Artists on Main Street Seeking Applications

Lake Region Arts Council and West Central Initiative are now seeking applications from towns of 5,000 or fewer in west central Minnesota.

Deadline to Apply: Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Zoom Information Session: Friday, September 20, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Is your town interested in having a welcoming, vibrant, and busy Main Street? Do you want to involve artists in your Main Street goals, but aren’t sure where to start?

The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) and West Central Initiative (WCI) are offering an exciting opportunity for small towns in our region who are interested in building their capacity and experience in collaborating with their creative community. We’re seeking two west central Minnesota communities of 5,000 people or fewer to participate in the Artists on Main Street program from January 2025 through December 2025.

About Artists on Main Street

Artists on Main Street is a community and economic development program led by Springboard for the Arts and Rethos: Places Reimagined that has been implemented in 14 communities across Minnesota and 5 in North Dakota since 2018. The program’s purpose is to support rural community development at the intersection of arts and culture, downtown revitalization, and historic preservation. Community-based or government organizations that are actively working on downtown/Main Street revitalization and who are interested in building new relationships with their creative community to address local goals and challenges are encouraged to apply.

Program Benefits:

• Ongoing, customized training and technical support to implement an Artists on Main Street initiative in your community from Springboard for the Arts and Rethos: Places Reimagined.
• 1-2 customized Creative Placemaking workshops for local artists to generate local project ideas and ensure their success.
• $10,000 in funding for small, artist-led projects that accomplish local goals or address challenges related to downtown and Main Street.

Eligibility:

• Artists on Main Street is open to communities in west central Minnesota (Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin Counties) with a population of 5,000 or fewer.
• Lead Applicant must be a community or government organization actively working on downtown/main street revitalization (examples: Main Street organization, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Councils).
• Lead Applicants must identify 3-4 Planning Team members who have a strong interest in learning how to work with and collaborate with artists on community development issues. This team should represent a variety of sectors – government, education, arts, recreation, economic development, etc. It is strongly recommended to include a city representative as one of the community leaders and/or the organizational partner.
• If not a City entity, the applicant must submit a letter of support from a City representative who agrees to be a liaison with city processes for Artists on Main Street (e.g. parks official, Mayor, city planner, etc).

Selection Timeline:

• Attend the informational Zoom session on Friday, September 20, 2024, at 10 a.m.
• Complete and submit application by Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
• Selected communities will be notified by November 21, 2024.
• If selected, applicant must confirm participation by December 4, 2024.

Program Timeline:

Application Process

Please fill out and submit the Artists on Main Street online application by Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Questions? Please contact Jill Amundson at jill@old.wcif.org.