Artist Initiative

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Laura A. Youngbird AKA Laura Heit-Youngbird
Recipient Type
Individual
Status
Completed
Start Date
March 2013
End Date
February 2014
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Wilkin
Otter Tail
Wilkin
Otter Tail
Project Overview
Artist Initiative
Project Details
Youngbird will create a series of portraits of Native American artists that challenge traditional stereotypes. She will exhibit this work in Minnesota and accompany it with an artist talk and a participatory collage workshop.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
Judson Bemis Jr.: Actor, arts administrator, founder and principal of Clere Consulting. Secretary, Minnesota State Arts Board.; 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. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Sean Dowse: Executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.; John Gunyou, City manager, Minnetonka.; Benjamin Klipfel: Board member, Minnesota State Arts Board. Executive Director, Alexandria Area Arts Association, Inc. Director and arts educator.; Ellen McInnis: Director of Twin Cities government relations, Wells Fargo. Member of Bottineau Boulevard Partnership. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Pamela Perri: Executive vice president, Builders Association of Minnesota.; Margaret Rapp: Former educator, Saint Paul Academy and Summit School. Officer at-large, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Anton Treuer: Professor of Ojibwe, Bemidji State University.
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Frank Byrns: Sculptor, Duluth; Eric Crosby: Assistant curator of Visual Arts, Walker Art Center; David Glenn: Executive director, The Minnesota Project. Arts administrator, artist, and arts advocate.; Kelley Meister: Multimedia artist and educator; Ernest Miller: Ceramic artist; Satoko Muratake: Artist and landscape designer; John Sterner: Sculptor, painter, arts educator; Nicole Volk: Art educator, Waterville School District
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2011, First Special Session, chapter 6, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$10,000
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

I will further develop my artistic abilities by portraying Native American artists in a new series that supports a climate of cultural competency. I will keep a journal for assessment and documentation while creating the series of portraits that challenge traditional stereotypes of Native American art. Evaluation forms will be used to ask the audience what they have learned. 2: I will create the portraits, schedule the venues, and prepare the work for travel, with the final goal of touring and engaging Minnesota communities. The first venue will exhibit before February 28, 2014 and be scheduled to exhibit in three to four communities, after the grant period. I will offer a workshop that encourages audience participation and develop a form for evaluation and documentation.

Measurable Outcome(s)

I was able to expand and further develop my artistic abilities through varied learning opportunities. I visited artists in their studios in Grand Portage, Minneapolis and in my studio in Breckenridge to interview, photograph and collect photographs for the collaged backgrounds. I painted and portrayed Native American artists in a new series challenging traditional stereotypes. 2: I painted the portraits, had them framed and have them ready to travel. I had an exhibit in Fergus Falls in January 2014 at the Lake Region Arts Council Gallery. The reception was small because of a blizzard. (I almost didn't go myself.) The next exhibit is scheduled at the Kaddatz Gallery in Fergus Falls Minnesota August -October 2014 and still working on showing in Minneapolis.

Description of Funds
Project Manager
First Name
Laura
Last Name
Youngbird
Organization Name
Laura A. Youngbird AKA Laura Heit-Youngbird
State
MN
Phone
(218) 643-9248
Email
lyoungbird@wah.midco.net
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