Since 2011, Appetite For Change has been facilitating connections and celebration for community members and the rich history and traditions of food in North Minneapolis. North Minneapolis is known as being one of the most economically distressed communities in Minnesota, with 46.5% of people living below the poverty line and a median household income of $38,226 in 2021 (compared to the state average of $117,800) (FFIEC, 2021). Though, these statistics don't capture the true essence of the community that makes up North Minneapolis.
At an average cost of less than $65 per student, Wilderness Inquiry's Canoemobile program provides introductory and immersive experiences for Minnesota students across the state. The program brings history and cultural heritage alive for students on their local lands and waterways, fostering a passion for Minnesota's culture and investing in the preservation of our outdoor heritage.
Wilderness Inquiry will expand its work to provide a continuum of outdoor experiences for youth, adults, and families in communities across Minnesota by:
The projects planned for the grant funds focus on essential updates and enhancements to our historic building, ensuring that we can continue to provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all who visit. The proposed improvements include upgrading our HVAC system, kitchen, and security infrastructure; rebuilding the handicap ramp for improved accessibility; sourcing new patio furniture; and resealing the venue's dance floor. Each of these initiatives is designed to maintain the integrity of our facility while enhancing the experience of our diverse audience.
Cypher Side will organize a range of urban dance programming/activities, including:
- A Hmong Arts Day that provides a platform for Hmong artists of various artistic disciplines to display their talents.
- A dance showcases and one community performance by individuals who are learning to dance (e.g. at a fair);
- A public, cypher-style dance battle for dancers or all ages and abilities; and
- Three master class workshops for dance instructors or skilled dancers who are looking to hone their craft.
The Disabled Veterans Rest Camp (DVRC), located on Big Marine Lake in Washington County, is open to all military veterans and military families. Founded in 1926 to help disabled veterans recover from World War I, the non-profit, campground relies on donations and volunteers to host most activities that provide relief and recreation. With so many more Guard and Reserve deployments, more veterans and their families are turning to the camp for family fund and recreation while their loved one is deployed and during the transition back to civilian life.
Community Cooks | is our flagship program, it was started by our three co-founders, Tasha Powell, Princess Haley and Michelle Horovitz, as a method to engage North Minneapolis community members together in dialogue through cooking, eating and supporting each other. Until March of 2020, we had been running roughly 54 workshops every year. These workshops bring together diverse groups of individuals and provide a backdrop of food skills development, for a chance to build connections and social networks within the community.
Project Title: Expanding Access to Latinx Heritage and Culture
Goal: To celebrate Latino cultural heritage, foster cultural engagement on Lake Street, Minneapolis and the East Side of Saint Paul, expand access to Latino arts and culture through programming, engagement, and education, and uplift Latino artists in the metropolitan and greater Minnesota areas by fostering their professional development, networking opportunities, and Gallery exhibit/presentation space.
Overview
Shamrock Township will erect a 7.5' x9' Veterans Memorial Monument on the Shamrock Township Property. This memorial will include concrete sidewalks, monument footings and slab, flagpole with concrete footings, 2 benches on concrete pads, trees, shrubs, flowers and additional landscaping.
The City of Waconia is partnering with American Legion Post 150 to fully restore the following three monuments in our City Square Park:
- Civil War Soldiers Monument = Dedicated in 1892 to recognize 559 Carver County soldiers who died during the Civil War.
- Civil War Cannon = Manufactured in 1846 and obtained for the village of Waconia in 1897 via the US Government Obsolete Civil War Cannon Program.
- World War I Veterans Monument = Dedicated in 1929 to recognize 122 Carver County Veterans from the World War I conflict.
Since the 1980s, our Veteran's Park has had very limited displays consisting of one short flag pole, one veteran's monument display, and one kneeling solder. Our plan would include:
1. Parking for visitors
2. Increased sidewalk for accessibility
3. A 35ft. flagpole for the American flag and POW flag centrally located
4. Five 25 ft. flagpoles for each branch of service
5. A concrete statue for each branch of service (Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Air Force, Coast Guard), that would represent the Minnesota legacy of service in the Armed Forces.
The memorial project will include two paved walkways that will connect a seating area with the bike trail. The seating area will be a paved circle area with 3 flags at the top of the circle for the United States flag, the state of Minnesota flag, and a POW/MIA flag. The bottom of the circle will have a seating area with two memorial benches that will face the flags. There will also be a planned monument in the center that lists the names of local veterans. The area surrounding the circle/seating area will have new trees/shrubs planted to landscape the space and provide shade for users.
Additional greenspace will be developed to expand the memorial with new curb and gutter. Monuments will be replaced to include the 6th branch (Space Force). New lighted Bollards, Benches, Evergreen and Crabtrees will be planted. Names of veterans will be placed on the monument and added over time. A donor plaque will be included and placed in front of the City Christmas Tree signifying the Martha Anderson Veterans Memorial Park contributions made through community donors.
