Artist Initiative
Artist Initiative
Swiszcz will create three zines about people and places in West Saint Paul, the semisuburban city where she lives. The project will culminate with a public reading and zine making workshop at a venue in West Saint Paul.
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.
Krista Anderson-Larson: Director, CIRCA Gallery; gallery and collections coordinator, Macalester College; sculptor; Martha Bird: Visual artist and public health nurse; AK Garski: Visual artist and activist; art and art history adjunct instructor, St. Catherine University; Kristi Kuder: Sculptor, textile processes in metal and mixed media; Arts Board grantee; Andrew Messerschmidt: Painter; Kimber Olson: Visual artist, curator, and educator.
ACHF Arts Access
Carolyn will develop her community engagement skills and audience connection through research, interviews, and event organizing. The project will culminate with a public reading and zine-making workshop where others can share their stories about West Saint Paul. The response to this event and the zines will be used to evaluate the outcome. 2: Carolyn will focus on West Saint Paul as a subject, setting a course for developing several zine 'chapters' into a larger, more cohesive, future project. Ideally, by the end of the grant period Carolyn's ideas for a larger project will be clearer. The zines she makes next year will be touchstones for future work and she'll have a better idea how they fit into her larger artistic practice.
This zine-making project not only helped Carolyn form many new connections in her local community, it also expanded her audience nationally. Carolyn gave away 150 zines locally and sold another 200 zines on Etsy, the majority going to new buyers. Many people contacted her with their own stories about West Saint Paul. Carolyn's lecture was well-received and continues to get views on YouTube. 2: Carolyn is now working on a book-length project. Carolyn explored different styles of illustration that meshed more closely with her painting practice. She strengthened her storytelling skills and gained the confidence to start working on a book-length memoir project.
Other,local or private