The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council serves 18 counties as a source of funds and technical assistance to enable local organizations, educational institutions and individuals to sponsor and/or create and promote arts in their communities. The office and gallery are at 114 North Third Street in Marshall. Workshops and grant-writing webinars are free of charge, but advance registration is required. Call 800-622-5284, email info@swmnarts.org, or see the website at www.swmnarts.org . Below are the grant deadlines for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
Open office support: second Tuesday of the month, between 10 a.m.and 2 p.m., in-person, for assistance with any grant-related questions. Or schedule an appointment with the grants administrator.
The annual Artist Retreat will be May 6-7 at Danebod Folk School in Tyler. Join artists from across Southwest Minnesota for networking and arts inspiration. Workshop sessions have been created to appeal to artists of all disciplines; register for one or both days. Registration on the website; deadline is April 29.
Beginning Your Accessibility Journey: May 26, 6:30 to 8 p.m., online via Zoom; an introduction to the language and concepts of disability, access law, and how to take some first steps to make your activities accessible to people with disabilities, presented by Scott Artley. Optional accessibility Q&A session with the presenter on June 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. as a follow-up. Pre-registration required on the SMAC website.
The Equipment and Facilities provide up to $10,000 in matching funds for the purchase of equipment items and facilities improvement that will improve the organization’s capacity to serve the arts needs.
The following grants were awarded to area organizations:
Little Theatre, New London, $3,907, for equipment purchases that are needed to expand their support for visual and mixed media capabilities for exhibitions. Items included are custom hanging and mounting mechanisms plus installation fees.
Granite Area Arts Council, $6,799, for a new hanging system and new interior lighting tracks for their gallery, as well as general building maintenance and to build an art-book lending library.
Prairie Winds Concert Band, Willmar, $3,347 for replacing old speakers, repairs to music stand racks, a drum set and other various percussion equipment, and tables and storage containers to house equipment.
The monthly grants provide up to $1,000 for activities such as purchasing supplies, attending classes, and small artist-led community projects. Receiving a grant was:
Kay Westlie, Willmar, $1,000 for supplies and artist time to create five artworks incorporating fabric handwork of embroiderers and crocheters from previous generations of mostly Scandinavian culture, using acrylic paint and fabric on canvas.