We at the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council are hoping to complete the roster of our board of directors early this fall. We have received two applications, and hope to receive several more, meeting the following qualifications:

a) one applicant residing in Itasca County;

b) one applicant residing in Lake County;

c) one at-large applicant residing in any Arrowhead County outside the city limits of Duluth;

d) one student liaison – an arts enrolled student at any of the Arrowhead post-secondary institutions, including those in Duluth.

ARAC offers grant support and assistance to individual artists and non-profit arts organizations in the seven counties of the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis. These four Board positions pertain to the July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2015 fiscal terms.

The ARAC Board would like to review new applications during September, and continue until all vacancies have been filled.

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 local awareness of their regional arts communities and organizations are all encouraged to apply.

YOU SHOULD KNOW:

The ARAC Board meets at 2:00pm on 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, and are reimbursed for attending ARAC funded events across the Arrowhead region. Board terms are three years, though a Board member may serve two consecutive terms. Serving on the Board gives an individual the opportunity:
*to learn about arts activities in the region,
*to increase his/her 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 Arrowhead region.

ARAC is the primary funding source for artists and arts organizations in northeastern Minnesota, awarding slightly over $500,000 in grant support last fiscal year. ARAC administers a total of eight grant programs for regional non-profit arts organizations and individual 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, 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 grant writing workshops and 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 may be submitted now. 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 [email protected] for applications, as well as more information about Board responsibilities, the Council, and its programs. ARAC hopes to hear from you.