Arts Access
ACHF Arts Access
We will offer a free, yearlong mentorship in documentary filmmaking to 12 individuals who could not otherwise aspire to become filmmakers because of financial barriers. Upon submitting the completed films to festivals we will know we have met the primary outcome of the project in that we will have provided everything that participant required to complete his or her documentary -- from equipment to training, from mentorships with local filmmakers to on-going support from trained staff. 2: Doc. U will serve communities traditionally underrepresented in the media arts, including low-income individuals, with a focus on women and people of color. Our outreach efforts will extend deeply into the communities we seek to serve, ensuring appropriate representation in the program from these underserved communities. Further, applicants will be asked to provide proof of their low-income status in keeping with current Saint Paul Neighborhood Network requirements.
Time and resources were/are barriers to low income individuals to participating in the arts. We offered the participants a stipend to offset the costs of participating. Because we structured the stipend to be distributed at the end of the project, it did not help alleviate all of the pressure participants felt during the program. In the future we would disperse a portion of the stipend at the beginning of the program to address this issue. The participants encountered transportation and time barriers. The shorter time frame to complete the doc, while addressed issues from last year's cohort of participants dropping out and not finishing the program, led to stress in the participants regarding juggling jobs, family, and outside commitments and completing their doc. According to a focus group conducted by our professional evaluator, participants keenly felt the time pressure of trying to fit this demanding project into their already busy lives. 2: All twelve participants were low income, eight were persons of color, and seven were women. The overall quality of the documentaries was higher this year than in year one with more of the participants (80%) saying that the DocU staff helped them the most. Several of the participants have continued to produce programs or expand on their documentaries. According to the focus group eight of the eleven participants at the focus group cited staff members when asked who was the most helpful to them in completing their documentaries. Participants said that staff were very helpful during editing. The participants also bonded very well with each other as well, several participants remarked about what a great group this was and how much they liked their colleagues and benefited from collaborating with them. The workshop structure and weekly meetings supported collaboration.
Other, local or private