SMAC awards $32,000 to local arts

The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) board met virtually on Jan, 26 and awarded $32,039 in grant funds to seven organizations within our southwest Minneota region.
The following four organizations were awarded a total of $27,581 from our Art Project Grant Program. These grants provide organization in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 to simulate and encourage the creation, performance and appreciation of the arts. No cash match required in fiscal year 2021.
The following two arts organizations were awarded a total of $1,958 for our Going Virtual: Equipment, Technology & Training Grants. These grants provide up to $1,000 to arts organizations in the SMAC service region for equipment or technology that will allow them to provide virtual events and programming. Applicants can also use the funds to participate in "go-virtual" training or consultations:
The Lake Benton Opera House: awarded $958 for equipment and software. They plan to purchase desktop external hard drives, a refurnished webcam laptop and a year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Members of the organization will use the equipment for creating video productions, which will require digital storage space for video performances and show recorded. Adobe software will be used to edit videos and process them for online access, as members that do not have the ability to join virtual meetings from home and use the Lake Benton Opera House as a location to join the virtual board meetings.
The Willmar Community Theatre/Barn Theatre: awarded $1,000 to support individualized training through "Arts in Digital Spaces" with Adam Reinwald, who hosts webinar workshops, and Open Voices. The theatre will also purchase video equipment to make virtual transitions simpler for volunteers and staff, like a camera, SD card, tripod and wireless microphone to enhance virtual experiences.
The following four organizations were awarded a total of $27,581 from our Art Project Grant Program, which provides organizations in the SMAC region with up to $7,000 to stimulate and encourage the appreciation of the arts:
Arts & Mentoring Project (AMP) of Pipestone: awarded $7,000 for their Moana Jr. Musical Theatre Camp.
The City of Granite Falls/EDA: awarded $7,000 for a project they are calling "Get to Know Granite Falls - Then and Now". The city will do a "Call for Artists" to design paintings in categories that depict significant Granite Falls arts, heritage, culture, and amenities.
The Canby Area Arts Council: awarded $6,581 to supports their "Music on Mondays" programs, which is a series of five summer concerts that bring in regional artists to perform in Canby Central Park, as well as their "Art in the Park" program, which is a series of four art workshops heled in the Canby park.
In addition, the Granite Area Arts Council was awarded $2,500 from our Arts Organization Development grants program. They plans to use the grant to develop a partnership with the regional community and downtown Granite Falls creative businesses, and to promote art as an important part of life and commerce.

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