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
Loft, Inc AKA The Loft Literary Center
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
December 2022
End Date
June 2024
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Washington
Anoka
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Washington
Project Overview

Creative Support for Organizations-Round 1

Project Details

The Loft, in response to community input, will improve accessibility to its classes and Wordplay literary festival for people who have a hearing or mobility disability, providing equitable access to Loft programs for writers and readers.

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

Bartel Bevins: A Senior Loan Officer with the MN Dept. of Employment & Economic Development (DEED). Between 1995 and 2016, I managed the MN Urban Initiative Loan Program which provided loan capital to many community development organizations. This program provided over 850 loans to micro businesses in the Twin Cities. In addition, I managed the state?s Indian Business Loan Program which serves entrepreneurs enrolled in Minnesota?s eleven American Indian reservations.; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: Mary?s career in the public sector ? at both the state and local level ? spanned five decades. She has coupled that work with long involvement and leadership in the arts in both professional and volunteer roles including over 20 years of affiliation with the Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minnesota. Mary has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota State Arts Board and recently retired as Executive Director of the Lyric Center for the Arts and coordinator of The First Stage Gallery. She is now exploring painting and weaving along with honing her skills writing melodramas featuring bits of Virginia, MN history. Mary has a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from Bemidji State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in Biology and Music, also from Bemidji state.; Amber Pelfrey: An artist who expresses her creativity through many mediums, her favorite being Fluid Art. There have been 2 showings of her paintings in her home city of Duluth, MN. Pelfrey is also an active member of the grassroots group The First Ladies of The Hillside that was created by herself and 7 other women residing in Central Hillside during the first months of the pandemic and subsequent quarantine. This group works closely with the Non-profit Organization Duluth's Center For Women and Children.; Suzanne Roberts: A semiretired, independent art historian. She is a specialist in the history, lives, and art practices of artists of African descent and how they fit in the American art canon. She has consulted and lectured with the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center, and with the Minnesota Museum of American Art for last year?s Gordon Parks exhibition. She currently is teaching art history through community education for Minneapolis Public Schools. She was a founding member of Obsidian Arts, a grassroots visual arts organization supporting artists. She attended the University of Minnesota for finance and art history.; Michelle Wolfe: City Manager for Blaine, Minnesota. Blaine is a growing city of 70,000 in the north metro. Wolfe was previously the Deputy City Manager for Aurora Colorado, City Administrator for Arden Hills, Assistant City Manager for Cottage Grove, and Human Resources Manager for Naperville, Illinois. She graduated from St. Mary's College of Minnesota with a BA in Political Science and Public Administration, and from Northern Illinois University with a Master of Arts in Public Administration/Urban Management.

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
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Minnesotans who have hearing and mobility disabilities will report benefits from their participation in more accessible Loft activities. Gather target populations' participation in specific programming and qualitative participant feedback on their Loft experience (quality, learning, writing improvement, connection to others) and the value of improved accessibility services.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Minnesotans who have hearing and mobility disabilities reported benefits from their participation in these accessible Loft activities. We tracked the number of participants and gathered participant demographic data, including self-reported disability, using surveys. We also gathered participant feedback and impact information using surveys.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved proposed outcomes.
Recipient Board Members
Mike Meyer, Melinda Ward, Jon Austin, Arleta Little, Karlyn Coleman, Nichol Higdon, Meena Natarajan, Dorothy Nins, Ruth Shields, Ellena Schoop, Ty Chapman, Kris Patrow
Project Manager
First Name
Kaitlyn
Last Name
Bohlin
Organization Name
Loft, Inc. AKA The Loft Literary Center
Street Address
1011 Washington Ave S
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Zip Code
55415-1278
Phone
(612) 215-2575x 2580
Email
kbohlin@loft.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