When I am not teaching rhetoric, I also volunteer with the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.

Below is a list of recent award winners. If you see someone you know, congratulate them!

Artist Fellowship Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Artist Fellowship grants of $5,000 to the following individual artists on June 17, 2014:

VISUAL ART

Andrew Messerschmidt, Ely, St. Louis County:This grant will support a large-scale installation in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ MEAP gallery.

Emily Moe, Duluth, St. Louis County: This grant will support the creation of artful millinery.

Daniel Neff, Duluth, St. Louis County:This grant will support the purchase of a glass lathe.

THEATRE

Blake Thomas, Duluth, St. Louis County:This grant will support the writing and executing of a live variety radio show.

MUSIC

Andrew Turpening, Duluth, St. Louis County:This grant will support the creation of his first album.

LITERATURE

Amy Schmidt, Hovland, Cook County:This grant will support the attendance to Frost Place Poetry Seminar.

Danielle Sosin, Duluth, St. Louis County:This grant will support writing time in order to finish her novel.

Cole Perry, Grand Rapids, Itasca County:This grant will support writing time.

Lucie Amundsen, Duluth, St. Louis County:This grant will support research and editing.

Career Development Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Career Development funding to the following individual artists on June 10, 2014:

Earl Austin, Duluth, St. Louis County, $2,250: This grant will fund the exhibition of a retrospective sampling of his artwork at the Duluth Art Institute from September 4 to October 24, 2014.

Jeffery Dexheimer, Duluth, St. Louis County, $3,000: This grant will fund the exhibition of a series of photographs at the Duluth Photography Institute from October 1 to 31, 2014.

Lynda Ferguson, Cook, St. Louis County, $3,000: This grant will fund the creation of a theatrical set of puppets, props, and costumes to present Lorna West for possible inclusion in the pilot episode of the children’s show Grandma’s Garden, to be shot by Pro Video Productions of Duluth in July and August 2014.

Todd Hohenstein, Ely, St. Louis County, $2,920: This grant will fund the participation in a 12-day glassblowing workshop taking place this summer from July 13 to 25, at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

Joellyn Rock, Duluth, St. Louis County, $3,000: This grant will fund the fabrication, installation, and performance of two unique versions of the digital media-based Sophronia Project at the Free Range Film Festival in Wrenshall in July 2014, and at the Duluth Art Institute in September 2014.

Felicia Schneiderman, Duluth, St. Louis County, $2,950: This grant will fund the completion of the novel, Period of Adjustment, to be ready for agent representation.

Jo Wood, Duluth, St. Louis County, $3,000: This grant will fund preparation for a retrospective exhibition of her bead art for display at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids from September 2 through October 15, 2014.

Alberta Marana, Duluth, St. Louis County, $1,380: This grant will fund the participation in a workshop with oil pastel artist George Shiperly, at the Peninsula Art School in Fish Creek, WI, from September 10 to 12, 2014.

Karen Nease, Duluth, St. Louis County, $2,760: This grant will fund the preparation of her work for an exhibition at the Duluth Art Institute from April 30 to June 21, 2015.

Ryuta Nakajima, Duluth, St. Louis County, $1,600: This grant will fund the shipment of work from Duluth to Okinawa Japan to attend the upcoming interdisciplinary symposium and exhibition at Okinawa Prefectural Art Museum from August 19 to 24, 2014.

Marc Gartman, Duluth, St. Louis County, $3,000: This grant will fund the recording of Fever Dream compositions and have them more broadly marketed through the support of Spinout Records, a record label interested in releasing these specific songs in September 2014.

Brett Grandson, Duluth, St. Louis County, $2,530: This grant will fund the preparation of his artwork for permanent display at the Frame Corner Gallery in downtown Duluth.

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Technology/Equipment Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Technology/Equipment funding to the following individual artists on October 10, 2013:

Bryan Hansel, Grand Marais, Cook, $1,794:
Support to purchase camera filters to allow the artist to be able to refine his photographic style and drive a new look into outdoor photography.

Kathy McTavish, Duluth, St. Louis, $2,000:
Support to purchase equipment necessary to produce a feature length film.

Stephanie Mirocha, Aitkin, Aitkin, $2,000:
Support to purchase a desktop computer and digital scanner for support of her art.

