FY 2014 Grantees

Arts Access

Project grants that arts organizations can use to broaden arts opportunities for underserved groups by reducing or eliminating barriers to participation.

Number of grants awarded on November 6, 2013	47
Total dollars awarded on November 6, 2013	$ 2,256,450

Grantee, City	Grant Amount
Ananya Dance Theatre, Minneapolis	$ 20,000
Ananya Dance Theatre will create a workshop series that connects 40 refugee and immigrant women and girls with the experience of dancing, dance-making, self-expression through movement, creating access to professional concert dance, and building cultural leadership.
Saint Paul Almanac, Saint Paul	$ 65,908
Storymobile, a moveable art space in Saint Paul, invites people to share their stories in written, oral, and visual forms. Saint Paul youth will build the Storymobile with artist Roger Cummings. They will combine found materials from the city environment with solar power and computers—all pulled by a bicycle!
ArtiCulture, Minneapolis	$ 19,306
People Incorporated and ArtiCulture will collaborate to offer five, six-week art classes for adults in the metro area living with mental illness. The collaboration will be an opportunity for this population to access visual arts learning for creative enjoyment, reflection, and personal healing.
ArtStart, Saint Paul	$ 33,550
Signatures is an expansion program of ArtStart's Camp CREATE for teens. Signatures involves ten underserved youth, ages 16-18 years, who work with artists for five weeks in studio arts classes, paid internships, retail, and public art experiences.
Bedlam Theatre, Minneapolis	$ 40,000
Throughout 2014, Bedlam Theatre's innovative core artists will activate the Bedlam Design Center, with residencies to engage 500 community members in the development of new works, celebrated quarterly with Bedlam's 10 Minute Play Festivals.
The Cedar, Minneapolis	$ 100,000
The Cedar will continue and expand its program that engages the Twin Cities' Somali immigrant and refugee communities with the arts, through music performances, workshops, poetry readings, and collaborative, interdisciplinary events.
Central Square Cultural and Civic Center, Glenwood	$ 10,250
Local theater artist Kathy Ray and singer/songwriter Patty Kakac will engage at least 25 residents of the three Pope County nursing homes in creating and performing an original play with music entitled Playing With Memories. Two performances will be presented on stage at Central Square in late September 2014.
Children's Theatre Company, Minneapolis	$ 46,795
Children's Theatre Company will increase access to high-quality theater, for young people and families affected by autism, through four sensory-friendly performances of shows in its season, and targeted activities to increase awareness of autism at CTC and in the community.
CLIMB Theatre, Inver Grove Heights	$ 95,000
Elders CLIMBing Two engages 1,238 older Minnesotans, many cognitively and/or physically challenged, in 4-8 sessions to actively create, perform and respond to theater at both English and non-English speaking centers throughout MN.
COMPAS, Saint Paul	$ 58,100
Sixteen youth, more than half with disabilities, will participate in COMPAS' ArtsWork summer project for six weeks. They will receive a stipend while creating and performing an original theater work under the guidance of Zaraawar Mistry and Leslye Orr.
Contempo Physical Dance, Saint Paul	$ 8,375
Contempo Physical Dance will begin a need-based scholarship program for older adults and seniors to attend open Brazilian contemporary dance classes, as well as create and perform a new work involving dancers ages fifty and older.
The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, Minneapolis	$ 36,569
Movement Wise is a pilot program that will reach 80 adults aged 55 and older with movement workshops and live performances and discussions at The Cowles Center, while encouraging active physical and social participation and engaging the mind.
Crossing Arts Alliance, Brainerd	$ 65,482
Crossing Arts Alliance and Central Lakes College -Verse Like Water, will organize, promote, and host four internationally known poets with readings, workshops, and a writer-in-residence that will enrich the cultural lives of the citizens of central Minnesota.
Duluth Playhouse, Duluth	$ 39,318
The Duluth Playhouse and collaborator The Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders propose to conduct 3 - 10 week sessions of Stage Play: Theatre for Children with Autism, during 2014. This program will serve youth ages five to fourteen with a variety of autism spectrum disorders.
