arts alert: Come Celebrate with Us the One Year Anniversary of the Passage of Vote Yes!
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
November 3 , 2009
1. Come Celebrate the First Anniversary of the Passage of Vote Yes on Nov. 16!
2. Senator Cohen Appointed to President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities
3. More Hearings on Arts and Culture Fund in Minneapolis, Rochester, and Marshall
4. Another Access Point for Amendment Resources: MPR
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1. Come Celebrate the First Anniversary of the Passage of Vote Yes on Nov. 16!
You Are Invited to the Annual Meeting of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts on Monday, November 16th, 2009
Join us as we celebrate the one year anniversary of the passage of Vote Yes! and talk about how funds are already being distributed. Thank MCA’s 2009 Legislative Arts All Star Award recipients, Sen. Cohen, Sen. Tomassoni, Rep. Lillie, Rep. Gunther and Rep. Morgan. We will also welcome new board members to the board and thank retiring members for their service.
Come celebrate the success of the past year and raise a glass to the
first state in the nation to enshrine the arts in their constitution.
An Informal Evening in Two Parts:
#1. Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. (With Cake)
at James Sewell Ballet, Minneapolis.
The James Sewell Ballet is located on the 2nd floor of Hennepin Center for the Arts at 528 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
#2. Then Raise A Glass in Celebration! 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. (Informal Cash Bar)
at Gluek’s Bar and Restaurant.
Gluek’s is located at 16 N 6th St, in downtown Minneapolis, right next to Hennepin Center for the Arts.
Admission is free! Please R.S.V.P. to MCA by calling (651) 251-0868 or e-mailing staff at mncitizensforthearts.org.
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2. Senator Cohen Appointed to President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities
We are delighted to report that Sen. Richard Cohen, a frequent hero for the arts at the Minnesota legislature, has been appointed to President Obama’s Committee on Arts and Humanities. He was sworn in today by Vice President Joe Biden at the White House, is scheduled to meet with Michelle Obama, the honorary chair, on Wednesday, and will also attend a concert in the East Room of the White House.
The President’s Committee focuses on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization through the arts and humanities and special events dedicated to recognizing excellence in these areas. The committee works with three primary agencies, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Other members include some pretty amazing names – cellist Yo-Yo Ma, actors Sarah Jessica Parker, Forest Whitaker, Alfre Woodard, and Ed Norton, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, among others.
Congratulations to Senator Cohen! Send him a note of congratulations to: Senator Richard Cohen, 121 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155-1606.
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3. More Hearings on Arts and Culture Fund in Minneapolis, Rochester, and Marshall
- Mon, Nov. 16 – Rochester Community and Technical College, Heinz Center, 851-30th Ave SE, Rochester, 5-7 PM
- Tue, Nov. 17 – Eastside Neighborhood Services, 1700 2nd Street NE, Minneapolis, 5-7 PM
- Wed, Nov. 18 – Southwest Minnesota State University, Charter Hall, Rooms 201 & 217, 1501 State Street South, Marshall (Park in “A” or “B” Lots on East side of Campus), 5-7 PM
The legislature has required the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB), Historical Society, and Humanities Commission to set up a planning group and process to recommend 10 and 25 year plans for the Arts and Culture Fund. There will be six public hearings at which they will take public testimony about what should be in the plan. It cannot be stressed more urgently that the arts voice needs to be heard loud and clear at these hearings.
The constitutional amendment, approved by voters in November 2008, added a provision to Minnesota’s constitution that provides for an increase in the sales tax to support outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, as well as “Arts, arts education, arts access, and the preservation of our history and cultural heritage.”
This was the “arts amendment” and we have always advocated that the majority of these resources should go to the MSAB and Regional Arts Councils to support the arts accross the state. This is also true for the Minnesota Historical Society and local historical societies. Our tried and true system for the arts (and for history) is the most efficient way to get these resources out to every corner of the state where they are so badly needed. It’s also true that Minnesota Citizens for the Arts was responsibile for the inclusion of the arts in the amendment, and led, with conservationists, the statewide campaign to pass the amendment with the voters last November. This planning group needs to hear these messages loud and clear.
The first two years of amendment resources have already been appropriated by the legislature to the MSAB, Regional Arts Councils, and other agencies. Therefore the result of this new process probably won’t affect appropriations for these first two years. It is also important to note that current legislators cannot bind the hands of future legislators. This means that the plan created by this group is only, in effect, advisory. Nonetheless, it could set some unwelcome precedents if done badly.
The 13-member committee includes only three representatives of the arts: David O’Fallon, president and CEO, MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis; Rebecca Lynn Petersen, executive director, Fergus Falls Center for the Arts; and Pam Perri Weaver, board member, Minnesota State Arts Board. They are all wonderful champions for the arts. Still, it seems to me very inappropriate that the legislature has set up a process to talk about how the “Arts Amendment” should be spent that is not made up primarily ofarts voices. Nonetheless, it is what it is. And that makes it important that we make the arts’ voice heard at the hearings.
The agency’s press release says, “Representatives from the three organizations and 10 other history, arts and cultural organizations and libraries will work together to develop a plan that will go to the legislature to recommend how the proceeds of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund should be spent….Members of the public are encouraged to attend. Subsequent listening sessions will be held in coming months in locations across the state. An online survey will also be available. The results of this collaborative planning process will be reported to the legislature by Jan. 15, 2010. For more information about times and locations of upcoming public hearings and the online survey, visit www.ACHFMinnesota.org.”
Other members of this committee are Peggy Adelman, chief financial officer, Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley; Jennifer Bloom, executive director, Learning, Law and Democracy Foundation, St. Paul; Michael Garcia, president and CEO, Duluth Children’s Museum; Allen Harmon, president and general manager, Duluth-Superior Area Educational Television; Andrea Kajer, deputy director, Minnesota Historical Society; Patricia Mulso, executive director, Freeborn Historical Society, Albert Lea; Jeff Nelson, public strategy managing director, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul; Brenda Raney, director of government relations, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul; Mark Ranum, director, Plum Creek Library System, Worthington; Stanley Romanstein, executive director, Minnesota Humanities Center.
Sincerely,
Sheila Smith, Executive Director
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4. Another Access Point for Amendment Resources: MPR
We are tracking for you when new partnership opportunities may be available for arts organizations because of amendment appropriations. The latest in the door is MPR, which is creating quite a few new programs, some of which may offer partnership opportunities. The contact person for all of these is Jeff Freeland Nelson, managing director, public strategy at jnelson@mpr.org.
This week they announced six new projects and a new partnership/innovation fund supported by amendment resources. They include expanded cultural content on the radio and the web through a program called Minnesota Today, recording and broadcasting performances by Minnesota cultural organizations including The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra, continuing to develop a publicly accessible archive of historic audio recordings in collaboration with other Minnesota cultural organizations. Additionally, there will be a Legacy Innovation Fund for small-scale innovative projects and/or partnerships, and I’m told this last program is the key avenue for arts organizations to partner with MPR.
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