Operating Support

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2024 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$34,958
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Chinese American Association of Minnesota AKA CAAM Chinese Dance Theater
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
July 2023
End Date
June 2024
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Anoka
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Project Overview

Operating Support

Project Details

The CAAM Chinese Dance Theater is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Chinese cultural heritage, enriching a diverse culture through the universal language of dance.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator, arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice, 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, campaign manager; Philip McKenzie: adjunct college faculty; Nichole Melton-Mitchell: healthcare administrator; Michele Sterner: higher education administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Woods: executive director, Duluth Art Institute

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Mary Bensen: Bensen is the former foundation and grants director at Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge in Minneapolis. For more than 20 years, Bensen initiated and designed a corporate and foundation grant program for Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge, a $40 million dollar faith based nonprofit. In addition, Bensen is a professional pianist and organist in the community. Benson earned a BA in organizational management and communication at Concordia University with a minor in performing arts focused on organ and piano.; Sarah Clark: Clark is the founder of Clark Squared, LLC, a nonprofit consulting firm specializing in communications, development, and management services. From 2013-2022, she worked at Fresh Energy; as deputy executive director, she oversaw organizational management, fundraising, communications, and program development. Previously, Clark was the contract director of the Lower Phalen Creek Project, a community based initiative focused on transforming a contaminated brownfield site into the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, a restored natural area that is home of Wakan Tipi, a Dakota sacred site. Clark has a BA from Macalester College and a MA in journalism from the University of Minnesota.; Heidi Droegemueller: Since 2015, Droegemueller has served as executive director of the Luther Seminary Foundation in Saint Paul. In this role, she is responsible for board relations, fundraising, marketing, and communications for both the Foundation and Luther Seminary. Her primary areas of professional expertise include governance, strategic planning, transformational philanthropy, grant writing, annual fund, and crisis communications. Droegemueller is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, with a bachelor of music degree in music theory. She holds professional certificates in nonprofit management (Arizona State University) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (Augsburg University). She has served as a volunteer board member for multiple entities of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 2002. She has also served as a grant application reviewer for the Minnesota State Arts Board and Metropolitan Regional Arts Council in the past.; Anne Dugan: Dugan is an independent curator and educator living on an organic farm in Wrenshall. She teaches art history at The College of St. Scholastica and the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Dugan is the director for the Kruk Gallery on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus and the curator for the Northshore Bank of Commerce in Duluth. Dugan is the founder and codirector of the internationally recognized Free Range Film Festival, which she founded in 2004.; Ivete Martinez: Vaz de Castro Martinez has been a professional artist for the last 20 years. She was born in a small border town between Brazil and Uruguay to Portuguese and Galego parents. Vaz de Castro Martinez has two master?s degrees: one in philosophy (Oxford University, England) and another in psychology (Stanford University, CA). It was only when she quit her job at Mayo Clinic and became a full-time mom that she started to learn art. She?s a board member at Gallery 24, executive director of Med City Art Festival, and a Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council panelist. Vaz de Castro Martinez tries to be involved, not only in making art but also in the administration and participation of nonprofit organizations.; John Neveaux: Neveaux is a theater artist, educator, and attorney who acts, directs, and designs shows with several local theaters in the metro area. Neveaux has also been proudly involved with the Delano High School and Westonka High School drama programs. He has served on the boards of Skylark Opera Company, Chain Reaction Theatre Project, 4 Community Theatre, and is a member of the Delano Area Council for Arts and Culture. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in theater and is a law school graduate with more than 35 years of legal experience including work with arts and other nonprofits.; Kyla Rathjen: Rathjen is pursuing a master of human rights at the University of Minnesota?s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and College of Liberal Arts. Her graduate interests are in effective philanthropy, social change leadership, and nonprofit management. She is a committed nonprofit professional, with more than eight years of experience in program management, community led development, board management, grassroots fundraising, and digital communications on global teams. She recently served as vice president of the board for the Minnesota International NGO Network (MINN).; Linda Rother: Rother has been creating her personal imagery with passion for more than 48 years. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in studio arts, with an emphasis in painting and photography. She has received several grants from the Jerome Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Intermedia Arts, and the East Central Regional Arts Council. She has displayed her work extensively in one-person shows and juried group shows. Her current photographic work reflects a spirit of place. The planet?s light, smells, and sounds have a texture of earth and plants. Her intimate images are about her relationship with the planet, the animals, and her personal environment. She currently has her work at Gallery North in Bemidji.; David Schmidt: Schmidt has more than 40 years serving communities as a city/county manager, administrator, and planner. He obtained his BA in urban and regional planning, and a MPA in government management. Schmidt has served on many local, regional, and state boards and commissions in North Carolina, New York, Maine, and Minnesota. He is an arts supporter and has an interest in photography, theater, public art, and music. Schmidt recently retired and currently serves his community as an organic farmer.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota, 2023 regular session, chapter 40, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2024 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$34,958
Other Funds Leveraged
$223,278
Direct expenses
$223,278
Administration costs
$2,424
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Audience and other participants will increase their knowledge and appreciation of Chinese dance, including its cultural significance in a diverse Minnesota. Interview and survey audience and other participants regarding recurring participation, increased knowledge and understanding of Chinese dance and culture, continued interest andsuggestions for future programs. 2: Dancers, choreographers, and other artists at CAAM CDT will develop and deepen skills and artistry contributing to a welcoming Chinese dance community. Peer reviews, interviews and surveys of dancers and artists measures progress in deepening skills, artistry and contributions to the community; Feedback from community about best ways to increase contributions by Chinese dance arts.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Audience and other participants increased their knowledge and appreciation of Chinese dance, including its cultural and artistic significance. Interview and surveys of audience and participants increased knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture and dance; ask about continuing participation and suggests for future programs. 2: Dancers and other artists at CAAM CDT will deepen skills, contribute to and value a community welcoming Chinese dance arts. Interviews with dancers and other artists at CAAM CDT were asked about deepening skills, and whether they felt they contributed to and value a welcoming Chinese dance community.

Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
Ronald Tu, Elle Mason, Yanhua Wusand, Joseph Lin, Beatrice Rothweiler
Project Manager
First Name
Beatrice
Last Name
Rothweiler
Organization Name
Chinese American Association of Minnesota AKA CAAM Chinese Dance Theater
Street Address
655 Fairview Ave N Ste 8
City
St Paul
State
MN
Zip Code
55104
Phone
(651) 774-0806
Email
beatricerothweiler@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