MCA
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts

2233 University Ave. W. #355

St. Paul, MN 55155

651-251-0868

fax 651-917-3561

staff at mncitizensforthearts.org

www.mncitizensforthearts.org

Arts Action Center

September 28, 2009

1. Nominate Yourself for MCA’s Board: By Oct. 1

2. Cultural Heritage Tourism Workshops: Two Harbors (this week), St.Paul, New Ulm, Paynesville

3. Internship Openings at MCA

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1. Nominate Yourself for MCA’s Board

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts is soliciting nominations for its Board of Trustees. Terms begin November, 2009 and will last for two years. Half of MCA’s 36 board members must come from the Twin Cities metro area, and half from Greater Minnesota. Interested? Fill out the form below and return it by October 1, 2009 by email, fax, or by snail mail to the above address.MCA seeks board members who:Have a willingness to work, volunteer and come to our meetings.Are people with political connections, political strategists, and people with an understanding of the political process, or are willing to learnHave mix of party affiliationProvide balance in terms of the size or type of organizations represented on the board (large, medium, small, arts education, individual artist, etc.)Have clout within their organizations and/or peers, and have the ability and willingness to communicate about the need for arts advocacyProvide other balances in terms of representing the state or the arts community (ie diversity in terms of age, race, etc).Your nomination to the board is more likely to be successful if you are a paid member of MCA and if you have previously been a part of Arts Advocacy Day, the Vote Yes campaign, or volunteered for the cause in some other way. (Please do not nominate someone else unless you have discussed it with them first, and they have provided an answer to the question “Why do you want to be on the MCA board).

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MCA Board Nomination Form

NOMINEE NAME:

Home Address:

Work Address:

Home Phone:

Work Phone:

Organization (If appropriate):

Title (If appropriate):

Legislative District # (If unknown, MCA can identify it for you):

Experience with your local arts community:

Political Experience (desired, but not necessary):

Why are you interested in serving on the MCA Board of Trustees?

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2. Attend Cultural Heritage Tourism Workshops Around the State

Get A Little Help From Your Friends!

In these challenging times, how do you attract visitors to grow your audience? How can you make the most of scarce resources to promote your organization? By working together with other organizations and businesses in your community. It’s time to “Get a Little Help From Your Friends!”

What

Regional workshops on how to develop partnerships around cultural heritage tourism. Get some good ideas and network with others in your community and region.

Who

Should ComeStaff and volunteers from community arts organizations, art studios/galleries, history museums, heritage festivals, lodging businesses, visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce and other tourism marketing organizations.

When and Where

Two Harbors: Thursday, October 1, at Grand Superior Lodge , from 9:00am – 3:30pm

Saint Paul: Monday, October 5, at Minnesota History Center, from 9:00am – 3:30pm

New Ulm: Wednesday, October 14, at Turner Hall, from 9:00am – 3:30pm

Paynesville: Monday, November 9, at Bug-Bee Hive Resort, from 9:00am – 3:30pm

Highlights

Keynote Presentation

Ontend Creative Partners is a group of business leaders, artists, film makers, writers and performers who are using their collective experience in business and the arts to help clients look at their business strategy in new ways. Carr Hagerman and Gordon Boudreau are both past “street performers” who will translate their streetwise wisdom into practical ideas for you to attract new business and keep current customers coming back for more. Gordon is the presenter in Thief River Falls, and Carr will be making the other presentations. Go to www.ontend.com to learn more.

Regional Panel

“Success Stories” of partnerships between arts/culture/heritage and tourism organizations that are bringing larger audiences and increased business to their community.

Breakout Sessions

With experts like Andrew Eklund, Founder and CEO of Cicerón Web Marketing, and Linda Muus, Account Manager for Greater Grand Forks CVB, SimmonsFlint Communications.

Registration

$45 if paid one week prior to the workshop; $59 thereafter; Registration includes lunch, break and workshop materials. Register online at: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/culture/ -or- print registration form and fax to: 651/296-7095Planning Partners: Thank You to Organizations Who Are Making This Possible: Minnesota State Arts Board – Explore Minnesota Tourism – Minnesota Historical Society – Bloomington CVB – Minnesota Arrowhead Association – Minnesota Heartland Tourism Association – Metro Tourism Committee – Southern Minnesota Tourism Association – Minnesota Association of Museums – Minnesota Citizens for the Arts – Visit Duluth – Meet Minneapolis

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3. Internship Openings at MCA

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA), a nationally renowned arts advocacy organization that lobbies for state arts funding, seeks an intern to begin October 12th. The position is part-time and flexible (approximately 20 hours per week), and pays a small hourly stipend.MCA represents the arts community of Minnesota at the state legislature and lobbies for state funding of the arts, as well as other issues of concern to the non-profit arts community. MCA also does advocacy for the National Endowment for the Arts. To lobby effectively, MCA organizes grassroots advocacy around the state and keeps constituents educated and informed about the political process and the current state of arts funding throughout the year.Interns will have exposure to and opportunities to interact with some of the movers and shakers in the arts community, as well as a working knowledge of the legislative process, arts funding structures in Minnesota and the basic functions of running a nonprofit. Perks include free tickets to performances and many opportunities to advance in the arts and/or political community.Duties and projects included in the internship:- Work with staff on current projects including grassroots organizing, candidate meetings, voter education, board meeting preparation, filing and data entry.- Interns may also have the opportunity to identify and take on projects of interest that relate to arts advocacy.A qualified applicant would possess the following skills:- Understanding of the political process. Past political experience preferred.-Interest in working with the arts community.-Good communication skills, especially speaking with people on the phone.-A self-starting, positive, self-motivated personality and a sense of humor.-Good organizational skills and the ability to perform many tasks simultaneously.-Computer literacy; preferably experience with Macintosh, Microsoft Word & Excel and database systems.-Tech Savvy; understand basics of new media and improve MCA’s visibility on sites likes Facebook, YouTube and MySpace.-Independent and creative work habits.
APPLY NOW. Please mail or email resume and cover letter by October 1, 2009 to:

Mark Albers,

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts,

2233 University Avenue West,

Suite 355, St. Paul, MN 55114,

staff@mncitizensforthearts.org