Artist Initiative

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Rachel C. Marston
Recipient Type
Individual
Status
Completed
Start Date
January 2020
End Date
June 2022
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Benton
Hennepin
Sherburne
Stearns
Anoka
Benton
Hennepin
Sherburne
Stearns
Project Overview

Artist Initiative

Project Details

Marston will complete her novel, How to Speak to God, which examines the mythological, religious, and political narratives about nuclear testing in Nevada, and give a public reading and talk in the Saint Cloud area.

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.; Uri Camarena: Business consultant, Metropolitan Economic Development Association. Board chair, Minneapolis College of Art and Design. 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: Mayor of Red Wing, elected 2016. Former executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Philip McKenzie, Oboe and English horn player; adjunct oboe faculty, NDSU. Secretary/Treasurer, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: Executive director, Lyric Center for the Arts; coordinator, First Stage Gallery. Officer at-large, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Thomas Moss: Consultant to nonprofits and government agencies.; Dobson West: Senior advisor, Spell Capital Partners Fund.; Christina Widdess: Arts organization consultant; former managing director, Penumbra Theatre.

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Venus de Mars: Multidisciplinary artist and musician; Carson Faust: Teacher with Cow Tipping Press; Arts Board grantee; Vanessa Ramos: Writer, artist, educator; Arts Board grantee; Glenda Reed: Writer and educator; Arts Board grantee; Erin Sharkey: Writer, graphic designer, cultural producer; Molly Sutton Kiefer: Poet, essayist, editor and publisher of Tinderbox Editions in Red Wing; Diane Wilson: Dakota writer and educator

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2019 First Special Session, chapter 2, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2020 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$10,000
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

A broader audience will learn more about the complexities and impact of nuclear testing in the United States through a formally experimental novel. For the public presentation/reading I will ask what the audience knows about nuclear testing. After I will give a survey to ask about their understanding of nuclear testing and its impacts and their response to the novel's form. 2: The artist will develop further skills in characterization and plot development, as well as agent querying and marketing her book. Critiques from published authors on characterization and the plot of the book, including attending a novel revision workshop at the Loft. Publication in literary journals and feedback from prospective literary agents.

Measurable Outcome(s)

A broader audience will learn more about the complexities and impact of nuclear testing in the United States through a formally experimental novel. Rachel Marston presented a brief history of nuclear testing in the U.S. prior to reading multiple sections from the novel project, each highlighting a different aspect of this history and each representing a different formal approach. 2: The artist will develop further skills in characterization and plot development, as well as agent querying and marketing her book. The artist received critiques from published authors on her work-in-progress that focused on her use of characterization and plot development. She also engaged in professional development regarding acquiring an agent and book marketing.

Source of Additional Funds

Other,local or private

Project Manager
First Name
Rachel
Last Name
Marston
Organization Name
Rachel C. Marston
State
MN
Phone
(801) 647-4527
Email
rcmarston3@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