Region 2 Arts Council Blog
Methods of Phone Photography at Watermark Art Center
Bemidji, MN - Exhibiting artist and local photographer William Petersen will present on methods of working with phone cameras (primarily iPhone) and photo enhancements using the app "Snapseed" on Thursday, October 24 from 6 to 8pm at Watermark Art Center. Participants should be familiar with operating their phone and download the app prior to arriving at the presentation.
Petersen came to embrace the practice of digitally enhancing his photographs once he accepted that it would take decades to master the darkroom in order to produce compelling images versus pursuingelectronic digitally-altered images and getting amazing results almost right away. His exhibit "iPhone Artistry" is currently on display at the center. His work can be viewed online atwatermarkartcenter.org/iphone-artistry/. The exhibit was made possible with support from Paul Bunyan Communications.
Registration is not required and there is no charge to attend this presentation. For more information regarding events, classes and exhibits visit watermarkartcenter.org or call 218-444-7570. Watermark galleries are accessible and open to the public Monday - Saturday from 10 to 5pm. Watermark is located at 505 Bemidji Avenue N. in Bemidji, Minnesota.
2SLGBTQQIA+ History Month
2SLGBTQQIA+ History Month is an annual observance of 2SLGBTQQIA+ history, and the history of the gay rights and civil rights movements. 2SLGBTQQIA+ History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/2SpiritsMotion
Region 2 Wears Orange for Orange Shirt Day
Today, the Region 2 Arts Council team is wearing orange for #OrangeShirtDay in solidarity with the First Nations, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians affected by Residential Indian Boarding Schools. At Region 2 Arts, we are committed to supporting the individuals and communities that are healing from the terrible legacy of the boarding school era as they nurture the cultural traditions damaged by the systematic attempt to erase Indigenous cultures in America. We want to offer our support and solidarity to all those who were and still are affected by the tragedies that took place, in our community and in all communities. Today is a day of remembrance for those lost and those who are being returned home, as well as a celebration of the resilience of Indigenous peoples.
For background information regarding Orange Shirt Day, as well as resources, please visit: https://www.oregon.gov/.../Pages/orange-shirt-day.aspx
#ODHSOrangeShirtDay #OregonOrangeShirtDay #EveryChildMatters #mmir #mmiw
100 Minnesota Artists Are Receiving Guaranteed Income for Five Years
Read the full article, and watch the video here!
Kandace Creel Falcón, one of the artists in Springboard for the Art's guaranteed income piklot program, gives a talk on their billboard commission Guaranteed Income is the G.O.A.T.
Sarah Cascone September 20, 2024
In a welcome bit of good news, 100 artists in Minnesota are receiving five years guaranteed income as part of an expanded pilot program for St. Paul nonprofit Springboard for the Arts. The no-strings-attached payments are $500 a month.
It’s one of the longest-running guaranteed income pilots ever staged in the U.S., which Springboard hopes will provide key data demonstrating the value of guaranteed income and its positive effects on recipients’ lives.
“We’re excited to contribute research in order to better advocate for statewide federal guaranteed income,” Ricardo Beaird, Springboard’s community development director, told me.
Springboard’s guaranteed income program emerged in 2020, when the organization was able to provide 2,799 Minnesota artists with $1.4 million in emergency relief funds.
“We were thinking how we can address this at a systemic level, to make it so that there’s not a need for emergency relief for artists and for people in our community,” Beaird said.
Springboard believes that guaranteed basic income would benefit all people—and was inspired in part by the city of St. Paul’s People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot, which served 150 local families between October 2020 and April 2022. But the organization believes that artists in particular benefit from this kind of support because of the nature of their work: they are often effectively small business owners, paid on a project-by-project basis.
“I’ve always thought guaranteed income is something that we should all have,” Springboard pilot recipient Kashimana, who recorded an album inspired by the experience, told the Guaranteed Income Pilots Dashboard, which is collecting data from 30 pilots across the U.S. “Everybody in society deserves to be taken care of, no matter what circumstances we’re in, no matter where we find ourselves in life.”
Thus far, the dashboard found that the largest portion, or 35.94 percent, of the guaranteed income funds went toward retail purchases, followed by 30.26 percent for food and groceries, and just over 10 percent for housing and utilities.