The Film Society of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minneapolis	$ 100,000
Cine Latino is a strategic film programming and exhibition project aimed at increasing arts access for Spanish-speaking Minnesotans.
Free Arts Minnesota, Minneapolis	$ 15,488
Free Arts Minnesota will partner with Northern Clay Center to provide an arts access experience to 60 youth living in shelters and residential treatment centers. The ceramics program will be centered on the theme of healing.
The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, Edina	$ 15,000
In 2014, the Givens Foundation will engage more African American men and youth in reading and the literary arts by celebrating the life and works of poet Etheridge Knight through a strategic expansion of its Givens Black Books Community Reading Campaign.
GREAT Theatre, Saint Cloud	$ 24,300
GREAT Theatre will provide access to families at or below the poverty level to a Four Show Season Membership, to build season-long participation for families who would otherwise be unable to experience live theater in greater Saint Cloud.
Headwaters School of Music and the Arts, Bemidji	$ 29,850
The Tapestry Project will weave art experiences into the lives of adults who normally cannot participate because of barriers caused by mental illness, transportation, and poverty.
Heart of the Beast Theatre, Minneapolis	$ 88,000
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre will conduct a twelve-month program for Phillips neighborhood youth who have limited access to arts programs, on-site and in partnership with Waite House, Little Earth, and Collaborative Village.
History Theatre, Saint Paul	$ 41,180
Passport to History offers a `passport`—a menu of program and cost options that remove barriers to participation —for underserved youth and adult audiences to attend live theater, with customizable activities including artist-led workshops, guest presenters, and history immersion tours at area cultural venues.
Illusion Theater, Minneapolis	$ 97,850
Illusion Theater will expand its partnership with The Link, a Twin Cities supportive program, to engage 200-400 in-risk and at-risk youth with Illusion, to provide access to theater while improving life chances for the youth.
In Progress, Saint Paul	$ 43,600
Fresh Voices is a digital arts project dedicated to the creation of photographs, videos, and writing pieces that publicly acknowledge and celebrate the voice of Latinos living in the rural community of Crookston Minnesota.
Interact, Minneapolis	$ 56,250
Dis/Cover the Arts expands its capacity to grow audiences of people with disabilities, and include people with disabilities in arts programming, by removing barriers, fulfilling its mission to "create art that challenges perceptions of disability."
Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis	$ 99,500
Intermedia Arts will increase arts access for communities of color, native/indigenous, low-income, GLBT, and recent immigrant communities by addressing barriers of cost, transportation, and information access.
International Friendship Through the Performing Arts, Eagan	$ 25,000
International Friendship Through the Performing Arts will hire top ethnic and jazz musicians to perform concerts and participate in outreach activities within the Northfield Retirement Community and The Commons on Marice in Eagan.
Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project, Saint Louis Park	$ 54,384
Iraqi Voices is a collaborative mentorship program that gives Iraqis in Minnesota support and training to produce high-quality documentary video shorts. The project will result in seven shorts, to be screened at the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival and submitted to festivals worldwide.
Keane Sense of Rhythm, Inc, Saint Paul	$ 40,490
Keane Sense of Rhythm creates an exciting, relevant opportunity for students to discover healthy ways of self-expression through weekly tap class to students of five urban, low-income grade schools, two new summer programs, and a new daily middle after-school tap program.
Kulture Klub Collaborative, Minneapolis	$ 50,000
Kulture Klub Collaborative will remove barriers and increase participation for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer), Questioning, Intersex, and ally homeless youth through youth leaders, outreach, ArtViews featuring LGBTQ artists, and LGBTQ artists-in-residence Andrea Jenkins, Joy Spika, and Nicole Smith.
MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis	$ 96,690
MacPhail will expand access to music making and performances for seniors including those with low-income or memory loss in four partnerships with Ebenezer, Lyngblomsten, Ecumen, and Alzheimer's Association Minnesota-North Dakota at sixteen locations.
