Sean Emery: Funny Guy, Jugglin' Stuff

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$8,349
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient Type
Libraries
Status
Completed
Start Date
June 2017
End Date
June 2017
Activity Type
Education/Outreach/Engagement
Counties Affected
Kittson
Marshall
Pennington
Red Lake
Roseau
Kittson
Marshall
Pennington
Red Lake
Roseau
Project Overview

Sean Emery is a highly recognizable Minnesotan performance artist. This year he kicked off our Summer Reading Program with his program "Funny Guy, Jugglin' Stuff." His program was both entertaining and educational, with a special emphasis on all that is available to kids through libraries. He made sure to emphasize that there is so much you can teach yourself to do by reading at the library, whether it be juggling or something else, and inspired the kids to follow their dreams.

Project Details

548 participated

Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota for 2015 Chapter 2--S.F. No. 1, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 5
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$8,349
Other Funds Leveraged
$130
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

We really wanted an exciting kick-off to our Summer Reading Program- something that would be appealing to kids of all ages and drive up participation in our program. Sean is a very respected Minnesotan artist, so we wanted also to provide an example of someone pursuing a career in the arts, who is so successful at it. We hoped that this program would increase interest in performance art and/or circus arts. We distributed evaluation forms to audience members following the end of the program, gauging their interest in the aforementioned topics, to find out whether or not they were likely to participate in our Summer Reading Program, to find out why they enjoyed the program, and to collect public comments.

Measurable Outcome(s)

92% of respondents said that after watching the program, they were excited about Summer Reading at their library. 44% said that they enjoyed the program because it helped them to increase knowledge and better understand a topic. 64% said that they enjoyed the program because they were able to spend quality time with family and friends in their community. 37% said that they enjoyed the program because it helped them to learn a new skill. 82% reported that the program increased their interest in circus arts and/or performance arts. Public comments included, "what fun to hear about how to have a career doing what he does", and "keep the summer programs coming, great for the kids", and "I've never seen my youngest smile so much." We had a very successful Summer Reading Program this year, with more participants than average, and we think these programs which provided our communities with exciting arts programs, and which emphasized the importance of libraries and reading, played a large role. This caliber of program is typically only seen in much larger cities.

Source of Additional Funds

In Greenbush the Friends of the Library provided cookies and lemonade, and they also helped to set up and tear down the event. At the Karlstad LINK Site, volunteers helped to clean up after the event. In Hallock, volunteers helped to set up and clean up the event.

Project Manager
First Name
Kristi
Last Name
Hanson
Organization Name
Northwest Regional Library
Street Address
210 LaBree Avenue N. / PO Box 593
City
Thief River Falls
State
MN
Zip Code
56701-0593
Phone
218-681-1066
Email
hansonk@nwrlib.org
Administered By
Administered by
Location

1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113-4266

Phone
651-582-8200