This solid steel memorial with attached didactic plaques will celebrate Minnesota?s women veterans and their prominence in the military from 1948 to present, representing nearly 75 years of Minnesota women's service to the Nation. The outcome of the work will be an inviting and reflective space where representative female veterans can be honored and recognized by the community. It will be created by collaboration between real Minnesota veterans and our artist community. Artists from both groups will be the driving force of this memorial creation and will be duly recognized.
The existing Memorial Park overlook in Red Wing was replaced in 2021 with a new overlook. This project ($335,000) included a new parking area to the side of a new pedestrian-oriented overlook designed with amphitheater-style seating around a circular observation deck. Connected to that is another smaller circular deck with a 60' high flag pole with the U.S. flag. The finishing touches of this new overlook area is to design and construct a granite base for the flagpole, incorporating the armed service medallions. On top of the granite base will be a sculpture, yet to be designed.
The Kanabec County Veterans Memorial will be a phased plan to begin with a plaza which will include the US Flag and all service branch flags. We are requesting funding for the purchase of custom flag poles. The flags will surround a concrete plaza which will include a granite memorial listing all known Kanabec County veterans who were killed in action (WWII-current). At the granite KIA memorial will be a statue of a solider/person kneeling in honor of those killed. Around the concrete plaza will be installed "Walls of Honor".
We are planning on building a pavilion 20x48 to accommodate the public while viewing the veteran's memorial. It will have restrooms, picnic tables, and a display of Altura's history. Landscaping will include memorial walls, walkways, benches, flowers and trees.
Funds provided by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund will contribute to the cost of the sculpture depicting a 173rd airborne brigade soldier kneeling with a 120-pound pack with rifle in Afghanistan. The statue will be the focal point of Rice Lake Memorial Park?located near the intersection of Rice Lake Road and Martin Road in the City of Rice Lake within St. Louis County. The monument will remind the public of the intense burden put onto our soldiers who are defending our nation?s interests and keeping wars off of American soil.
Per Minnesota Laws, 2011, 1st Special Session, Chapter 6, Article 4, Section 2, Subd. 6, "These amounts are appropriated to the commissioner of administration for grants to the named organizations for the purposes specified in this subdivision.
Per Minnesota Laws, 2009, Chapter 172, Article 4, Section 2, Subd. 5, "Funds in this subdivision are appropriated to the commissioner of the Department of Administration for grants to the named organizations for the purposes specified in this subdivision. Up to one percent of funds may be used by the Department of Administration for grants administration. Grants made to public television or radio organizations are subject to Minnesota Statutes, sections 129D.18 and 129D.19."
While Hong De Wu Guan, Inc., will continue and expand its current roster of cultural programs and classes through FY24/25, much of the organization's increasing efforts during the time period of this grant will be towards the successful launch of a 6- or 12-week after-school Lion Dance program. This pilot program will be a model upon which all subsequent programs can iterate and expand upon.
While Hong De Wu Guan, Inc., will continue and expand its current roster of cultural programs and classes through FY24/25, much of the organization's increasing efforts during the time period of this grant will be towards the successful launch of a 16 week after-school Lion Dance program. This pilot program will be a model upon which all subsequent programs can iterate and expand upon.
Install an underground well and an irrigation system (or other means for watering) in order to water the grass, trees and plants that will be planted at the Veteran's Park. The Veteran's Park is located outside of city limits so there is no source of water other than drilling our own well on the property. Clitherall Township will hire a licensed contractor to drill and install the well as required by Minnesota law.
The original courts were constructed in 2016 at Keller Regional Park with a combination of funds from Ramsey , the City of Maplewood, and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy Funding. To inform the design, Parks staff gathered feedback from local Tuj Lub club members as well as did a site visit to Westminster, Colorado where the only other formally designed courts are located in the country. Since completion, play has been increasing and the court materials are deteriorating. In addition, court design and technology has been advancing.
Niijii’s Minnesota Mixdown Series brings art and culture into rural communities into our listening region. Niijii invites Minnesota musicians and visual artists to share their talents and stories with different communities in our listening area. Every two months choose musician and/or visual artist from Minnesota to perform live and on the air at different towns in the listening area.
Daily language segments that are designed to teach and preserve the Ojibwe language. Segments will be directed towards beginning and intermediate levels and will focus on vocabulary and sentence formation. These segments will introduce, reinforce and maintain a pathway to revitalization, preserving and historically archiving the language as spoken on the White Earth Reservation
People have been drawn to the Great Lakes region since time immemorial for the vast opportunities the area provides. These diverse ecosystems were shaped by geologic history- thousands of lakes both big and small, prairies, bluffs, river valleys, hills, and mountains. In fact, the ancient stories of life on Earth itself are written in the landscape all around us.
Minnesota Public Radio is the state's largest cultural organization, providing 96 percent of the population with free access to some of the best broadcast cultural programming in the world. Minnesota Public Radio is using a grant from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to implement projects around the following four goals:
