Arts Access

Our first outcome was to expand partnership capacity between artists, arts organizations, and community development groups in rural Minnesota. We evaluated this outcome based on the breakdown of participants' backgrounds, since a wide variety of community development sectors represented in addition to artists and arts organizations would be an indicator of fulfilling this goal. Specifically, our goal was that at least 15% of attendees would identify themselves as having a non-arts background. After analyzing the organizations represented in registration forms, approximately 77 individuals, or 25% of our audience represented sectors outside of the arts, including university extension programs, historic preservation and museums, elected officials, food coops and farms, public health organizations, libraries, city staff, planning and development commissions, Minnesota Initiative Foundations, bicycle alliances, chambers of commerce, environmental groups and nonprofit resource organizations. Our second outcome was that the Regional Arts Council Summit would provide a place in which real and perceived barriers affecting participation in rural arts activities would be addressed. In our evaluation form given at the end of the Summit, we asked participants to a) list ideas or projects that they were planning on pursuing following the Summit and b) indicate their confidence level on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being not very confident and 5 being very confident. 80% of respondents ranked their confidence at a level of 4 and 5. In June 2014, one year after the Summit, we will follow up with participants to get updates on any projects that were started as a result of the Summit, and will do profile of at least five projects that were catalyzed at the event.