The nonprofit’s initial 2021 pilot benefitted just 25 St. Paul artists, selected via lottery from applicants to Springboard’s emergency relief funds and to participants in the organization’s other programs and workshops.
Originally set to run just 18 months, it has grown in phases. First, Springboard added 25 more artists St. Paul, then 25 more in rural Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where the organization has an office, and the surrounding Otter Tail County. The last phase will add 25 additional rural artists, all of whom will enter the program with the security of knowing they will be getting the extra funds for half a decade.
“We’re curious what people will dream up or vision when they know for sure that they will have guaranteed income for five years,” Beaird said. “Because of the gig economy, artists are always thinking about the next six weeks or the next six months. This will provide space for artists to dream up what their next five years might look!”
Springboard has also been promoting the guaranteed income pilot through the artist’s work, including a commissioned billboard by pilot artist Kandace Creel Falcón titled Guaranteed Income is the G.O.A.T. And for International Basic Income Week, the organization is currently hosting a group exhibition, “Exhale,” at its St. Paul headquarters.
Though guaranteed income might be a hard sell among conservatives opposed to government handouts, Beaird believes one only has to look at statistics to make a strong case for implementing the payments nationwide: a troubling 64 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a December report from financial services company Lending Club.
“That means regular, everyday people are one emergency expense away from chaos and calamity,” he said. “If we want to restore economic power and stability to families and people, the guaranteed basic income movement says that we can do this through a very simple and effective tool, which is cash.”
Beaird also disagrees with critics who worry that guaranteed income will encourage people to drop out of the workforce—at just $6,000 annually, the program functions as an added safety net, not a replacement for a job, he argued.
The artists who have benefited from Springboard’s pilot program have great things to say about their experience.
“This is the first time I’ve really felt supported as an artist,” 64-year-old Fergus Falls fiber artist Torri Hanna told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“Having a little comfort means I can go back to creating. Before, I couldn’t create unless it was generating income,” one artist told Springboard for the organization’s impact report on the pilot. “I couldn’t justify it.”
Another spoke of being able to buy back the DJ equipment he had been forced to sell to make rent, saying: “I’ve literally been using [my guaranteed income] to restart, or kickstart, my career from a bit of a dead zone.”
There is a push in Minnesota to implement statewide guaranteed income. A bill introduced this year by Representative Athena Hollins did not pass, but would have provided government funding to organizations like Springboard to run additional programs providing guaranteed income. (Springboard’s program is privately funded.)
“I feel really hopeful and optimistic that a guaranteed income bill could be passed in the next legislative session in Minnesota,” Beaird said. “Moving from pilot to policy, it’s really possible in this moment.”
Artists also received guaranteed basic income through a now-completed 2021 pilot program run by the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. A similar program, still ongoing, launched in New York in 2022, through the Creatives Rebuild New York program. Some 2,400 artists are receiving $1,000 payments for 18 months.
“Exhale” is on view at Springboard for the Arts, 262 University Ave W., St. Paul, Minnesota, September 17–30, 2024.
Arts Access Grant Now Open
As one grant closes, another one opens! The Arts Access Grant is now open for applications!
These grants can support creation, production, and presentation of high-quality arts activities, as well as projects that help overcome barriers to accessing high-quality arts activities, and projects that help instill the arts into the community and public life in our region. Arts activities proposed for funding must be accessible by the public, have a strong community component, and must benefit the residents of Beltrami, Hubbard, Clearwater, Lake of the Woods, or Mahnomen Counties. Organizations can apply for up to two Arts Access Grants for two different arts activities each year. Arts Access Grants are open to non-profits, nonparochial public and charter schools, colleges, universities, community education programs, local tribal government entities from the sovereign nations of Leech Lake, Red Lake, and White Earth or town/city/county government entities from our five-county region, arts organizations, arts affiliates, and groups formed for nonprofit purposes with a fiscal sponsor.
Application Deadline: November 15, 2024
Maximum Award: $6,000
Earliest Start Date for Projects: January 29, 2025
For eligibility details and to apply visit www.r2arts.org
Questions? Need more information? Inquiries about accessibility needs?
CALL: 218-751-5447 / 800-275-5447 TEXT: 218-407-2507 EMAIL: staff@r2arts.org
Region 2 Arts Council Arts Access Grants are made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
Rural Regenerator Fellows 2024-2026
Meet the 2024-26 Rural Regenerator Fellows!
