Arts Experiences
Arts Experiences
Open Eye Theatre will invest in diverse artists, expand its geographic reach, and build new audiences with a series of innovative arts experiences for all ages, including a theatrical musical and a Puppet Lab and Driveway Tour.
Carol Bruess: author, speaker, relationship social scientist, and creator; Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator, arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice, former state legislator; Emily Galusha: arts and civic leader, former arts administrator; Philip McKenzie: adjunct college faculty; Michele Sterner: higher education administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Woods: executive director, arts organization
Sara Cosgrove: Cosgrove is an award winning journalist and poet living with disabilities. Two of her poems will appear in Issue 71 of the Great River Review. She holds a BA in journalism from Drake University (Des Moines, IA) and studied in Cuba and France. As a writer and editor with more than fifteen years of experience, Cosgrove has written proposals for government and nonprofits. She also wrote city, fashion, and music related articles for several magazines. Her articles have featured Grammy nominated musicians, including Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers. As a volunteer, Cosgrove served as music programmer for an independent radio station.; Megan Fair: Fair is the director of development at Plymouth Christian Youth Center, a north Minneapolis based nonprofit that provides youth, art, and community programming. She earned her master's in public policy with a focus on community development from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2016.; Riley Kleve: Kleve is a nonbinary textile artist and educator creating collaborative work in community settings. They are a teaching artist at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Textile Center, and American Swedish Institute. Their work has been exhibited at the Fresh Eye Gallery, Second Shift Studio, and the Minneapolis Convention Center. Kleve is a member of the 2024-25 Artisan Development Program cohort at North House Folk School. Kleve has a BA in studio art from Hampshire College (Amherst, MA), and regularly contributes to Spin-Off magazine. ; Douglas Snapp: Snapp is the founder of JazzMN and the JazzMN Orchestra, where he served as the artistic director for 20 years. In addition, Snapp served on the steering committee that formed the international arts organization Jazz Education Network. He graduated from the University of North Texas (Denton, TX) with a bachelor's and master's degree in music, and received his doctorate in music from the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO). Snapp is recently retired.
Executive director Sue Gens (651) 539-2650
ACHF Arts Access
OET will invest in new and existing artistic partnerships that grow our circle of diverse audiences. Evaluation is conducted via audience and artist surveys, in-person interviews with stakeholders, critical reviews, and post-show discussions.