The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) and West Central Initiative (WCI) are excited to announce a new opportunity for small towns in their region who are interested in building their capacity and experience in collaborating with their creative community.
Donor Name: West Central Initiative
State: Minnesota
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/07/2022
Grant Size: $1,000 – $2,000
Details:
Artists on Main Street is now seeking applications from towns of 5,000 or fewer in west central Minnesota.
The purpose of Artists on Main Street is to support rural community development at the intersection of arts and culture, downtown revitalization, and historic preservation. Artists on Main Street is a year-long initiative that includes training and technical assistance for community leaders, creative placemaking training for local artists, and direct project funding.
Community leaders leave with tangible skills and processes for hiring artists for civic projects, a portfolio of artist-led placemaking projects that gather information and ideas from the community, and strengthened relationships across sectors. Artists leave having had a chance to demonstrate their talents and ideas in the community and new relationships with civic leaders and local businesses.
Program Benefits:
- 4 customized Creative Community Development trainings for Downtown/Main Street leaders and their partners/stakeholders.
- 1-2 customized Creative Placemaking trainings for local artists.
- $10,000 in funding for up to 10 small, artist-led projects ($1,000 – $2,000 each) that help communities accomplish their goals or address challenges related to downtown and main street.
- Ongoing technical assistance from Artists on Main Street’s partners for strengthening and sustaining your community’s creative community development infrastructure.
Eligibility Criteria
- Artists on Main Street is open to communities with a population of 5,000 or fewer in west Central Minnesota (Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin Counties).
- Lead Applicant must be a city government actively involved in downtown/main street revitalization.
- Lead Applicant must identify and provide contact information 3-4 Planning Team members who are willing to commit to participating in the planning process for the program, have a strong interest in learning how to work with and collaborate with artists on community development issues and can represent a wide variety of stakeholders. (These individuals may be contacted by WCI and LRAC to confirm their interest and commitment).
For more information, visit West Central Initiative.
