I will follow him as he tours the facility and surrounding grounds, sees his artwork in the space and speaks with staff and community members. I will interview and document his experience and his reflections on his past and how it has impacted him as an artist and an individual. I will measure success by the quality and reception of my finished film. Most importantly I will know that my film is successful if Don feels his life and art is reflected in it and if it challenges audiences to know and learn more about the varied experiences held by their fellow community members. In addition, there will be a public showing of the piece and a panel discussion to be held following.
I created a short documentary film that followed Don Sundeen, an artist in his mid-70s as he revisited his childhood home. His childhood home was the state institution in Owatonna, Minnesota. Part of the former facility is the State Orphanage Museum and also what is now the Owatonna Arts Center, which was showing Don's artwork when we visited. I followed him as he toured the facility and surrounding grounds, saw his artwork in the space and spoke with staff and community members. I interviewed and documented his experience and his reflections on his past and how it has impacted him as an artist and an individual. The documentary was shown at the Teatro Zuccone in Duluth, Minnesota., as well as screened for the cast of BOLD-choice Theatre Company a group made up primarily of actors with disabilities of which Don is a member. The Documentary will also be shown at the Saint Louis County Health and Human Services Conference in October 2020.