Emergency Working Artist Project Grant FY21
Emergency Working Artist Project Grant FY21
Grant requested for time and equipment to convert current classes to new virtual requirements.
Tara Makinen: former-Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Tammy Mattonen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, visual artist, co-founder of Crescendo Youth Orchestra; 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; Kris Nelson: artist, teacher; Roxann Berglund: musician; Bill Payne: Professor of Theater at the University of Minnesota-Duluth
Ron Piercy: jeweler, gallery owner; Laura Sellner: musician; Sarah Brokke Erickson: Associate Professor of Art at the University of Minnesota Duluth, visual artist
ACHF Arts Education
With this grant, I would make a minimum of five videos: one for making a shoe, one for making a sandal, one for patterning a shoe on a last, one for making a leather tote, and one for stitching a hand-stitched wallet. This grant would help to sustain my career as an artist by updating my technology and providing tools that I currently do not have, but which are essential for the growth of my teaching practices in the current pandemic. In addition to producing the content for my website, this technology upgrade would allow me to teach live online classes that I am currently unable to teach. This grant would not only help my artistic career, but would be beneficial to anyone looking to learn more about the craft of shoemaking and working with leather on a myriad of projects. You may be confident that I will successfully execute this project first and foremost because of my love and passion for my chosen craft of shoemaking. Second, because I have been a professional arts educator for several years. I have had the goal to produce this content for years, but have been limited financially and therefor unable to buy the proper equipment and to invest the time needed to produce such videos, if not being paid for my time. I very much miss teaching and connecting with students and igniting a passion for shoemaking and leatherwork in beginners. I love empowering people to try new skills and techniques and this grant would greatly assist me in providing this service and producing professional-looking content that is up to my standards. I am very excited about the potential to complete this project. With this grant, I would make a minimum of five videos: one for making a shoe, one for making a sandal, one for patterning a shoe on a last, one for making a leather tote, and one for stitching a hand stitched wallet. These videos would appeal to and be useful for many people, from those who are experienced to those who are merely curious. If I finish those five videos and make them accessible on my website, I would consider myself successful in completing this project.
My activities addressed the artistic goals proposed in my project by purchasing equipment to record instructional videos for leather working and shoemaking processes, in addition to allowing me to teach classes virtually, due to the pandemic. I achieved those goals by filming the videos to send to students as a link, and will publish them to my website for anyone to view. I have also taught two virtual private workshop and have more planned for the future.