Artist Initiative

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Betsy R. Byers
Recipient Type
Individual
Status
Completed
Start Date
March 2015
End Date
February 2016
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Nicollet
Nicollet
Project Overview
Artist Initiative
Project Details
Byers will create ten abstract paintings that explore the surface of water. The series will be exhibited in February 2016 at the Hillstrom Museum of Art in Saint Peter and will be her first solo museum exhibition. A public opening and artist talk will take place during the exhibition.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
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. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Rebecca Davis-Lee: Touring pianist, piano and music theory teacher; Wendy Dayton: Arts and community leader and philanthropist.; Sean Dowse, Executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Treasurer, Minnesota State Arts Board.; David Glenn: Executive director of the Minnesota Project, ceramic artist; Ellen McInnis: Director of Twin Cities government relations, Wells Fargo. Member of Bottineau Boulevard Partnership. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Thomas Moss: Consultant to nonprofits and government agencies; Janice Sivertson: Gallery owner and visual artist
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Keya Ganguly: Professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, and Studies in Cinema and Media Culture, University of Minnesota; Jessica Hirsch: Sculptor, woodworker, and artist-in-residence, Driftless Folkschool; Shana Kaplow: Painter and video artist, art professor, Saint Cloud State University; Bradley Kaspari: Visual artist, sculptor, and public artist, owner and director, Kaspari Design Services, Inc.; Cecilia Schiller: Visual artist utilizing carving and woodworking to create interactive sculptures; Karen Stout-Heller: Oil painter and collage artist; Caitlin Warner: Book artist, board member, Art Shanty Project, staff, Graywolf Press
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2013, Chapter 137, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$10,000
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

The creation of ten new large scale abstract paintings for my first solo exhibition in a museum. The successful completion of the paintings and their installation for exhibition in February 2016 at the Hillstrom Museum of Art. 2: Strong attendance and publicity for the exhibition and artist talk at the Hillstrom Museum of Art. The Hillstrom Museum of Art regularly measures attendance as a part of their practice. I will request attendance numbers during my exhibition for the grant record.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Betsy Byers successfully created and exhibited twenty-four new paintings in her first solo museum exhibition at the Hillstrom Museum of Art in Saint Peter, Minnesota. This outcome was evaluated through the actualization of the exhibition. The paintings for Submerge were completed and installed at the museum beginning February 1, 2016. The opening for the exhibition occurred on February 15th, 2016. 2: 575 visitors in the state of Minnesota attended Submerge and the three gallery artist talks given by Byers throughout the exhibition. The outcomes numbers projected were confirmed by tallying visitors to the exhibition. The Hillstrom Museum of Art tallies attendance during the regular museum hours. During the opening and artist talks, visitors in attendance were also tallied.

Description of Funds
Project Manager
First Name
Betsy
Last Name
Byers
Organization Name
Betsy R. Byers
State
MN
Phone
(612) 382-8190
Email
betsyruthbyers@gmail.com
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