Minnesota Festival Support

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$74,425
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Irish Fair of Minnesota
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
November 2015
End Date
October 2016
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Stearns
St. Louis
Washington
Anoka
Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Stearns
St. Louis
Washington
Project Overview
Minnesota Festival Support
Project Details
The Irish Fair of Minnesota will present an Irish arts and culture celebration, featuring more than 400 performers, in August of 2016 on Harriet Island in Saint Paul.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
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.; Michael Charron: Dean of the School of the Arts, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Rebecca Davis-Lee: Touring pianist, piano and music theory teacher; Wendy Dayton: Arts and community leader and philanthropist.; Sean Dowse, Executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Treasurer, Minnesota State Arts Board.; David Glenn: Executive director of the Minnesota Project, ceramic artist; Thomas Moss: Consultant to nonprofits and government agencies; Janice Sivertson: Gallery owner and visual artist; Dobson West: Private equity manager; board chair, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Nolita Christensen: Community and nonprofit management consultant; woodworker; Richard Hansen: Film curator, Redeye Cinema; founder, Duluth Superior Film Festival and Prove Gallery, Duluth; Leif Larsen: Producer, music events for MPR; attorney; Christian Novak: Membership and marketing manager, American Craft Council; Carla Tamburro: Coordinator, Park Point Art Fair, Duluth; art educator
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2015 Special Session, chapter 2, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Cultural Heritage

2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$74,425
Other Funds Leveraged
$560,946
Direct expenses
$635,371
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

We intend to increase the number of overall attendees and also increase the percentage of attendees that have never previously attended IFM. Success will be measured by increased attendance and increased percentage of new fair goers. We will hire the University of Minnesota Tourism Center to design and analyze an onsite demographic survey of attendees. 2: We intend to add two performance venues to our event for more types of art and more artist opportunity. A stage venue for performances by local theater groups will be added to our event. We will also add a stage specifically for new or emerging musicians to perform. These venues will add more artists, and new artists to IFM.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Audience at the 2016 Irish Fair increased eleven percent over 2015. New audience percentages remained similar to previous years at twenty percent. IFM instituted a publicly accessible online survey based on the University's design and shared the survey link through announcements at the event, on social media, and on our website. The online survey resulted in 400 responses: a sample size that corresponds to statistical confidence in the results. We look forward to working with the University to further explore potentials for outcome evaluation at the 2017 IFM. 2: IFM was able to present an original play by a local theater group, a new visual arts component, and add more performances by emerging artists. IFM was proud to add visual arts to our event for the first time. We will continue to work with the Saint Paul Art Crawl. Adding new bands and a new dance school to our event increased the number of artists presented by over 60 young people. We continue to make emerging artists a top priority for programming, and offered additional performance opportunities to these musicians at our special events in April, July, and September and promote their performances via our social media and newsletter.

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
Tim Buggy, James Cady, Michael Gibbons, Vince Gillesppie, Andrea Jamma, Dave Korus, Paul McCluskey, Tim Monahan, Patrick O'Donnell, Dennis Stanton, Katie Stephens-Spangler, Laura Valentine, Mike Wiley
Project Manager
First Name
Erin
Last Name
Cooper
Organization Name
Irish Fair of Minnesota
Street Address
836 Prior Ave N
City
St Paul
State
MN
Zip Code
55104
Phone
(651) 645-0221
Email
director@irishfair.com
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