Arts Board Vision, Mission, and Values

As part of its current strategic planning process the Arts Board approved the following vision, mission, and set of values in September 2003.

Vision

All Minnesotans have the opportunity to participate in the arts.

Mission

The Minnesota State Arts Board will:

• Serve as a leading catalyst for creating a healthy environment for the arts that fosters broad public participation in, and support for, the arts in Minnesota.
• Promote artistic excellence and preserve the diverse cultural heritage of the people of Minnesota through its support of artists and organizations.
• Act as a responsible steward of the public trust.
• Work with the statewide network of regional arts councils to ensure accessibility to arts activities for all Minnesotans.

Values

The Minnesota State Arts Board values the arts as a vital element in the life of our community. The arts, in their many forms, provide a vehicle for developing and expressing creativity, a tool for growth, and a means of connecting people across cultural boundaries.

• Artistic Quality - The Board values artistic excellence both in the work we do and as a prime criterion for our support to artists and organizations.
• Integrity/Accountability - The Board is a responsible steward of the public trust, committed to distributing public resources fairly and efficiently through a grantmaking system that is based on high ethical and legal standards and a peer review process open to the public.
• Artists/Institutions - The Board values artists and arts organizations as the central forces in the creation and presentation of all artistic disciplines.
• Education - The Board values arts in education and views these opportunities as essential to the intellectual and creative development of every Minnesotan.
• Diversity - The Board recognizes that the many cultures represented in our state are an essential source of vitality and believes that funding diverse artistic traditions encourages intercultural respect and understanding.
• Partnership - The Board is committed to nurturing current partnerships and creating new alliances to strengthen the health of the arts in Minnesota.
• Public Value - The Board works in partnership with the arts community to build and demonstrate the public value of the arts in Minnesota.
• Economic Impact - The Board recognizes that a strong artistic community has a positive and measurable impact on the economy of our state.
• Innovation - The Board values innovation in the arts and freedom of artistic expression.
• Respect - The Board values and respects its employees and volunteers and the contributions they make.