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

June 18, 2010

1. Minneapolis/St.Paul Ranks High on Arts Measures

2. New Theatre Alliance Forming

3. Hey, you with the Tweets

——————————————————————

1. Minneapolis/St.Paul Ranks High on Arts Measures

We Minnesotans love to tell ourselves hour much better we are than other places. Well, confirmation (sort of) of that very thing has come out in a number of new rankings. Here’s what we know:

Mpls/St.Paul Named One of the Most Bohemian Cities in North America:
The Bohemian Index charts the concentration of working artists, musicians, writers, designers and entertainers across North American metropolitan areas, based on data from the U.S. Census and StatsCan. Minneapolis-St. Paul was ranked 8th behind LA, NYC, Vancouver, Toronto, Washington DC, Nashville, Salt Lake City (?!what? there are bohemians in Salt Lake City?!). We would be 6th if you only looked at American cities. The index measures only those for whom arts, music and other bohemian vocations count as their primary jobs. The article is available online at: www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/06/bohemian-index/57658/.

The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce has compiled a bunch of measures to compare the area against other metropolitan centers against which it competes. Here’s the measures that include the arts: (To download the compilation of data, go here: http://www.minneapolischamber.org/)

Live Music/Concerts and Bands
Minneapolis/St. Paul is second only to Austin, TX amongst our competitor cites in Travel & Leisure’s “America’s Favorite Cities for Live Music/Concerts and Bands” in an on-line poll. Visitors to the website answered almost 4 million questions to determine the winning destinations. We rank 8th overall when you include cities that are not considered comparable to the Twin Cities.

Quality of LIfe
Portfolio.com ranked the Mpls./St. Paul area 3rd out of the nation’s 67 largest metro areas on quality of life measures which include the arts.

America’s Cultural Tourism Capitals
The Twin Cities ranked third among comperable cities and 9th overall by Forbes as one of America’s great Cultural Tourism Capitals, measured by the number of overnight visitors and factoring in the number of cultural institutions.

Fun and Entertainment
Another Portfolio.com measure called, “Living it Up: The Top 100 Fun Cities” ranked the Twin Cities 3rd within our competitors and 10th out of 100 cities for a combination of shops, food, sports, arts and culture. I totally agree the Twin Cities are fun.

——————————————————————

2. New Theatre Alliance Forming

I like it when people get organized.

The Minnesota Theater Alliance, a brand new organization designed to serve all theaters of all kinds all across the state, would like to invite theater-makers to attend one of a series of informational meetings taking place in various locations throughout Minnesota over the next few weeks. Each meeting will be a one-hour, informal conversation with Leah Cooper, program director for the Alliance, to learn about the Alliance’s initial member services and to share your thoughts about what an Alliance can do for your theater. Visit www.mntheateralliance.eventbrite.com to see all the meeting dates and locations and to RSVP your attendance one of them. For more information about the Alliance, visit their Web page at www.springboardforthearts.org/Services/theateralliance.asp.

——————————————————————

3. Hey, you with the Tweets

We are, like many others, experimenting with various uses for social networking. If you are on Twitter and work at an arts organization, please tell us some of the great things you are doing with Arts Legacy money using the tag: #artslegacy. Start a conversation!

Hey – Friend us! Facebook: Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Twitter: @MNCITIZEN

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

June 4, 2010

1. Congressman Keith Ellison Plugs the Arts

2. Job Openings at MCA

——————————————————————

1. Congressman Keith Ellison Plugs the Arts

Congressman Keith Ellison recently held an Arts Education Forum to celebrate local high school students who had participated in the Congressional Arts Competition. I thought I’d share some of his great comments with you:

So, Why Art?

Why do we all so merrily gather each and every year to celebrate the achievements of these brilliant young artists and their wonderful teachers and recognize their extraordinary talent? Because the Arts affect jobs, create opportunity, and improve our quality of life. The Arts are an essential element woven into the basic fabric of our community. The Arts allow us to tap into our critical talent to address pressing issues in our society and our world. And here in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, the Arts are an end in themselves. Arts incubate innovation all across society, grow jobs, and improve our quality of life: be it visual arts, literary arts, music, drama, dance, hip hop – or you name it!

So what’s the big deal about Arts Education?

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of the importance of infusing art into curriculum. We know now that involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills. Students learn better when learning through the arts. You express yourselves with more clarity and expression when utilizing your God-given artistic talents. The purpose of our educational system is to educate a whole society, to inspire learning for life, and nothing inspires creativity quite like the Arts.

