The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is currently accepting applications from individuals wishing to serve on its Board. ARAC offers grant support and technical assistance to individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations residing in the seven counties of the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis.

The following six Board positions are open: representatives from Carlton, Lake, and St. Louis Counties, two At-Large representatives, and one Student Liaison – a representative enrolled in an arts program at a college or university in the Arrowhead region.

ARAC is looking for individuals with knowledge of various art forms and perspectives. Active artists working in all disciplines, artists from communities of color, arts supporters/collectors, as well as individuals with knowledge of the regional arts community and arts organizations are all encouraged to apply.

The ARAC Board meets the third Thursday of each month except August and December.
Council members:
*oversee the awarding of project-based funding to regional non-profit arts organizations and individual artists,
*assess the art needs in the region,
*develop programs that stimulate the regional arts community.

Council members serve as volunteers, but are paid a mileage reimbursement for attending meetings. Board terms are three years, though a Board member may opt to serve two consecutive terms. Serving on the Board gives an individual the opportunity:
*to learn about arts activities in the region,
*to increase their knowledge of grant writing and the review process,
*to network with other artists and arts professionals,
*to have input into matters that affect arts funding in the region.

ARAC is the primary funding source for artists and arts organizations in northeastern Minnesota, having awarded nearly $500,000 in grant support last fiscal year. ARAC administers a total of eight grant programs for regional non-profit arts organizations and artists. Additionally, ARAC administers two programs for The Artist Fund, a Duluth based, regional, non-profit which offers financial assistance to artists confronted with a career-threatening emergency and/or minimal access to healthcare.

ARAC’s programs are made possible through funding from
*the Minnesota State Legislature,
*the Arts and Cultural Heritage Amendment as appropriated by the State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008,
*The McKnight Foundation,
*The Artist Fund.

ARAC also provides free grant writing workshops, technical assistance to regional artists and arts organizations, and presents the Arrowhead Annual Arts Awards, recognizing an outstanding regional artist and a significant regional arts advocate.

ARAC works in partnership with the Minnesota State Arts Board, and is one of the eleven Regional Arts Councils promoting the arts throughout Minnesota.

Applications will be accepted between now and Friday, April 27, 2012. Board terms run from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2015. Board application forms may be downloaded from the ARAC web site – www.aracouncil.org, or requested from the ARAC office at 218.722.0952 or 800.569.8134. You may also write [email protected] for applications, as well as more information about Board responsibilities, the Council, and its programs. ARAC hopes to hear from you.