Minnesota Festival Support
Minnesota Festival Support
The Irish Fair of Minnesota is 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to presenting an Irish arts and culture festival each August on Harriet Island in Saint Paul, featuring over 150 musicians, over 500 dancers, and staffed by over 550 dedicated volunteers.
Ardell Brede: Mayor of Rochester, elected 2002.; Peggy Burnet: Businesswoman, art collector, and community volunteer. Chair of the Nominating Committee, Smithsonian National Board. Trustee, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Uri Camarena: Business consultant, Metropolitan Economic Development Association. Board chair, Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Officer at-large, Minnesota State Arts Board; Michael Charron: Dean of the School of the Arts, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. Secretary/Treasurer, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Sean Dowse: Mayor of Red Wing, elected 2016. Former executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Philip McKenzie, Oboe and English horn player; adjunct oboe faculty, NDSU; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: Executive director, Lyric Center for the Arts; coordinator, First Stage Gallery; Thomas Moss: Consultant to nonprofits and government agencies.; Dobson West: Senior advisor, Spell Capital Partners Fund.; Christina Widdess: Arts organization consultant; former managing director, Penumbra Theatre. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.
Nicole Duxbury: ; Laura Helle: Executive director, Austin Area Commission for the Arts; Seth Kaempfer: Director of St Cloud State LGBT Resource Center, organizer of St Cloud Pride; Angelica Linder: Outreach coordinator, Northfield Public Library; Karen Quiroz: Professional vocalist, Brazilian music; Iris Shiraishi: Composer, musician, and educator; founder of ensemble-MA for TaikoArts Midwest; Jon Skaalen: Access programs coordinator for VSA Minnesota
ACHF Cultural Heritage
Minnesota Irish Musicians will build their audiences and following by performing for new and large audiences at Irish Fair. Irish Fair will build on our results from 2019. Our musicians are advising us on ways to engage with our large audiences. We meet with and survey them before and after IF and use measures from local shows and sales of merchandise to gauge results. 2: We intend to increase student enrollment in local Irish dance and Music schools through recruitment and information at Irish Fair. Irish Fair will build on results from 2018 and 2019. Our partner schools are advising us on how they wish to reach area students. We will conduct a survey at one and six months post-event on perceived impact and compare with prior years.
Performers were able to build awareness and visibility for themselves as a result of this year's Irish Fair. 60% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed to this question in a survey of performers conducted approximately six weeks post-Fair. 2: Increased visibility and exposure for dance performance groups by including dance on more stages. In a post-Fair survey, 57% of respondents indicated that they felt our redesign of stages helped more of our attendees see them perform.
Other,local or private