May 30

Statewide public art project seeks artists in all mediums for Post offices…An endangered species

Post offices, established by the constitution, have been a significant player in American arts and culture. This includes architectural treasures, wood and stone sculptures, murals and paintings.

In addition, the U.S. Postal Service has provided a legacy of 238 years of artist-created stamps celebrating multiple facets of American life, for example: its flora, fauna, flags, states, poets, workers, artists, politicians, athletes, and landscapes.

To recognize the history and significance of the U.S. Postal Service, Twin Cities artist Melisande Charles recently received a grant from Forecast Public Art and McKnight Foundation to fund a public mail art project called Post Offices…An Endangered Species. This project was created to provide the basis for a dialogue on the value of the USPS, a hybrid public/private service to Minnesota citizens. The goal is to add artist’s voices, their art and their creative suggestions to underscore the efforts of other advocates to release the Postal Service from current legislation and to strengthen and restructure postal services for the future. Artists, including professionals, amateurs and students working in all mediums are invited to participate by adopting a Minnesota Post Office and creating mail art that represents the community or other postal topics as a way to inform decision makers and the public about the important economic and community role the USPS plays in our communities. Artists’ submissions to date include stamps, postcards, envelopes, poems and even a theater piece. Submissions will be accepted until June 30. For more information, visit www.thenewsleaders.com and click on Criers.

Works submitted will be displayed on the project’s po4ever.com website gallery. A statewide advisory committee will select a variety of these works that best represent the theme. A curatorial panel will choose 10 of these selections for recognition along with a cash award.

Minnesota artist Melisande Charles began contributing significantly to the State’s art economy in the mid 1970s when she was recruited to head the newly formed Minneapolis City Art Commission. As a New Yorker familiar with the extensive loft living in Manhattan, she immediately saw her new city’s languishing Warehouse District as a priceless resource, rather than as blocks of obsolete buildings with no tax base for the city. In her official position, Charles championed an entirely new role for the area as an Arts District with live/work artist spaces, development of Hennepin Center for the Arts, saving the Shubert Theater from demolition, eventually converted to The Cowles Center of dance. As a result, art galleries and restaurants soon followed. She was the instrumental force in acquiring federal CETA funding to hire artists in all fields to contribute their expertise to community arts.

In 2001, Charles’ long time fascination with the medium of Mail Art led to designing limited-edition postcards that contained messages of political and cultural significance.

Melisande Charles is available for further information at melisande@comcast.net or 651-225-4515.
Stearns History Museum offers Military Appreciation Day May 31

The Stearns History Museum will officially launch Blue Star Museum program with a Military Appreciation Day from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 31. On this day, all veterans and their families, as well as all active-duty military and their families, are offered free admission to the Stearns History Museum’s exhibit galleries, children’s playroom and research center.  The Stearns History Museum thanks you for your service!

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from now through Labor Day. The program provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation’s cultural heritage and learn more about their new communities after a military move. The complete list of participating museums is available at arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums.

CMAB Board of Directors announces open positions

The Central Minnesota Arts Board is seeking board members. The CMAB has served Region 7W for more than 34 years as a non-profit arts organization. It’s one of 11 Regional Art Councils designated by the Minnesota State Arts Board to support collaborative and innovative arts opportunities through partnerships and financial investments in Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Wright counties.

As a non-profit organization, the CMAB is governed by a nine-member volunteer board of directors, recruited from the four counties it serves.

CMAB funds grant proposals and provides professional development services to arts and community organizations, schools, government units and individuals. We also strive to enhance the appreciation of the positive and essential economic and social roles the arts play in our lives.

Board member responsibilities include the following: review and approve grant applications for funding of arts projects based on the needs and goals of the region;  provide budget oversight and policy development; and oversee support and technical assistance for local artists and art organizations within the four counties.

Board member expectations include the following: attend monthly board meetings (There are eight regular scheduled meetings each fiscal year that meet at the Foley office, typically on the second Wednesday evening September through December and March through June); spend up to 10 hours each meeting month in preparation and actual meeting time; attend arts events funded by the CMAB; and actively participate in the biennial planning retreat every other year.

Board member qualifications include the following: ability to make decisions impartially; resident of Stearns, Benton, Sherburne or Wright counties; knowledge or interest in: the arts, arts programs, organizations, and/or artists in the four-county area; specific experience and knowledge in at least one element of an organizations operations such as: administration, finance, personnel, program development, public relations/marketing or grant writing; and have an interest in the CMAB mission “To promote the creation, performance and appreciation of the arts” and a willingness to participate in board operations and committees to carry out the CMAB mission.

If interested in making a difference in the arts, find an application on the CMAB website: www.centralmnartsboard.org/about/volunteer.html or contact the CMAB office by calling 320-968-4290 or 1-866-345-7140 or email Leslie LeCuyer: director@centralmnartsboard.org.