Emergency Working Artist Project Grant
Emergency Working Artist Project Grant
Commemorating Minnesota North Shore Historical Figures.
Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Tammy Mattonen: visual artists, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; Kayla Aubid: Native American craft artist, writer, employee at MacRostie Art Center; Kathy Neff: musician, Director, Fine Arts Academy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Emily Swanson: arts administrator at Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community.
Amber Burns: choreographer, dancer, actor, middle school art teacher; Kendra Carlson: writing and theater instructor, University of Minnesota Duluth; Carla Hamilton-Eisele: visual and multimedia artist; Karen Savage Blue: visual artist; Moira Villiard: visual artist.
Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, Drew Digby (218) 722-0952
ACHF Arts Access
The goal of this proposal is to bring the focus of my earlier figurative pieces into alignment with theme of my current work which focuses on and explores both Ojibwe and Minnesota histories and oral stories and how these histories can be captured within paintings. The provided funding for this project would allow me to further expand upon my current focus on painting my own stories, to branch out and begin to visually capture the regional stories of those communities along Minnesota's North Shore. I am absolutely confident in my completion of this project within the proposed timeline as I have already been in communication and confirmed exhibition support from galleries in two of the three listed counties. I have identified and planned with an Ojibwe author was has agreed to provide translation support for me as I work to complete this project. In addition, I have been in contact with two local businesses who have agreed to set aside various resources (time, supplies, staff support) beginning in September through December 2020. Once I have been notified of grant award, I will develop a planning timeline in order for me to monitor my progress in completion the project proposal. The timeline will be broken into the following five categories, 1. research activities and selection of historical figure which includes the drafting of essays, 2. compositional planning, sketching, and completion of the five pieces, 3. archival scanning and image services, 4. framing of completed pieces, and 5. exhibition planning and delivery to partnering galleries/exhibition spaces. I will establish a detailed monthly and weekly progress goal record to ensure that I am completing the activities within the five outlined categories.
The grant funding allowed for me to complete five portraits of five notable Ojibwe Minnesota selected through community virtual feedback. After receiving the grant approval, I posted on Facebook Group, North Shore Tribe with over 50,000 member soliciting about potential subjects for these paintings. After more than online 150 recommendations and after conversations with tribal citizens, descendants the following figures were selected 1. John Beargrease, 2. Ruth Myers, 3. George Morrison, 4. George Borga, and 5, Sam Zimmerman, Sr. During my research in creating these paintings, I met with tribal members, descendants of the selected figures, enrolled in Ojibwe language classes to aid in my research and conversations leading to a better understanding in which to approach each of the selected figures.