CMSM opened its new permanent site with increased capacity to serve as an informal learning center that playfully engages children, families, and school groups in interactive experiences with the art and cultural heritage of southern Minnesota. With its current appropriation, CMSM is poised to strengthen its core as an institution that promotes arts and cultural heritage learning through continued
CMSM will build upon the work that began with its 2015-16 appropriation by (1) Remediation and further development of exhibit areas that promote Arts & Cultural Heritage (ACH) learning (2) Expanding ACH learning opportunities for new audiences at off-site locations; (3) Engaging an outside Evaluation Consultant to help plan/implement strategies that meaningfully assess ACH learning outcomes and impacts; (4) Boosting the Museum’s capacity to serve more school/early learning groups.
The Givens Foundation will host a African American Literary Conference, slated for April 2025, to explore emerging themes, trends, and issues in Black American literature. Our collaboration with the Archie Givens Sr. Collection of African American Literature will elevate the discourse, fostering critical engagement. 1) Public Forum: Engaging the general public, as well as emerging and established writers, scholars, critics, agents, publishers, booksellers, educators, and students.
Art from the Inside elevates the voices of incarcerated artists in Minnesota and amplifies their stories through their art and community-centered exhibitions of their art, providing the public a space to explore the complexities of identity, incarceration, and our shared humanity. AFTI will expand its reach and impact into more state correctional facilities and incorporate culturally-sustaining arts programming both inside and outside the walls of confinement.
The Children's Museum of Rochester, Inc. will be implementing a program called Passport To Play aiming to increase the number of children and families of all ages, ethnicities, abilities and incomes to participate in hands-on arts and cultural programming and educational exhibits at the museum. Passport To Play would reach over 1,500 children and families a year from underserved communities in Southeastern Minnesota. The Children's Museum of Rochester, Inc.
The Niibi Center is requesting $54,800 in funding (Competitive) from the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council to design, evaluate and launch a four session Intensive Instructor Practicum and Language Blast weekend program to supplement our emerging home based, family focused language immersion program on White Earth Reservation. Our immersion program, Ayaanikeshkaagewaad, (meaning 'the next ones in succession') is a recently launched project of the Niibi Center. Ayaanikeshkaagewaad seeks to take a new approach to revitalizing Anishinaabe culture and language on White Earth.
Through the construction of new interactive exhibits and the creation of educational programming, the Duluth Children's Museum will highlight the community and culture of Duluth and the surrounding region. A climbable, playable model of Duluth's iconic canal lighthouses and an educational Ojibwe waaginogaan are among the planned new elements being added to the museum experience.
This series is designed to build cross-cultural connections and understanding, and connections to the values of creativity and inclusivity. The specific arts and cultural activities included in this proposal include: 1) Underrepresented Visual Artist Series; 2) Theater production of POTUS 2) Theater production of Invisible Fences; 3) Minnesota Media Arts School (MMAS) Partnership with Underrepresented Communities; 4) Underrepresented Filmmaker Focus at the Minnesota Film Festival; 5) LGBTQIIA+ / BIPOC / Elder / Disabled Feature Storytelling Series.
The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) will build upon a strong foundation of Minnesota Arts, Culture and Heritage (ACH) learning experiences made possible with prior MN Legacy funding support to:
Dakota Wicohan will develop programming alternatives, like online and media resources and delivered care packages, to stay engaged with our youth, adults and families, focusing specifically on using culturally appropriate means to bolster the mental and spiritual health of our youth, and help them deal with any losses they experienced in their families and community. We will continue this new at-home support and activity component of our programming beyond the Covid-19 crisis.
Dakhóta Online Learning Platform is a continued language revitalization initiative that takes a novel approach to language revitalization combining several transmission-boosting practices that have been previously successful, with the ultimate aim of spreading the Dakhóta language beyond classroom walls, making it meaningful, useful, and accessible to Dakhóta people in their daily lives at home.
Dakota Wicohan will offer a 16-week “Beading 101” course, covering 5 to 7 different beading techniques presented by experts in each technique, and the needles, thread and other supplies needed for each style. Stitches to include lazy stitch, peyote stitch, the three drop technique, beading with two needles, the wrap technique, loom beading, and, throughout, general beading tips and tricks.
