Arts News
Accessible Arts Grant Program
Minnesota State Arts Board
Grant Opportunities: Accessible Arts and Arts Education
Accessible Arts grant program
Application materials are now available for the FY 2025 Accessible Arts grant program. Arts organizations and arts affiliates are welcome to apply.
Accessible Arts is a pilot program, offering project grants that support long-term investments focused on increasing arts organizations' accessibility for people with disabilities.
New for FY 2025: An arts organization or arts affiliate that received an Accessible Arts grant in FY 2024 is not eligible to apply for an Accessible Arts grant in FY 2025.
In this program, funds will be used for investments that will have a longer-term impact on the applicant and impact organizational change. Example investments include, but are not limited to:
Professional development related to accessibility;
Hiring accessibility consultants to conduct audits or develop accessibility plans;
Improvements to digital accessibility; and/or
Small physical or equipment investments (less than $5,000) that will make programming more accessible.
Applicants may request between $10,000 - $20,000.
The Arts Board will host a virtual Information Session for potential applicants to learn more about the program purpose, application process, and key accessibility resources for arts organizations.
Details, including full program guidelines, eligibility, and resources for applicants can be found on the Accessible Arts program page.
Artist Residency Program in NY Mills Deadline to Apply is April 1
Applications for the Artist Residency Program at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in New York Mills are now being accepted! The deadline is April 1. Information and application can be found on the website: https://www.kulcher.org/programs/artist-retreat/
The residency program is open to artists of all disciplines; writers, poets, playwrights, visual artists, musicians, and dancers, and offers time and space to create without distraction.
Artists are responsible for their transportation to and from New York Mills, along with food while in residence. The Cultural Center provides a one-bedroom home, along with all linens, dishes, etc. The Center requests that artists perform an outreach project, usually within the schools. For more information, check the website: www.kulcher.org, or contact: cheryl@kulcher.org.
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center
24 Main Avenue North, PO Box 246
New York Mills, Minnesota 56567
Summer Art Day Camp for Ages 8-13
To reserve a spot for this summer art day camp in Lengby for ages 8-13, email : hello@oldschoolarts.org.
Creative Individuals FY 2025 Grant Opportunity
Grant Opportunity for Individuals:
FY 2025 Creative Individuals
Application materials are now available for the Creative Individuals grant program. This program is open to individual artists and culture bearers.
Creative Individuals provides support to help individual artists and culture bearers develop or sustain their creative practices and meaningfully engage with Minnesotans.
In this program, funds may be used to support an individual's creative practice and meaningfully connect to and engage with audiences, participants, students, and/or communities during the grant period.
Applicants may request between $2,000 - $10,000.
The Arts Board will host a virtual Information Session for potential applicants to learn more about the program purpose and application process. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions with program officers at the end of the session. See below for more information.
Details, including full program guidelines, eligibility, and resources for applicants can be found on the Creative Individuals program page.
Creative Individuals Program Page
Important Dates
February 28, 2024: Virtual Information Session and Q & A. This will be a real-time virtual session. It will be recorded and available for later viewing.
April 5, 2024: Application deadline; all application materials must be submitted before 4:30 p.m.
December 2024: Arts Board approves grant awards.
February 2025 - January 2026: All funded activities must take place within these dates.
Request for Proposals open for a downtown East Grand Forks mural
There is a Request for Proposals open for a downtown East Grand Forks mural. The deadline is April 1. The Downtown Development Association (DDA) alongside the RiverWalk Center, City of East Grand Forks, and other partners are working together to beautify downtown and promote the exceptional people, places, and things that make up our thriving region through the creation of murals. The project should result in public artwork that lasts for years and create a landmark for those who live here and visitors alike.
This project will showcase the connection between East Grand Forks and the Red River. Mural must include imagery that weaves in fish that inhabit the river and compliments an Instagrammable canoe cut-out.
For more information and the RFP visit: https://downtownforks.com/murals?fbclid=IwAR354YziA1unNu4e2VbjE6oMnRk6JuEow2wlNl56nlTUpOprBs04Q74EtpY
Who will be the next McKnight Distinguished Artist?