Mike Scholtz, Wrenshall, Carlton, $790:
Support to purchase a camera to shoot underwater footage for a documentary film.

Nicholas Sunsdahl, Duluth, St. Louis, $1,356:
Support to purchase equipment necessary to produce a feature length film.

Adam Swanson, Duluth, St. Louis, $1,060:
Support to purchase a camera and lens to allow the artist to collect high quality images of his work for use in documentation, creating prints, and to solicit future exhibitions.

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Rural and Community Art Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Rural and Community Art funding to the following organizations on June 19, 2014:

Cook Chamber of Commerce, Cook, St. Louis County, $2,000:
This grant will go towards coordinating Music in the Park, a series of nine free concerts featuring local and regional musicians during the summer of 2014.

Ely Artwalk, Ely, St. Louis County, $4,700:
This grant will go towards producing an eleven-day winter art show that will be held from February 5-15 of 2015 in Ely.

Ely Greenstone Public Art, Ely, St. Louis County, $5,000:
This grant will go towards hosting a performance by Douglas Wood and the Wild Spirit Band as part of its Author! Author! event in June, 2015.

Ely Winter Festival, Ely, St. Louis County, $5,000:
This grant will go towards putting on a Snow Sculpture Symposium as a part of the Ely Winter Festival programming from February 5-15 of 2015.

Good Harbor Hills Players, Grand Marais, Cook County, $4,000:
This grant will go towards creating an original shadow puppet performance for the occasion of the winter solstice on December 21, 2014.

Icebox Radio Theater, International Falls, Koochiching County, $2,000:
This grant will go towards producing ten hours of audio theatre for distribution through podcasts from September of 2014 to May of 2015.

Iron Range Real Regional Players, Virginia, St. Louis County, $2,480:
This grant will go towards the presentation of five performances of The Gifts of the Magi, a musical by Randy Courts and Mark St. German, at the Lyric Center for the Arts during the first half of December 2014.

Rainy Lake Community Orchestra, International Falls, Koochiching County, $5,000:
This grant will go towards putting on a week-long string workshop in Ranier at Ranier Community Hall from August 10-15, 2014.

Sky Blue Jazz Ensemble, Grand Marais, Cook County, $4,530:
This grant will go towards bringing six experienced jazz musicians to the three communities on the North Shore to collaborate with student musicians in concert performances for the public from January to April of 2015.

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Community Arts Learning Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Arts Learning funding to the following organizations and individual artist on March 20, 2014:

Aitkin Community Education, Aitkin, $2,470:
Aitkin Community Education will contract with Prairie Fire Theatre to conduct workshops with local youth to produce a live theatre play based on Cinderella from August 4-8, 2014.

Amy Lucas, Chisholm, $5,000:
Amy Lucas will produce an outdoor art education day camp for students in grades K-6 in Balsam, Calumet, Marble and Side Lake during June, July and August, 2014.

Armory Arts and Music Center, Duluth, $5,000:
Armory Arts and Music Center will teach at-risk youth in grades 6-12, to create music through after school music education from September 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015.

CHOICE, unlimited, Duluth, $3,390:
CHOICE, unlimited will offer a Music Class to the people CHOICE, unlimited serves, as well as interested community members.

Crescendo Youth Orchestra, Hibbing, $4,800:
Crescendo Youth Orchestra will produce the 6th Annual String Camp for students ages 5 to 18 from June 2nd – 5th, 2014.

Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, Duluth, $4,850:
Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra will produce the 2014 Quartet Project, which will provide an affordable music camp for students in the area from July 7-23, 2014.

Lake Superior Youth Chorus, Duluth, $5,000:
Lake Superior Youth Chorus will conduct the 4th annual Summer Sing, a vocal music workshop for youth singers, grades 3-6, providing education and training in preparation for an informal music concert on the final day.

North Shore Players, Two Harbors, $2,000:
North Shore Players will contract with Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre for a week long residency program culminating in the presentation of the children’s tale “Alice in Wonderland” on June 13, 2014.

Project Lulu, Duluth, $5,000:
Project Lulu will offer their new Arts Express program using group journaling, creative writing and expressive drawing to cancer survivors and caregivers in the Grand Rapids area in October and November 2014.

Rang Center/SoHo Gallery, Chisholm, $5,000:
Range Center/SoHo Gallery will provide adults who have disabilities the opportunity to learn about the art of clay and create clay projects.