Springboard's Rural Regenerator Fellowship brings together individual artists, culture bearers, grassroots organizers, and other rural change-makers who are committed to advancing the role of art, culture and creativity in rural development and community building.
We are proud to introduce the 2024-26 cohort of Rural Regenerator Fellows!
Hannah Breckbill (she/her/hers) - Decorah, Iowa
Megan L. Bull Bear (she/her/hers) - Mankato, Minnesota
Shelley Buffalo (she/her/hers) - Meskwaki Settlement, Tama, Iowa
Monica Cady (she/her/hers/we/us) - Hessel, Michigan 1836 ceded territory Ojibwe Nation
Lynne Colombe (she/her/hers) - Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation
Lera Hephner (she/her/hers) - Ogema, Minnesota
Regina M. Laroche (she/her/hers) - Madeline Island on the southern edge of Lake Superior, Northern Wisconsin
Chrystal A. Odin (they/them/their) - Osceola, Wisconsin
Marcella Prokop (she/her/hers) - Beaver Creek, Minnesota
Susan Mayo (she/her/hers) - Peabody, Kansas
Alejandra (Alex) Sanchez (she/her/hers) - Mondovi, Wisconsin
Stephen Robert Webster (he/him/his) - Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin
These 12 artists span a diverse range of geographies and artistic practices across the Upper Midwest, from spinning wool to sustaining traditional and Indigenous foodways. While their individual practices vary, these fellows share a dedication for environmental justice, land and food sovereignty, agriculture, climate solutions, and sustainability.
Over the next two years, each fellow will receive $10,000 in flexible funds to support or expand on their existing work, and participate in learning, exchange, and solidarity-building with their fellow rural artists.
“Artists in rural places are at the forefront of reclaiming and redefining how we care for our environment. By drawing on local knowledge, cultural traditions, and creative engagement, they offer unique approaches to environmental stewardship deeply rooted in their communities. We are excited to provide a space for these fellows to exchange ideas, support one another, and foster rich learning by sharing knowledge across geographies, cultures, and generations.”
- Michele Anderson
Rural Director, Springboard for the Arts
Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Grant Now Open
Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Grant Deadline November 1, 2024
Region 2 Arts Council Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Grants are open to Indigenous artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers, craftspeople and culture bearers who are enrolled tribal members and descendants residing in the following Minnesota counties: Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, or Roseau. This grant offers funding for costs associated with the exhibition, performance, or production of a creative work, purchase of materials or equipment to create works of art, learning opportunities in the arts, and proposals for projects or opportunities to enhance the career of an individual artist.
Maximum Award: $1,000
Application Deadline: November 1, 2024
Grant Review by Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Council: December 11, 2024
Earliest Start Date for Funded Projects: January 15, 2025
Create a Login and Apply Online: r2arts.org
Request a paper copy of the grant application: staff@r2arts.org
Questions? Need support? Inquiries about accessibility needs?
Contact the Region 2 Arts Council
CALL: 218-751-5447 / 800-275-5447
TEXT: 218-407-2507
EMAIL: staff@r2arts.org
IN-PERSON: 505 Bemidji Avenue North; M-F 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Anishinaabe Arts Initiative (AAI) Grants are made possible by the Anishinaabe Arts Initiative through support from the Region 2 Arts Council with funding from the McKnight Foundation
Interview with Patrick Calder-Carriere
Earlier in the week, Executive Directer Patrick Calder-Carriere had an interview with KAXE, check it out!
New Mural on the Northwest Indian Development Center in Bemidji
Exciting things are going on around the lake! If you’ve driven through town you may have already had a chance to sneak a peak at the new mural being painted on the side of Aazhoomon, the Northwest Indian Development Center. Please visit this link and watch the video!
The Northwest Indian Community Development Center, located in Bemidji, has started a community-based art project in the form of new mural, which will be seen on the side of their building facing Bemidji Avenue.
The center is a Native-run community nonprofit organization that has been serving the Indigenous population of the greater Bemidji area for the past 35 years.
“We’re located between the three largest Ojibwe reservations in the state of Minnesota,” explained NWICDC Executive Director Martin Jennings. “And we have a significant Native population, but you don’t really see that expression very prominent in this community. So I want this center to be a place that helps tell that other side of the story and the richness of the culture, the strengths and beauty of the Indigenous population, which originally called this area our homelands.”