Who will be the next McKnight Distinguished Artist?
Do you know an artist or culture bearer with an enduring and exceptional career in Minnesota? The McKnight Foundation invites nominations for its 27th Distinguished Artist Award. Nominations for the $100,000 award are due April 16, 2024.
The annual McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes artists and culture bearers who have made a lifelong commitment to creating art that is locally, regionally, and/or nationally significant. These artists and culture bearers have chosen to make their lives and careers in Minnesota, thereby making our state a more culturally rich place. First and foremost, they have produced creatively incisive art reflecting their particular and extraordinary point of view.
McKnight Distinguished Artists have also inspired other artists and culture bearers, earned acclaim from audiences, patrons, critics, and other arts professionals, and some have founded and strengthened arts organizations.
Minnesota State Arts Board Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Opportunities
Minnesota State Arts Board Fiscal Year 2025
Grant Opportunities Announcement
The Minnesota State Arts Board is pleased to announce the grant programs it will offer in its fiscal year 2025 grant cycle. In addition to the Operating Support program that was launched earlier, five project grant programs will be offered: Accessible Arts, Arts Experiences, Arts Education, Cultural Expression, and Creative Individuals.
The following are very brief descriptions of the programs:
Accessible Arts will invest in longer-term strategies to make the arts more accessible to persons with disabilities.
Arts Education will invest in age-appropriate arts learning experiences for people of all ages and abilities.
Arts Experiences will invest in a wide variety of programming intended to give Minnesotans access to meaningful arts experiences.
Creative Individuals will help individual artists and culture bearers develop or sustain their creative practices and meaningfully engage with Minnesotans.
Cultural Expression will invest in activities that share, explore, or celebrate culture through the arts.
Individual artists and culture bearers will be able to submit an application in only one of the following programs in FY 2025: Arts Education, Arts Experiences, Creative Individuals, or Cultural Expression.
Organizations will be able to submit an application in only one of the following programs for FY 2025: Arts Education, Arts Experiences, or Cultural Expression.
More information about eligibility, use of funds, grant amounts, and application deadlines is available on the Arts Board website.
FY 2025 Grant Program Overview Sessions
The Arts Board will offer two high-level overview sessions of the grant programs offered for organizations or individuals in FY 2025. These virtual sessions are intended to help potential applicants determine which program may be the best fit. Both sessions will be recorded and available for viewing on the Arts Board website.
FY 2025 Grant Programs Overview for Organizations: Wednesday, January 31
FY 2025 Grant Programs Overview for Individuals: Thursday, February 1
Details and links to join the sessions can be found in the Information Sessions section of the Arts Board Web calendar.
Arts Board Priority Groups
In order to increase demographic and geographic fairness of the distribution of funds, the Arts Board has identified priority groups for its project grant programs. The priority groups will receive a percentage of the grants awarded that is equal to or greater than their percentage of the application pool. The priority groups include:
Individuals or organizations that are based outside the seven-county metropolitan area
Individuals who are Indigenous or persons of color, or organizations in which individuals who are Indigenous or persons of color comprise 50 percent or more of the board and staff
Individuals with disabilities, or organizations in which persons with disabilities comprise 50 percent or more of the board and staff or are the primary population served.
Work of Art workshops by Springboard
New Work of Art workshops
Springboard’s winter series of Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists has begun! This professional development curriculum is designed to teach business skills to artists of all disciplines and experience levels. You are welcome to take the entire series, or take the workshops that best suit your needs. Workshops range from creating your artistic portfolio, grant writing, funding, career planning, pricing your work, and more! The Work of Art series has been taught by Springboard for the Arts at arts organizations, libraries and colleges in over 80 communities in the Upper Midwest, and replicated across the country by artists, arts organizations, and colleges and universities. You can also download the Work of Art curriculum for free, or you can buy a copy of the book to support your practice.