Minneapolis Pops Orchestra Association, Minneapolis	$ 25,000
Free Concerts for Seniors: Six performances for low-income seniors with disabilities, offered free of charge during July 2014. Includes four coffee concerts at Nicollet Island and two neighborhood concerts at Elliot Park (Minneapolis) and Cerenity-Humboldt (Saint Paul).
Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health, Saint Paul	$ 21,786
Fidgety Fairy Tales will collaborate with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) to offer performances for children with severe challenges and their families, as well as workshop/rehearsal/performance opportunities for children on the spectrum.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis	$ 19,864
MCBA on the Road will resolve geographic and socio-economic barriers that limit participation in three greater Minnesota communities, by engaging all ages with access to free and extremely low cost book art experiences.
Minnesota Orchestra, Minneapolis	$ 34,500
Through UPbeat Encore, the Minnesota Orchestra will partner with six Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) to engage 1,200 parents and students with free tickets and transportation to Orchestra Hall for a family-friendly concert.
Minnesota Sinfonia, Minneapolis	$ 36,500
Minnesota Sinfonia work with the Fridley community to create a Music and Arts Celebration that incorporates the Fridley Community Theater, visual arts, children's activities, and two performances by the Sinfonia that feature local childrens' active participation.
Mu Performing Arts, Saint Paul	$ 42,600
Mu Performing Arts will offer 1,000 Minnesotans from underserved Asian American communities free tickets, transportation, and theater workshops to Middle Brother via an expansion of our Community Partnership Program.
Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Minneapolis	$ 56,595
Via focused programming, customized services, targeted marketing, touring, and hiring dedicated staff, barriers - financial, language, geographic, transportation, and mobility - will be identified/eliminated to revolutionize access for these populations.
Off-Leash Area, Minneapolis	$ 22,000
Off-Leash Area's project is the continuation and expansion of our Neighborhood Garage Tour program, touring original contemporary performance throughout the metro area: 24 performances in eight communities, reaching approximately 700 people.
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul	$ 83,150
The Ordway proposes a Cuban Festival in fall 2014 that will highlight the arts and culture of the Cuban community for Cuban, Latino, and broader audiences, planned with the guidance of a community council.
Pangea World Theater, Minneapolis	$ 70,000
TAMASHA will deepen relationships between and among the local South Asian, Iranian, Arab and Arab American, and Latino/a communities through outreach activities associated with three productions between January 2014 and December 2014.
The Peoples Cook, Saint Paul	$ 45,852
The Peoples Cook will collaborate with May Lee-Yang, Joua Lee, and the Hmong Elder Center to engage elders in creating stories that nourish future generations and perform an original multimedia piece called Letters to Our Grandchildren.
Pillsbury House Theatre, Minneapolis	$ 99,700
Pillsbury House Theatre will convene, train, and support twenty community-based artists as "art block leaders" who will create arts experiences to engage neighbors on the blocks where they live and support neighbors in patronizing the arts assets in their community.
Red Wing Arts Association, Red Wing	$ 30,000
The Veteran's Art Experience will provide 40 veterans an opportunity to create art reflecting their military experience, through a variety of mediums. The gallery show will provide the public with an understanding of art and the veteran's experience.
The Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, Saint Paul	$ 17,568
Saint Paul Conservatory of Music will bring consistent, high-quality music lessons and performance opportunities directly to disadvantaged youth in after-school enrichment at three low-income Saint Paul Public Schools.
Sounds of Hope, Ltd., Saint Paul	$ 23,900
1,000 or more seniors in Red Wing, Winona, Zumbrota, Windom, Worthington, Chatfield, West Saint Paul, Saint Paul, and other cities will enjoy concerts and/or make music with professional musicians and young performers from countries around the world.
TU Dance, Saint Paul	$ 69,200
TU Dance will provide access to beginning-level dance experiences for underrepresented Minnesota teens and pre-teens of color and/or from low income families, addressing barriers to the art form among these young people and their families.
Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Saint Paul	$ 42,000
Twin Cities Jazz Festival will expand its free three-day outdoor festival, which attracts 40,000 jazz fans to downtown Saint Paul, to additional audiences of 1,900 at seven new venues located along Metro Transit's Green Line light rail opening in 2014.