As your Congressman, I ask myself what government can do.

We need to invest in the in arts, in the artist first, and in arts education. To that end, this year, I am happy to announce that I have submitted a 53 million dollar appropriations request to Congress to boost our efforts to teach through arts education.

One role of government is to foster homegrown opportunity. I was successful is securing $240,000 for The Schubert Dance Center; I also requested and received monies for the soon-to-open, first permanent African American History Museum in the Twin Cities. Government plays an important role in preparing and presenting our local artists because the arts matter to all of us.

Government can foster global reach for the arts. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I have learned the value of cultural diplomacy. To that end, last year I participated in Arts Midwest’s “The Big Read” program by leading a discussion via teleconference, of the famous American novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Ms. Harper Lee- with 1000 folks in Cairo, Egypt. As the famous Disney song goes, “It’s a small world after all.”

Lastly, let me say that we need your creativity. We need your vision, your resourcefulness, and your ingenuity to advance us into the future. So keep doing what you are doing by utilizing all your gifts and talents. If I may paraphrase the words of the late great playwright August Wilson: I challenge you not only to believe in yourselves, “but to have a belief larger than anyone’s disbelief.” Know that here, in the 5th Congressional District of the State of Minnesota, the Arts are a valued, integral part of our society. And that’s Why Art!

——————————————————————

2. Job Openings at MCA

MCA will be hiring both a Field Worker and Social Media and Video Intern as of July 1, 2010. Please pass this info. along to anyone you think might be interested:

1. GRASSROOTS FIELD WORKER:

The position is full time (40hrs.wk). Salary dependent upon experience.

Working closely with staff and board, the Field Worker will be a part of organizing the arts community for the 2011 legislative session. The Field Worker’s duties include, but are not limited to, legislative surveys, coffee parties, mass mailings, candidate forums, arts all-star award events and drumming up calls and letters at pivotal moments. The Field Worker will also participate in the day-to-day workings of the office and will assist the Executive Director as needed. This person must be alert, flexible, and willing to work on changing projects that become identified during the year to reach our goals at the legislature. Applicants must be willing to do some travel to greater Minnesota, although the majority of time will be spent at the office.

A qualified applicant would possess the following skills:
-Interest in, experience with, and an understanding of the state legislature and Minnesota’s political process.
-Good communication skills, especially speaking with people on the phone.
-Experience and interest in working with a non-profit board and the arts community.
-College degree preferred, but not required if experienced.
-An organized, self-starting, positive personality with a sense of humor.
-Computer literacy; preferably experience with Apple Computers, Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and database system Filemaker.
- Familiarity with social media pages, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

2. SOCIAL NETWORKING & VIDEO EDITING INTERNSHIP

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA), a nationally renowned arts advocacy organization that lobbies for state arts funding, seeks an intern to begin July 1st. 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.

Duties and projects included in the internship:
· Tape Candidate & MCA Board Member Interviews & MCA Events with our HD Flip camera
· Edit videos with iMovie
· Help develop MCA’s social media strategies on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and execute projects to increase organzation’s presence on the web.
· Work with staff on current projects including grassroots organizing, candidate meetings, voter education, board meeting preparation, filing and data entry.

A qualified applicant would possess the following skills:
-Knowledge of Flip Cameras and iMovie editing software
-Knowledge of social media sites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
-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.
-Independent and creative work habits.

APPLY NOW.

For either position, please mail or email resume and cover letter by June 16, 2010 to: Mark Albers, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, 2233 University Avenue West, Suite 355, St. Paul, MN 55114 staff at mncitizensforthearts.org

——————————————————————

Hey – Friend us! Facebook: Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Twitter: @MNCITIZEN

RESOURCES

Everything MCA does is made possible by our passionate and committed members.

JOIN Today on MCA’s secure web site at: mncitizensforthearts.org/join/membership/individual-memberships/

• TWITTER: @MNCITIZEN
• FACEBOOK: Search for: Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
• YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/Mncitizensforthearts
• Give cool Arts Advocate gifts from MCA’s store at: www.cafepress.com/mnforthearts
• Take Action: www.mncitizensforthearts.org at our frequently updated, one-stop site for: information about Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and how you can get involved, an Action Center where you can write a letter to your legislator, or even find out who your legislators are, facts about the arts in Minnesota, the latest on legislative and congressional action on arts issues and more!