Southwest Minnesota Arts Council

Grants programs- smac received funds from the Minnesota state Arts board general fund and Minnesota Arts & cultural heritage funds as appropriated by the Minnesota state legislature, the mcknight foundation and others to redistribute to individual artists, local Arts organizations, non-profit organizations, units of government and schools for Arts production and sponsoring activities. Grant programs include art projects, art legacy projects, quick support for organizations, operating support, equipmpent & facilities improvement, Arts in the schools, Arts study opportunity for youth, artist growth, artist equity, quick support for artists, advanced artist fellowship, and prairie disciple award. A total of 114,561 people served includes 24,535 youth and 2,982 artists through 116 grants awarded to nonprofit organizations, units of government (cities, schools) and artists.

Technical assistance- services provided by smac to sw Minnesota are information and referral services to promote the growth and development of artists, staff and volunteer assistance for the organizational and leadership development of local Arts groups, and presentation of technical assistance and networking conferences for artists, cultural organizations and schools. Information is provided via phone, email, mail, website, social media, and in-person contact. Smac staff travels throughout the region to meet with constituents on request. Smac staff also works with statewide Arts organizations to coordinate workshops and meetings within the smac region that will benefit smac region residents. The e-newsletter voices contains feature articles, calendar events, and announcements to readers. It contains no advertisements. Voices was sent via email to approximately 1,700 people per issue and is also posted on the smac website.

Art gallery- an art gallery in the smac office space provides an opportunity for regional artists to have a solo exhibit in an accessible space. Six regional visual artists had their work exhibited in the gallery in fiscal year 2023. Exhibits are advertised via press releases, e-mail, facebook, and the smac webpage. Artists had in-person and virtual receptions. Regional musicians performed during the in-person exhibit receptions.

Conference/workshops/convenings- smac also gives assistance to artists, Arts organizations and educators by providing technical assistance, information, and networking opportunities in conference or workshop settings to the sw Minnesota area. Arts networking events were held in meeker, murray, nobles, pipestone, renville, and rock counties. 53 artists attended an artist retreat at danebod folk school in tyler. 9 virtual and 3 in-person grant workshops and q&a sessions were attended by 43 people. Smac's annual Arts celebration, attended by approximately 50 people, was held in appleton, mn and included music performances and art exhibits.