South Ridge School, Culver, $4,600:
South Ridge School will present Roth Mobot, a Chicago based group, to provide circuit bending workshops and public performances in the Culver and Duluth area from April 22-25, 2014.

Washington Elementary School, Cloquet, $5,000:
Washington Elementary School will provide the opportunity for over 600 students to create a four panel mosaic mural with professional mosaic artist, Kelly Dupre.

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Art Project Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Art Project funding to the following organizations on March 20, 2014:

Arrowhead Chorale, Duluth,$5,000:
Arrowhead Chorale will produce a performance with Monroe Crossing of Carol Barnett’s “The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass” on December 13th and 14th, 2014.

The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, $3,000:
The College of St. Scholastica will present Salsabrosa, a Minneapolis based Latin music and Cuban Salsa dance group in October, 2014.

Duluth Superior Film Festival, Duluth, $5,000:
The Duluth Superior Film Festival will produce the 5th annual festival of music, film and art from May 28th to June 1st, 2014.

Edge Center for the Arts, Bigfork, $5,000:
Edge Center for the Arts will produce Federico Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernarda Alba” from December 4-7, 2014.

Jaques Art Center, Aitkin, $5,000:
Jaques Art Center will present the traveling exhibit, “Francis Lee Jaques: The Shape of Nature” from September 11 through November 1, 2014.

Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, Duluth, $5,000:
The Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra will produce a performance featuring father-daughter duo, Shelley and Johanna Gruskin, on July 10, 2014.

Lyric Opera of the North, Duluth, $5,000:
Lyric Opera of the North will present Donizetti’s comic opera, “Don Pasquale” on June 12 and 14, 2014.

MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, $4,135:
MacRostie Art Center will develop a letterpress program in the printmaking studio at the Center.

Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe, Duluth, $5,000:
Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe will create a non-motorized outdoor parade performance in celebration of the annual smelt run on Lake Superior on April 26, 2015.

Mesabi Symphony Orchestra, Virginia, $5,000:
Mesabi Symphony Orchestra will present Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony in concert on May 3rd in Hibbing and May 4, 2014 in Virginia.

North Shore Music Association, Grand Marais, $3,050:
North Shore Music Association will present the Bay-area alt-rock band, Blame Sally, on June 14, 2014.

Northern Lights Music Festival, Aurora, $5,000:
Northern Lights Music Festival will tour their productions of Bizet’s “Carmen” and Britten’s “Noyes Fludde” to Aurora, Chisholm, Hibbing and Ely on July 11-14 and 19, 2014.

Prove Gallery, Duluth, $4,800:
Prove Gallery will enlist the assistance of Twin Cities based artist Sean Connaughty in curating an environmentally themed show based around his most recent work in September 2014.

Ressl Dance!, Duluth, $5,000:
Ressl Dance! will produce Dances on the Lakewalk, a festival of dance, on July 18-19, 2014.

Three Bridges International Chamber Music Festival, Duluth, $5,000:
Three Bridges International Chamber Music Festival will present its annual free community concert during this year’s festival at the Sacred Heart Music Center on June 10, 2014.

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Two-Year Operating Support Grant Recipients

ARAC granted Two-Year Operating Support funding to the following organizations on January 16, 2014:

Edge Center for the Arts, Bigfork, $12,000:
Support to continue its mission to “enhance the Edge of the Wilderness by providing a welcoming and well-managed space where creating, enjoying and sharing art experiences build community.”

Icebox Radio Theater, International Falls, $12,000:
Support to expand their online advertising base and to expand their live performance schedule with library programs throughout the Arrowhead Region.

Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, Duluth, $11,900:
Support to produce their 28th and 29th seasons and to explore new techniques to grow and diversify their audience.

Lake Superior Youth Chorus, Duluth, $12,000:
Support to improve marketing and advertising, as well as introduce a new program for children in grades 3 to 5 called Prelude.

Northwoods Friends of the Arts, Cook, $11,200:
Support to continue its growth to accomplish its mission, “To inspire, Nurture and Celebrate the Arts.”

Three Bridges International Chamber Music Festival, Duluth, $12,000:
Support to expand their role in the community to include a year-round educational program for musicians interested in studying chamber music, as well as continuing the annual festival which is entering its sixth season.