Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$30,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Illusion Theater and School, Inc AKA Illusion Theater
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
December 2022
End Date
November 2023
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Carver
Crow Wing
Dakota
Faribault
Hennepin
Martin
Ramsey
Scott
Washington
Anoka
Carver
Crow Wing
Dakota
Faribault
Hennepin
Martin
Ramsey
Scott
Washington
Project Overview

Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Project Details

Illusion Theater will partner with schools, youth organizations, and community groups throughout Minnesota to engage diverse, underserved young people and adults with relevant and meaningful arts experiences of the highest quality.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator and an arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice and a former state legislator; Emily Galusha: arts and civic leader, former arts administrator; Anthony Gardner: vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Ken Martin, political strategist and campaign manager; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Denver Air, adjunct college faculty; Nichole Melton-Mitchell: healthcare administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former arts administrator; Christina Woods: executive director, Duluth Art Institute

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Rebecca Froehlich: Serves as the development and communications associate for the Minnesota Urban Debate League. She received her BFA in painting from the University of South Dakota and is currently pursuing her master of arts in education at Augsburg University. She has been trained as an artist in healthcare within rural and urban settings, and studied at the University of South Dakota and the University of Florida.; David Marty: Retired from a career in arts administration, and currently serves on the Grand Rapids school board. He holds a bachelor?s degree in communications, with additional arts training including a fellowship in arts administration at the National Endowment for the Arts. He is an experienced arts presenter with extensive awards and has served on various arts and community boards. He has presented and consulted often for national and regional arts gatherings. He was an officer for the Minnesota Presenters Network and the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. Marty has also directed and acted in local theater productions.; Marjorie Pitz: Retired public artist and sculptor, following a career in landscape architecture that focused upon public places. She graduated from UMN with a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture degree. Marjorie has served: Minneapolis Art in Public Places juries: the State Design Selection Board; the AELSLAGID Licensure Board for design professionals; and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)-Minnesota Chapter. Marjorie is a creative thinker, and integrates accessible art into public places.; Melanie Richards: A poet and prose writer with many awards and publications. She has taught creative writing and composition at several colleges over the last 30 years. She has also worked as a writer in the community arts group Artspeople in Western Wisconsin and was involved in the Poets in the Schools program in Wisconsin as well. She has a B.A. from U.C.L.A., and an M.F.A. from Goddard College.; Kitrina Stratton: Being retired, Kitty now consults/designs with and for clients who want to do a super energy efficient home. Kitty has a Masters of Architecture (2014) in Sustainable Building Design Science from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Kitty has a BA in Visual Design from Purdue University (1979) Kitty worked as a graphic designer for many years in many types of businesses. She then went into National Accounts Manager positions, calling on Marketing and Design depts. Kitty currently volunteers on the City of Minneapolis Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee with the position period ending in Dec. 2022. Kitty and her partner have had their super energy-efficient near net-zero home on the Minneapolis St Paul Home tour as well as the Renewable Energy Tour. Kitty has presented two accredited presentations for the Duluth Energy Conference attendees, and two high school programs and is currently designing three new homes using passive strategies for heating, cooling and ventilation.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2021, First Special Session, chapter 1, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$30,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$30,000
Administration costs
$2,000
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Underserved Minnesota youth and adults engage in relevant arts experiences via Illusion's plays, arts education, peer education and community arts programs. We'll track the number of schools and youth in our arts and peer ed programs, audience members for our theater work, community programs and their participants. We'll also use written and oral surveys to track participant satisfaction in these programs.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Illusion used its plays, community, arts and peer education programs to engage underserved youth and adults in relevant and meaningful arts experiences. We know we achieved the proposed outcomes based on tracking the number of youth engaged in arts education, as well as adults and youth engaged via our mainstage program. We tracked program satisfaction via social media feedback and/or formal surveys.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved proposed outcomes.
Recipient Board Members
Stan Alleyne, John Beal, Anthony Bohaty, Willie Bridges, Barbara Brin, Lisa Cotter, John Cushing, Dani P. Deering, Pat Dunleavy, Keith Halperin, Todd Hennen, Tim Johnson, Srikanth Kaligotla, Lori Liss, Maureen Long, Christopher Madel, Steven Montgomery, B
Project Manager
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Robins
Organization Name
Illusion Theater and School, Inc. AKA Illusion Theater
Street Address
528 Hennepin Ave Ste 704
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Zip Code
55403-1814
Phone
(612) 339-4944x 208
Email
mrobins@illusiontheater.org
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