Already taken Work of Art? Then join them for Work of Art+, a continuation of the series that offers an even deeper dive on a library of topics. Their next workshop, Website Basics for Artists, will take place virtually on Saturday, February 3. They'll discuss whether you need to build a website for your artistic practice, and where and how to get started if you do. Presented in partnership with the Hennepin County Library.
Submit your art for the NW Annual Art Exhibit Now
You are Invited to Apply for the Northwest Minnesota Annual Art Exhibit
Submissions Accepted Through February 29, 2024
We are pleased to announce our latest “Call for Entries” for the 2024 Annual Art Exhibit.
The deadline to submit your artwork is February 29, 2024.
This year, the annual Art Exhibit will be in Lake Bronson at the Kittson County History Museum from March 27 to April 21. Artwork will be dropped off on Monday, March 25 in Lake Bronson.
Artists and creatives from our 7 county- service region are invited to enter into this art exhibit and will be competing for $2,300 in cash awards. Artists must reside in Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Pennington, Roseau, or Red Lake counties to be eligible. Both adults and high school students are encouraged to enter. Exhibit cash award winners will be chosen while the exhibit is on display by a qualified juror. They will be recognized and receive their check at the Artist Reception at the Kittson County History Museum, 332 East Main Street, Lake Bronson on Sunday, April 21. Artists are welcome to have their work in the exhibit available for sale.
See https://northwestminnesotaartscouncil.org/nwmnartsexhibit-apply for more information, including the exhibit entry rules and directions. If you would like the application mailed to you, please contact our office 218-745-8886, ext 1 or director@nwartscouncil.org. The application must be submitted no later than February 29, 2024.
McCanna House Artist-in-Residence Applications Open
Mc Canna House Applications for Artists in Residence
Open to Artists in Music, Theatre, Literature, & Visual Arts
The North Dakota Museum of Art is accepting applications for the 2024 McCanna House Artist-in-residence season. Artists working in music, theatre, literature, or the visual arts are encouraged to apply. Open to artists in all stages of their career.
The Program
The residency consists of 2 - 5 week blocks of time layered throughout the operating year. The house is open from June 1 through the end of September or early October. There will only be one artist on the property at a time unless a group project is specified in the application process. There are no expectations for the artist to complete work during the residency. However, artists are asked to use their time wisely and be aware of the transformative potential of time spent there.
Deadline: Applications will be accepted until January 15, 2024
Announcements: February 15, 2024.
Amenities:
-Wireless Internet
-Well-lit French country-style farmhouse, detached 40x70 foot steel building, and ample outdoor space with yards and surrounding tree lines
-3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms
-Washer and dryer
-New electric stove in a well-appointed kitchen
-Screened-in porch area with convenient BBQ
-Opportunities to work with surrounding community groups
-10 miles from the town of Larimore (pop.2,000), yet it feels remote and private
-35 miles from Grand Forks (pop.55,000), with its thriving art scene and good shopping/dining
-5 hours to Minneapolis and 2 hours to Winnipeg, Manitoba
-Well-stocked library
-Fruit trees
-Surrounded by working fields producing soybeans, potatoes, canola, and more...
-Endless sky
-Big weather
North Dakota Museum of Art | 261 Centennial Drive Stop 7305, Grand Forks, ND 58202
Arts Midwest and NEA Big Read “Where We Live” Accepting Applications
Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts Accepting Applications for the NEA Big Read
About the NEA Big Read
An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read supports community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read book. The goal of this program is to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community. Grants range from $5,000 to $20,000 each.
What: The NEA Big Read is a reading program that brings communities together around the central theme, "Where We Live," using one of 50 available NEA Big Read Books as inspiration.
When: The mandatory Intent to Apply is due January 10, with final applications due January 24, 2024 , and funded projects must occur between September 2024 and June 2025.
Where: Nonprofit organizations and public libraries located across the United States and the Native nations that share this geography can apply.
Who: Arts organizations, universities, libraries, service organizations, museums, school districts, and tribal governments are all encouraged to apply.
Ready to Apply?
Learn more about the NEA Big Read review eligibility requirements, and read the guidelines on Arts Midwest website.