Operating Support

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2022 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$5,696
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Prairie Arts Chorale
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
January 2022
End Date
December 2022
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Redwood
Lac qui Parle
Lyon
Chippewa
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Kandiyohi
Redwood
Lac qui Parle
Lyon
Chippewa
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Kandiyohi
Project Overview

Operating Support

Project Details

Operating Support Year One, FY2022

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Cheri Buzzeo: theater, music, The Barn Theatre administration, Willmar Main St participant; Jessica Welu: writing, music, SW Regional Development Commission; Anna Johannsen: fiber artist, art teacher, Remick Gallery board, president of Windom Women's Investment group, treasurer of Cottonwood County Animal Rescue, officer of Cotton Quilters; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor/director/teacher; David KelseyBassett: visual artist, musician, Hinterland Art Crawl board; Shawn Kinsinger: theater director, actor, musician, Palace Theatre executive director, Green Earth Players vice president, Luverne Street Music board member, Luverne High School Theater artistic director; Darlene Kotelnicki: theater, city council, library board. Kristen Kuipers: musician, private lesson and K-12 classroom music instructor, theater, writing, volunteer with Jackson Center for the Arts; Cheryl Avenel Navara: education, Worthington Public Arts Commission chair, SW MN Opportunity Council volunteer; Alison Nelson: art, music, and dance teacher, KMS Community Ed director, Kerkhoven Fire Department Auxiliary fundraiser; Anne O'Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Michele Huggins: Granite Area Arts Council treasurer and volunteer, member of the Artisan Grain Collaborative, founding member of ACHALA; Betsy Pardick: musician, actor, Dept. of Public Transformation committees; Michele Knife Sterner: theater (actor), SMSU Associate director for Access Opportunity Success program; Louella Voigt: music, fiber art; Blue Mound Area Theatre board; Erica Volkir: performing arts, Pipestone Performing Arts Center board, Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB director; Janine Teske: music, theater, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley school board; Mark Wilmes: Lake Benton Opera House board president, actor/director, musician, reporter;

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Cheryl Avenel-Navara, arts admin, SMAC board; Mark Bosveld, theater; Cheniqua Johnson, theater, music; Joyce Meyer, visual art, education; Jane Otto, arts admin; Kerry Ward, visual art, grantwriting; Mark Wilmes, theater, SMAC Board

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

2022 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$5,696
Other Funds Leveraged
$27,131
Direct expenses
$32,827
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

In general, our goal is to continue as a viable arts organization by expanding our numbers of singers, volunteers, and audience. Our goal for the first year of this grant is to regain our footing as a performing arts organization. During the pandemic shut down we lost singers, audience, business manager, board members, and volunteers. We need to rebuild those essential elements in order to preserve our long term stability. Specifically, that means: Increase chorale singers from 20 to 24; Increase board members from 5 to 7; Hire a new business manager; Identify 1-2 volunteers for each area (grant writing, advertising, programming, social media); Regain audience size of 500 per concert season. Our goal for the second year of this grant period is to develop concert programs that increase our audience size by 10%. These goals will be evaluated by comparing member rosters, board member rosters, evidence in meeting minutes of hiring a new business manager, an updated committee list with specified volunteers, and ticket/audience reports provided by our treasurer.

Measurable Outcome(s)

The OS grant has allowed an increase in both time and added expectations from box office and social media. With added OS funds, the Box Office has taken on handling advertising and correspondence. There was more time devoted to social media resulting in 550 new email subscribers and an increase in Facebook visits of 7.6% and likes of 36.5% from 2021. We have not found the right person to be our event operations manager and continue conversations with both the Wilder Museum and the city of Walnut Grove. We have been able to attract new and younger board members, including people with expertise in sound and landscaping. Board members who been involved in readings of new scripts have provided valuable critiques and have shown an increased awareness of the historical Laura and the Walnut Grove community.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved proposed outcomes
Source of Additional Funds

Other,local or private

Recipient Board Members
June Meyerhoff, Sue Selden, Jean Schueller, Helen Pederson, Paul Knapper
Project Manager
First Name
June
Last Name
Meyerhoff
Organization Name
Prairie Arts Chorale
Street Address
PO Box 531
City
Marshall
State
MN
Zip Code
56258
Phone
(320) 368-0943
Email
junemeyerhoff@gmail.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
Location

509 W Main St, PO Box 55
Marshall, Minnesota 56258 

Phone
Phone Manager: Nicole DeBoer
(507) 537-1471
Email the Agency