The NWICDC not only wants to be a forefront for Native representation inside the enter, but outside as well.
“I want this building to be a landmark,” stated Jennings. “I want this to be a place of visibility, pride, the Indigenous values that we have.”
“The mural project is to inspire appreciation and building community together through sharing culture, because culture is meant to be shared,” said lead mural artist Sylvia Houle.
So far, the background and first layer has been painted, and this weekend the artists will get together to start painting the people.
“There’s going to be people from different backgrounds participating in this different races, identities,” explained Houle. “But the main thing is to have Indigenous relatives in modern times doing traditional practices.”
In being brought in as the lead artist, Houle is mentoring a group of teenagers connected with the NWICDC who are volunteering to help with the project.
“You don’t have to be technically skilled at it from the gate,” said Houle, “I encourage them to just learn to have fun with it, learn to play. So even if it’s just like getting your hands all covered in paint and just smearing it on the wall, because that’s where it starts – it’s just learning how to become comfortable with it.”
Although Houle was the only one painting Friday due to the rainy weather, you can drive by the Northwest Indian Community Community Development Center at any point this weekend or next week to see the group of artists at work. They’d appreciate a wave or “hello” as they continue to work on the project, which is set to be finished within the next week and a half.
Visit https://lptv.org/in-focus-northwest-indian-community-development-center-painting-new-mural/ to read more and to watch the video!
Yéigo Action Grant
Dear Friends and Supporters,
First Peoples Fund has always championed artists and culture bearers as the heart of our communities. We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Yéigo Action Grant, a dynamic new initiative designed to empower and uplift Native artists and culture bearers. This grant provides crucial financial support for professional development opportunities or to help overcome any challenges that may stand in the way of creative expression.
The Yéigo Action Grant offers funding ranging from $100 to $5,000 to individual Native artists and culture bearers. At First Peoples Fund (FPF), we understand the significance of supporting artists through tough times, especially when unexpected hardships arise. The grant’s name, inspired by the Diné word "yéigo," is a phrase of encouragement meaning “keep going” or “don’t give up.”
We encourage you to spread the word about this exciting opportunity within your network and urge eligible individuals to apply. Together, we can ensure that Native artists continue to flourish and share their invaluable talents with our communities.
Don’t give up—keep going with a Yéigo Action Grant! Apply today and share this opportunity with your friends and family. For more information, visit our website, or reach out to us at programs@firstpeoplesfund.org with any questions.
Ahéhee’ (Diné bizaad: Thank you),
Justin Kii Huenemann (Diné)
President/CEO of First Peoples Fund
Office Closed 8/22
The Region 2 Arts Council office will be closed August 22nd, as staff will be participating in a mural painting at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center, located next to University Heights on Bemidji Ave!
Season/Series Arts Support Grant Opens Early!
And remember it is also time to nominate (or self-nominate) the best artists in your community for a $6,000 R2AC Artist Fellowship Award!
R2AC Fellowship Nominations Open
Today Region 2 has opened their fellowship nominations early! Instead of having to wait until August 1st to send in your nominations, you can now send them in anytime between now and September 1st when the nomination process ends. A Region 2 Arts Council fellowship is awarded to two artists with a maximum award amount of $6,000. If you have any inquiries please reach a member of staff at staff@r2arts.org or call (218)751-5447.
Nominations Process:
We are seeking self and outside nominations for dedicated and experienced artists who meet our award criteria. If you are an artist or if you know an artist who should be considered for a Fellowship award, please drop off, email, mail, text, send through messenger, or call us with your nomination. You can also visit www.r2arts.org on the R2AC fellowship page to find the application online.
As part of the nomination, please include:
The artist’s name
Their contact information (active email and/or phone number)
Their county of residence (if known)
Their art form (musician, jeweler, composer, writer, actor, sculptor, poet, painter, dancer, filmmaker, etc.)
What makes them a great candidate
As the nominator, please include:
Your name
Your contact information (active email and/or phone number)
Whether you’d like to remain anonymous to the review committee
Whether you’d like to remain anonymous to the artist you’ve nominated
After nominations have closed R2AC staff will solicit the nominated artists for an Artist Statement, Work Samples, and an Artist Bio or Resume. Two Artist Fellows will be selected by the Region 2 Arts Council Board of Directors from the nominated artists.
