2016-2017 was the year we celebrated our 25th anniversary as an organization, and 5 years of our work in Fergus Falls. June is the end of our fiscal year at Springboard for the Arts, and I couldn’t be more excited about the year we’ve just had. I’m returning from our biannual Rural Arts & Culture Summit in Morris, MN, where we brought 400 artists, practitioners, and leaders from across the country to share in the work that artists are doing to shape their communities. Being out on the prairie was an invigorating reminder of the power of hope, creativity, and collaboration; a spirit which we bring to our work at Springboard.
The Summit was a great way to end a year of passionate work supporting artists making a living and a life, and communities and artists working together. In this past year, with your help, we have:
–Supported artists creating works with Roots of Rondo: Black Artists Rising (in partnership with Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation), and HOMELAND: Native Artists Create on the Ave (in partnership with the Native American Community Development Institute).
–Launched C/Art: Lowertown, a pilot of market and performance carts for artists to use.
–Expanded our Emergency Relief Fund for artists to include projects providing creative responses to community emergencies such as police violence, environmental threat, crime & displacement.
–Developed a partnership with the International Downtown Association and National Endowment for the Arts to share our artist-led community development models across the country.
–Sponsored over 230 artists’ projects through our Incubator Fiscal Sponsorship program.
–Added new staff in our Fergus Falls and Saint Paul offices!
I hope you’ll take a moment to make a donation in support of Springboard and to help us finish the fiscal year strongly. We’re not taking a break though – in July we hit the ground running with our first ever Train-the-Trainer Intensive, bringing a cohort to Saint Paul to learn our Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists curriculum, and community development techniques. Our next year is full of growing our programs and partnerships, and building capacity so artists and communities thrive. Please make your donation today online via our GiveMN page.
With gratitude,
Laura