OTHER AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS WHICH RECEIVED AMENDMENT FUNDS, AND WHICH MAY BE A PLACE FOR ARTS ORGANZATIONS AND ARTISTS TO FIND NEW RESOURCES THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS:

ART IN LIBRARIES

The state’s twelve regional library systems have received several million dollars to provide arts and culture activities. All of the systems are looking for partnerships that will connect libraries, historical societies, arts organizations, and literacy. The library Legacy money must be spent in 4 categories: 1. Arts, 2. Culture, 3. Literary, 4. MN History.

If you want to partner with the libraries to provide programming, then you should get on the phone with your regional library system ASAP. Some of them are very unfamiliar with local artists and arts organizations.

Been wondering how you or your arts organization can partner with the libraries to provide those services? Search no more:

The state library system has set up a way for you to get onto a roster as a possible partner for local libraries to do programs and events with their new legacy funds. Sign up to be in their database by going to: www.mnlegacygrant.org. Click on the link that says “Click Here For Submission Form.”

You can fill out a form to inform them what you can offer, your posting will be reviewed and hopefully approved by a regional library person, and then you will be in the database where local libraries will go to find people and organizations to hire with their legacy funds. NOTE: The more information you provide when you sign up, the more likely you will get hired. Make sure to include your prices (and make sure your prices are high enough to cover your costs!). Make sure also to include your website address, if you have one.

Remember that these opportunities are in addition to the new programs being offered by the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils. Take advantage!

More information about their Legacy Fund planning, and contact information for each of the regional library systems can be found at: www.crplsa.info and at http://www.crplsa.info/display/crplsa/library+legacy+funding. Suzanne Miller, State Librarian, Minnesota Department of Education can also provide additional information. She can be reached at: 651-582-8791 or suzanne.miller@state.mn.us. There is also a blog where the libraries are tracking their activity with Legacy funds at: http://www.crplsa.info/pages/viewrecentblogposts.action?key=CRPLSA

STATEWIDE:
All twelve regional library systems have set aside 10% of their allocation for a statewide initiative determined collectively.

THE TWELVE REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEMS:
The other 90% will be split between the twelve regional library systems. (The allocation for each of the regional library systems is based on the existing “Regional Library Basic System Support” formula which is used to distribute the state’s appropriation for libraries, which includes factors for population and geographical area):

METRO AREA:
The seven metro counties and the City of St. Paul each have a regional library system. Collectively, the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) covers them all. Contact Melinda Ludwiczak melinda@melsa.org from the Hennepin County Library who coordinates the Legacy Fund efforts for the whole metro area. MELSA will use approximately 40% of their funds to create programs and partnerships on a metro-wide level. The remaining 50% will be allocated by population to each of the eight member systems to enhance partnerships with local community agencies and provide arts, cultural heritage, literary and Minnesota history activities.

GREATER MN:
The remaining regional library systems are each determining their own programming.

  • The Traverse des Sioux Regional Library, headquartered in Mankato, will partner with the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council to get the money distributed.
  • In Duluth, the Executive Director of the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is on the committee to help the library system (Arrowhead Library System) determine how best to utilize their funds.
  • The East Central MN Library system has posted a web page where they will post their plans: http://eastcentrallibraries.blogspot.com/2009/08/arts-and-culture-in-library.html

MINNESOTA PUBLIC TV

All public TV stations in MN have received money to do more arts and cultural programming with their amendment funds. To find out what the stations in your area are planning, and to potentially partner with them, call your local station:

  • Twin Cities Public Television, Minneapolis / St. Paul, 651-222-1717, www.tpt.org
  • WDSE-TV Channel 8, Duluth / Superior & Hibbing, 218-724-8567, www.wdse.org
  • Lakeland Public Television, Bemidji / Brainerd, 800-292-0922, www.lakelandptv.org
  • Pioneer Public Television, Appleton / Worthington / Fergus Falls, 800-726-3178, www.pioneer.org
  • KSMQ-TV, Austin / Rochester, 800-658-2539, www.ksmq.org
  • Prairie Public Television, Moorhead / Crookston, 800-359-6900, www.prairiepublic.org

MN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The Minnesota Historical Society has created a web page to describe their plans and promote potential grant opportunities for local historical sites and organizations: http://www.mnhs.org/about/grants/legacy/index.htm

MN PUBLIC RADIO

MPR may offer partnership opportunities. The contact person for all of these is Jeff Freeland Nelson, managing director, public strategy at jnelson@mpr.org.They have 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.
AMPERS
In addition to MPR, there is an association of public broadcasting stations in a second system called AMPERS. Each AMPERS station is creating its own programming. Here is a summary and info links for each:

 

KSRQ (Thief River Falls)
Station website: http://radionorthland.org/
WTIP (Grand Marais)
More details here: http://www.wtip.org/drupal/node/250
Station website: http://www.wtip.org/

KAXE (Grand Rapids/Brainerd/Bemidji)
Station website: http://www.kaxe.org/

KUMD (Dultuh)
Station website: http://www.kumd.org/#

KVSC (St. Cloud)
Station website: http://kvsc.org/

KMOJ (Minneapolis)
Station website: http://www.kmojfm.com/

Radio K (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Station website: http://radiok.cce.umn.edu/

KFAI (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Station website: http://www.kfai.org/

KBEM (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Station website: http://jazz88.mpls.k12.mn.us/

KMSU (Mankato)
Station website: http://www.mnsu.edu/kmsufm/

KQAL (Winona)
Station website: http://www.kqal.org/

MINNESOTA HUMANITIES CENTER
The Minnesota Humanities Center, which received funds to work with each of the four Minnesota ethnic councils:
“The Minnesota Humanities Center, the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Council on Black Minnesotans, the Council on the Affairs of Chicano and Latino Minnesotans, and the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans are collaboratively creating new programs and events that celebrate and preserve the artistic, historical, and cultural heritages of the communities represented by each council. For more information visit: www.minnesotahumanities.org/legacy.