The R2AC Fellowship Award is made possible the by generous support of the McKnight Foundation to provide unfettered funding to individual artists to fuel their art in Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, and Lake of the Woods counties in Minnesota.
Welcome, Patrick Calder-Carriere!
Region 2 Arts Council has gone through a large change over the past few months. Laura Seter, the Executive Director for the past 13 years, has moved on to other adventures. As such, Region 2 would like to introduce members of the public to our new Executive Director, Patrick Calder-Carriere!
Patrick Calder-Carriere returned to the Bemidji area and joined the Region 2 Arts Council in July of 2024. He was a Professor of Theater, Creative Writing, and English in the Minnstate system for 2 decades. Patrick’s passion for the arts has led him to perform and study in Greece, Cyprus, China, Japan, Russia, and England. One highlight of his career is the 8 years he worked with the Thunderbird Theater at Haskell Indian Nations University where he witnessed how the arts bring together communities, celebrate culture, and create conversations. Patrick holds a Ph.D. in Dramatic History and Criticism and a Master’s degree in Theater/International Theater from the University of Kansas, a Master’s degree in English Literature/Composition from Minnesota State University – Mankato, and Bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Education from Bemidji State University, and Biology from Carleton College.
Equity Audit with Aamera and Suzy
Region 2 Arts is going to be undergoing an Equity Audit this coming week. Below will list the events taking place next week with our equity consultants, Aamera and Suzy!
Tuesday June 25th: Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Council focus group meetings and social hour
Location: Historic Carnegie Library 426 Bemidji Ave North, Bemidji MN 56601
5pm: Social Hour with Aamera and Suzy, AAI Council, and R2 Staff.
6pm-8pm: Former and current AAI Council members conversation with Aamera and Suzy.
Wednesday June 26th:
Locations: Historic Carnegie Library 426 Bemidji Ave North, Bemidji MN 56601 and Region 2 Arts Council Office, 505 Bemidji Ave North, Bemidji MN 56601
12pm-1pm: Aamera with Former Staff in the R2AC Office. Former staff will meet with Aamera and discuss their experiences. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
12pm-1pm: Suzy with Former Board Members in the Carnegie. Former board members will meet with Suzy and discuss their experiences.
1:30pm-2:30pm: Aamera and Suzy with Grantees & Grant Panelists in the Carnegie. Grant Panelists & Grantees will meet with Aamera and Suzy and discuss their experiences.
4pm-5pm: Social Hour for board members and anyone else who wants to attend from previous groups in the Historic Carnegie.
5pm-7pm: Suzy and Aamera will meet with Current Board members in the Historic Carnegie. Board members will meet with Suzy and Aamera and discuss their experiences.
This equity audit is facilitated by consultants Aamera Siddiqui and Suzy Messerole, coming from St. Paul, MN. Aamera and Suzy are a part of Exposed Brick Theater in St. Paul. Outside of the theater, Aamera and Suzy are consultants who focus on organizational assessments to customize training and development. They gauge the growth, effectiveness and impact of organizational efforts towards equity, focusing the analysis and progress on four main areas: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Aamera and Suzy assist the Regional Arts Council system to identify areas of growth, find gaps and opportunities, and provide recommendations for continued growth and advancement towards equitable grant-making.
Join our Board!
WHAT DO WE DO?
Region 2 Arts Council fuels creative projects, celebrates artistic expression, opens doors, sparks ideas, reinforces existing networks, and offers new connections.
HOW DO WE APPROACH OUR WORK?
Our values of respect and responsiveness guide our decision-making; inclusivity and equity lead our efforts to make space for all; and curiosity ignites our imagination as we listen and learn from artists and the arts around us.
SERVING ON OUR BOARD
• Come curious and ready to engage openly, and embody our values
• Attend 2-3 hour monthly Board business meetings in person or via Zoom
• Promote healthy governance by asking questions and posing solutions
• Support advancement of R2AC’s equity, diversity, and inclusivity practices, policies, and initiatives
• Support the general improvement and alignment of R2AC practices and policies with
statewide mandates, needs in our region, and our values
• Ensure fiscal responsibility by gaining awareness and understanding of R2AC’s budget
• Participate on board committees
• Participate on grant review panels
• Be a site-evaluator for granted arts projects and programs
• Help staff spread the word about R2AC services and grants
• Attend arts events in your county and your community