Operating Support

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,310
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Fairmont Opera House, Inc. AKA Fairmont Opera House
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
July 2020
End Date
June 2021
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Blue Earth
Faribault
Jackson
Martin
Blue Earth
Faribault
Jackson
Martin
Project Overview

Operating Support

Project Details

The mission of the Fairmont Opera House is:? Providing a historical arts and entertainment center that promotes cultural growth and community involvement.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Ardell Brede: former mayor of Rochester; Peggy Burnet: entrepreneur, art collector, and community volunteer; Uri Camarena: business consultant, Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA); Michael Charron: executive director of grants and sponsored programs for Saint Mary's University of Minnesota., Saint Mary's University of Minnesota; Sean Dowse: former mayor of Red Wing; former executive director, Sheldon Theatre; Anthony Gardner, vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Boutique Air, founder and owner of Bluedoor 74, adjunct college faculty; Mary McReynolds-Pellinen: executive director, Lyric Center for the Arts; Thomas Moss: consultant to nonprofits and government agencies; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former managing director, Penumbra Theatre

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Jonathan Carter: Carter is director of IT business relationship management for the Harmon business unit of Apogee Enterprises. Previously, Carter had a long career with General Mills, spanning finance, sales, marketing, information systems, and other areas. A former board chair for the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir, he is an active executive board member of the Monitors Club, supporting the educational, political, economic, and social well-being of the Twin Cities African American community. Carter holds a BS in computer science from Washington University (Saint Louis); an MS in computer science from Stanford University; and an MBA in finance and international business from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.; Linda Holliday: Holliday is founder and president of Impact Minnesota, providing an array of consulting services to nonprofit, for profit, and public organizations; and of Holliday Pottery, creating handcrafted functional ceramic wares. She was previously with the Initiative Foundation for nearly twenty years, most recently serving as vice president of organizational development. Holliday is a 2010 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow and holds a master's degree in public affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Crossing Arts Alliance in Brainerd.; Betsy Husting: Husting is retired after more than 40 years working in the arts as a producing director, actor, marketer, administrator, and development professional. In 1994, she founded Husting & Associates Consulting, providing fundraising expertise to nonprofits, primarily arts organizations. Her clients included Flying Foot Forum, Illusion Theater, Public Radio International, Zorongo Flamenco, Theater Latt' Da, Graywolf Press, MacPhail Center for Music, Teatro del Pueblo, and many more. Husting attended Denison and Indiana Universities as an English major with a minor in theater.; Yumiko Inomata: Inomata serves as finance manager for Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest, one of six regional arts organizations in the United States. She has a BA in theater studies and has taken graduate-level courses in educational policy and administration, and teaching English as a foreign language. Outside of work, she has served on numerous panels, including the Sage Awards for Dance (2009-2010), and for several grant programs for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. She is an alumna of the 2017/2018 Arts Organizing Institute through Pangea World Theater's Lake Street Arts!, which was part of a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant.; Nora Murphy: Murphy is a fifth-generation Irish-Minnesotan and mother of two grown sons. She is an author of two memoirs and three non-fiction books for children. She works as the Tribal Planner and Grant Writer for the Lower Sioux Indian Community in southwestern Minnesota.; Carolyn Wintersteen: Wintersteen is a founding ensemble member and executive director of Theatre B in Moorhead. She serves on the Moorhead Art and Culture Commission and is active in local civic organizations. Prior to founding Theatre B, she coordinated programs at Trollwood Performing Arts School, taught at Minnesota State University Moorhead and North Dakota State University, and worked in administration at Prairie Public Broadcasting. She earned a BA in theater from Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington) and an MFA in acting from the University of Pittsburgh. Wintersteen has performed with the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, Theatre L'Homme Dieu, Commonweal Theatre, the Black Hills Playhouse, and Theatre B. In 2017 she received the Lake Region Arts Council McKnight Artist Fellowship Grant to support an original play which she and her husband performed at the Minnesota and Boulder Fringe Festivals. Theatre B is a recipient of the American Theatre Wing's 2014 American Theatre Company Award for excellence among young theater organizations nationwide.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2019 First Special Session, chapter 2, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2021 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,310
Other Funds Leveraged
$386,031
Direct expenses
$386,031
Administration costs
$10,310
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Increase the number of attendees at FOH arts events, by attracting younger, blue-collar individuals, and by increasing the variety of FOH events. Compare current/future attendance numbers and demographics at reinvigorated programming to past attendance/programming. 2: Increase the number of participants in FOH arts events, by attracting younger, blue-collar individuals, and by increasing the variety of FOH events. Compare current/future attendance numbers and demographics at reinvigorated arts events to past attendance/programming.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Increase the long-term visability of FOH through global pandemic. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, FOH worked diligently to stay in the public spotlight. During that time, FOH Facebook engagement and likes/follows increased by 38%. 2: Maintain the number of staff and volunteers through the COVID-19 Pandemic. FOH retained three staff members, hosted 3 educational internships in the summer of 2020 (which was a higher number than in the past), and increased the volunteer base by 11 volunteers.

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
Michael Edman, Bob Luedtke, Jane Reiman, Beth Neist, JoAnn Woodward, Adam Hinz, Chantill Kahler-Royer, Justin Miller, Ned Koppen
Project Manager
First Name
Blake
Last Name
Potthoff
Organization Name
Fairmont Opera House, Inc. AKA Fairmont Opera House
Street Address
45 Downtown Plz PO Box 226
City
Fairmont
State
MN
Zip Code
56031
Phone
(507) 238-4900
Email
director@fairmontoperahouse.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