Arts & Culture Commission Meeting Date: June 18th, 2024
To: Arts & Culture Commission Members
From: Natalie Draper, Library Director
Title
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects Grant Application
Body
Action Requested:
The Arts and Culture Commission discuss Council Resolution of Support for the Approval of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects Grant Application.
Summary Report:
Council policy requires city staff to seek approval to apply for grants over $25,000. Staff are submitting a resolution to council for approval at the June 18th meeting to apply for the Grants for Arts Projects from the NEA.
Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation’s arts and culture ecosystem. Through project-based funding, the program supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector.
The NEA has expressed particular interest in projects that celebrate the nation’s creativity and/or cultural heritage, and those that originate from or are in collaboration with Native Americans.
To mark the semiquincentennial of the United States of America, the NEA also seeks arts projects furthering its mission of fostering and sustaining an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. The NEA is partnering with America250 to encourage arts projects that educate and engage communities in dialogue about the past, present, and future of our nation. Project examples may include public art recognizing the milestone, collaborative community arts projects exploring the nation’s identity, or retrospectives of celebrated or overlooked American artists. Projects are welcome in all artistic disciplines.
The Arts and Culture Commission would be seeking matching funds to support the installation of public art in Bridge Square. Working with local indigenous artists, Marlena Myles (Dakota, Minneapolis) and John Sterner (Lakota, Marshall), to create public artwork in Bridge Square that centers the stories, traditions, and perspectives of Native Americans, and is in keeping with the commitment in the city’s land acknowledgement statement: We stand on the homelands of the Wahpekute and other Bands of the Dakota Nation. We honor with gratitude the people who have stewarded the land throughout the generations and their ongoing contributions to this region. We acknowledge the ongoing injustices that we have committed against the Dakota Nation, and we wish to interrupt this legacy, beginning with acts of healing and honest storytelling about this place.
John Sterner and Marlena Myles are collaborating to create a multi-faceted installation that will include a 7-piece sculpture lining Water street, a permanent augmented reality experience, and a temporary projected animation all conveying a connection to the land, water, and the stars.
Summary Report:
Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation’s arts and culture ecosystem.
Alternative Options:
There is no direct local cost for the grant so we are not recommending alternate approval.
Financial Impacts:
Eligible organizations may request up to $100,000 dollars, with a minimum request of $10,000.
Eligible Artistic Disciplines
• Local Arts Agencies: Projects by arts commissions, arts councils, departments of cultural affairs; national or statewide service organizations partnering with local arts agencies; and arts projects by local government and special districts
Total amount of NEA grant funds requested is $100,000, which is over the $25,000 amount and requires council approval.
Local Match Requirement
A one to one nonfederal match is required and would be met by 1% for the Arts funds.
Tentative Timelines:
July 11, 2024 Completed applications due.
April 2025 Anticipated date of grantee announcement.
June 1, 2025 Earliest Start Date for Proposed Project