The Dakota Lemmatizer & Dictionary Expansion Project will begin with Objective 1: Digitize a corpus od approximately 3000 scanned pages of newspapers written in Dakota and Lakota. Complete digitization of these documents will convert each newspaper article from a scanned image of a physical paper to a full text, searchable document.
Dakota Wicohan created the first half of a leadership and civics curriculum for Dakota youth—Dakota Itancan Kagapi, or, the making of Dakota leaders. The program will be used to train Dakota youth through the inter-related strategies of remembering, reclaiming, and reconnecting with our Dakota language and lifeways to enhance the region’s civic foundation.
1. Engage young people in learning Dakhota and inspire them to parent and teach Dakhota to their future generations 2. Increase teacher access to engaging Dakhota language materials for classroom use and beyond 3. Engage elders and cultural experts in the co-creation of Dakhota-medium curriculum and materials that transmits traditional knowledge 4. Expand Dakhota learning communities through the production and dissemination of the textbook and accompanying materials.
The Dakota Lemmatizer & Dictionary Expansion Project will begin with Objective 1: Digitize a corpus od approximately 3000 scanned pages of newspapers written in Dakota and Lakota. Complete digitization of these documents will convert each newspaper article from a scanned image of a physical paper to a full text, searchable document.
Dakota Wicohan will hire a consultant to 1) sustain success and growth; 2) train and empower staff; 3) foster leadership from within the community; 4) prepare for future challenges and opportunities.
Dakota Wicohan will provide a transformative 16-week program aimed at empowering local Dakota youth by guiding them through the intricate process of crafting their own dance regalia outfits and provide dance lessons, tailored for 10-13 students (boys and girls), from the Lower Sioux Community. Upon completion of their regalia, the participants will be empowered to share their newfound knowledge and skills with the broader community. This sharing will be prominently featured at two local events - the Lower Sioux Powwow and the Redwood County Fair.
The Department of Public Transformation will hire a Development Consultant to lead the Board and staff toward more sustainable and intentional fundraising strategies. Specifically, a consultant teaches skills in building annual giving programs, creating audit systems and policies, coach staff and board on effective fundraising strategies, and implement processes that can evolve as the organization continues to grow.
After the recent purchase of a new building that will become the future home of the Duluth Children’s Museum, this project will facilitate the transition to this new space while continuing to provide regionally focused play and learning experiences that are accessible to all children.
This project includes several exhibit creations and enhancements; multilingual signage in English, Ojibwe, Spanish, and Braille, and support to the Children's Museum Educator program.
This project will preserve and celebrate the Anishinaabe Art & Culture through a series of meaningful workshops. Each workshop (12 total), is designed to engage 10-12 participants, providing them with valuable cultural experiences and knowledge.
The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) will complete the innovative community engagement process started with the previous Legacy grant. CMSM will build upon the progress created with the previous Legacy grant by transitioning the team's focus to carrying-out of strategic access strategies that engage a diversity of community members in the exhibit development process, resulting in the completion of fabrication plans for exhibits and environments that are accessible; engaging; and reflect the diverse art, culture, and heritage of southern Minnesota.
Building on the exhibit development community engagement process carried through three successive Legacy grants, the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota used the 2013 direct appropriation to prepare for and begin building exhibit components for its permanent facility by combining professional museum expertise with local resources, volunteers, and community involvement.
Building on the exhibit development community engagement process carried out through four successive Legacy grants, the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota will use the 2014-15 direct appropriation to complete fabrication and installation of several exhibit components for its permanent facility. Local resources, volunteers, and community involvement will be combined with museum expertise to complete this process.
This project will support the inaugural season of the Culture Workers Collaborative (CWC), a cohort program for Minnesota culture bearers seeking to lead their communities in amplifying cultural heritage, building identity, and increasing cultural self-determination. Over the course of the program, culture bearers will 1) participate in 15 monthly professional development sessions; 2) carry out a series of 31 culturally diverse humanities activities that empower their communities in building identity and culture.
