Operating Support

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$37,753
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
July 2022
End Date
June 2023
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Hennepin
Olmsted
Ramsey
St. Louis
Hennepin
Olmsted
Ramsey
St. Louis
Project Overview

Operating Support

Project Details

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre?brings people together for the common good through the power of puppet and mask performance.?

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator and an arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice and a former state legislator; Emily Galusha: arts and civic leader, former arts administrator; Anthony Gardner: vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Ken Martin, political strategist and campaign manager; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Denver Air, adjunct college faculty; Nichole Melton-Mitchell: healthcare administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former arts administrator; Christina Woods: executive director, Duluth Art Institute

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Lisa Bergh: Bergh is a visual artist; she holds a BFA from the University of Arizona and an MFA from San Jose State University. In addition to her active studio practice, she is the cofounder of The Traveling Museum, works as an advocate for the rural arts and culture movement, and currently is serving as an art instructor at Ridgewater College on the Hutchinson Campus.; 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.; Dorothy Goldie: Goldie is a lifelong enthusiast and supporter of the arts in Minnesota. For seven years she was the executive director of Minnesota Center for Book Arts and, since 2010, has lead Saint Paul Academy and Summit School?s fundraising efforts. From 2018 to 2021, Goldie chaired the Franconia Sculpture Park board and led the organization through a crisis and a search for a new leader.; Jonathan Lewis: Lewis is the executive director of Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra that plays free concerts in the Twin Cities, and plays percussion in it. Lewis is the board president of Source Song Festival, a Minnesota nonprofit that puts on a week long art song festival for student composers, singers, and collaborative pianists. Lewis was the executive director of Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, and served on the board of One Voice Mixed Chorus. He has a BA from St. Olaf College and a JD from Cornell Law School.; Mary Ragnow Campion: Ragnow is curator of the James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota, for which she preserves and promotes the book arts of past centuries. An accountant in a previous life, she is a past treasurer and board member of Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and has supported the area theater scene as board member and actor. She is the coauthor of Tulips, Chocolate & Silk, a finalist for a 2020 MN Book Award.; Serenity Schoonover: A staff writer for Split Rock Review, Schoonover's writing has aired on NPR, and appeared in NewPages, Women's Independent Press, and The Bookends Review, among others. She also is a juried metalsmith, and her work has been featured on the front page of Etsy. Since 2018, she has been the recipient of five Arrowhead Regional Art Council (ARAC) grants, served on multiple ARAC grant panels, as well as serving as a Minnesota State Arts Board grant reviewer in 2020. Schoonover has a BA and MA in history education.; Jamie Schwaba: Schwaba is currently the director of development at the Reading Center/ Dyslexia Institute of MN, but prior to holding this position she was the managing director of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts in Winona for seven years. She holds a MS in adult and continuing education, BA in theater arts, and she performed professionally in the Milwaukee area for eight years.; Haile Tegegne: Tegegne is the founder and executive director for East African Empowerment Center where we advocates for East African nonprofit organizations and community members and connects them with resources available to them. Tegegne serves as a consultant for central empowerment organizations. He graduated from Hamline University with a master's degree in public administration and nonprofit management.; Wenli Tesar: Chen has lived and worked in Saint Paul since 2015, after relocating from Taiwan. She holds a MDes in photography from The Glasgow School of Art, UK; and a BA in Russian from Tamkang University, Taiwan. She has taught graphic design, art photography, and 2-D foundation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (2015-2020). She is a visual artist as well as a designer who works with artist books, photography, and installation. Chen has exhibited internationally in the UK, Singapore, USA, Canada, and Taiwan. She was a resident artist at Lanesboro Arts in August 2021.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2021, First Special Session, chapter 1, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$37,753
Other Funds Leveraged
$823,860
Direct expenses
$823,860
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

HOBT will embody racial and social equity by investing in new leadership, and creating accessible art that engages and reflects our community. New organizational and artistic leadership will be installed, and new accessible programming will be developed; success of artistic programs will be measured via participant surveys, and by the collected stories from the communities served. 2: HOBT's Avalon Theatre will serve as the hub for a cohort of under-resourced artists whose capacity to make, and present their art will be increased. HOBT's Avalon Theatre will serve as the center of their artmaking and presentation for up to fifteen BIPOC/Queer and low-income artists.

Measurable Outcome(s)

HOBT worked to embody racial and social equity by searching for a new leader and creating accessible art reflecting our community. Assisted by a BIPOC firm, HOBT is in the final stage of deliberations for hiring a leader; hundreds of Minnesotans engaged in programs including the MainStage and new Puppet Library; diverse participants shared experiences via anecdote and survey. 2: HOBT's Avalon Theatre building was refreshed increasing the usable space, improving its sustainability, accessibility, and value for the community. Community members said they were awed and instantly welcomed by the refurbished interior with a new puppet display and much more. MainStage shows, and community workshops featured BIPOC/queer artists who said they felt welcomed and engaged.

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
Malia Araki Burkhart, AdedotunAde) Salami, Erin Emory, Anita Newhouse, Tia Lauve, Laci Mcbride, Kallie Melvin, Scott Muskin
Project Manager
First Name
Michelle
Last Name
Pett
Organization Name
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
Street Address
1500 Lake St E
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Zip Code
55407-1720
Phone
(612) 419-4541
Email
execdir@hobt.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