1.) Coordinate language instruction for Grand Portage students from Head Start to Cook County High School in order to produce fluent speakers. 2.) Establish language programming for families: language table, radio program, and language camps. 3.) Develop new Ojibwe language projects based on community input.
1.) Coordinate language instruction for Grand Portage students from Head Start to Cook County High School in order to produce fluent speakers. 2.) Establish language programming for families: language table, radio program, and language camps. 3.) Develop new Ojibwe language projects based on community input.
Project goals are coordinate language instruction for Grand Portage students from Head Start to Cook County High School in order to produce fluent speakers. Establish language programming for families: language table, radio program, and language camps. Promote Ojibwe language among federal, state, local, and reservation entities. Develop new Ojibwe language projects based on community input.
Project goals are coordinate language instruction for Grand Portage students from Head Start to Cook County High School in order to produce fluent speakers. Establish language programming for families: language table, radio program, and language camps. Promote Ojibwe language among federal, state, local, and reservation entities. Develop new Ojibwe language projects based on community input.
To increase the vibrance and use of the Ojibwe language on the Grand Portage Reservation and build a base knowledge of the language that will support traditional ceremonies and activities.
This project will support new exhibit components, including an agriculture heritage exhibit, that will showcase the farming way of life and the importance of family farms for the country's food source. It includes workshops and hands-on learning in roles such as gardener, farmer, processor, seed agronomist, farmers market vendor, and consumer.
The Oshki-Filmmakers Project is a series of film workshops and opportunities for the White Earth Ojibwe Reservation. Focusing on Indigenous youth, these workshops bring established Indigenous filmmakers from across our region together with youth artists to share stories and knowledge as our young artists begin to shape their artistic craft. We provide work space and equipment to empower our youth to share their own stories and those of our community for many generations to come.
This project is for a new film initiative, "Images of Africa,", that will regularly feature films from African regions, particularly those with the most significant representation in Minnesota. Images of Africa will put a spotlight on the African experience, storytelling, and contributions of a range of artists, most especially filmmakers, from African communities. This series will be showcased at The Main Cinema in Minneapolis, MSP Film's home venue, as well as other Twin Cities locations, including the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis.
The Works Museum will design, fabricate, and install a new exhibit with partners from Minnesota's East African, Hmong, and Latinx communities that forwards elementary education goals and celebrates Minnesota's rich cultural diversity.
The Kairos Alive! Cultural Wisdom Immersion and Sharing Project collaborates with Centro Tyrone Guzman, Augustana Open Circle, Walker West Music Academy and outstate Developmental Achievement Centers to explore and exchange joyful cultural meaning through music, dance, song and story via 2-way Zoom webcast. Project explores cultural heritage and identity expression, and how it relates to the universality of human experience, in an environment of creative safety and intercultural exchange.
This project collaborates with 1) Minneapolis Hawthorne Neighborhood Council (multi-cultural/intergenerational); 2) Minnesota Independence College and Community (MICC), Richfield (neuro-divergent young adults); 3) an established network of 20+ senior centers and organizations serving people with developmental disabilities statewide (multi-cultural and intergenerational), such as Centro Tyrone Guzman (Latinx), Ecumen Prairie Lodge, Brooklyn Park, Wabasha County Developmental Achievement Center, Wabasha, and Adult Day Services, Bemidji; 4) community collaborations in Bemidji and New Ulm servi
Lao Culture Dance & Traditional Fashion Show will be implementing training youth for new leadership program. We are focusing on teaching students by passing on the skills & knowledge of traditional Performing art to a young generations to continue the tradition. We will make sure that the students that completed the program will be able to teach & passing on & continue the work to keep our tradition & rich Lao heritage and Culture. The youth leader will be great asset for our Communities.
The goal of the Dakota History Symposium at Lower Sioux Agency is to reclaim Dakota voice in a narrative that under-represents Dakota perspective and cultural worldview while providing opportunity for exiled Dakota to reconnect to their shared history, disrupting dominant power dynamics that restrict Dakota truth-telling. Hosting a Dakota-led educational event will enhance public understanding, broaden worldviews perspective and increase access to historic truths of the State of Minnesota.
