69 Knight Arts Challenge finalists selected
With ideas ranging from celebrations of Somali poetry and Hmong fashion to art celebrating the people of the city’s East Side and concerts performed on instruments made of ice, the Knight Arts Challenge has named 69 finalists in its program to give $4.5 million to arts projects in St. Paul over the next three years.
“Earlier this year, we asked a simple question: What’s your best idea for the arts in St. Paul? The answers we received truly reflect the community’s new, innovative and authentically St. Paul ideas,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president of arts at Knight Foundation, in a statement.
The contest was open to anyone — individuals, organizations and both nonprofit and for-profit businesses — who wanted to submit an idea for arts and cultural projects that would engage and enrich St.
Paul. Applicants had three rules: the idea had to be about the arts, it had to take place in or benefit St. Paul and the grant recipient must find matching funds within a year. In May, more than 850 applications were received. The winners and their grant amounts picked from the 69 finalists will be announced in September.
Finalists were chosen by a local panel of 10 artists and arts leaders from a variety of communities and genres. Here are some highlights of the submissions (go to knightarts.org for a full list of finalists):
Ananya Dance Theatre: To tell the story of womens’ roles in the global food system through an interdisciplinary piece.
Center for Hmong Arts and Talent: To highlight the best of Hmong design through the Fresh Traditions Fashion Show, where contestants incorporate the five traditional Hmong fabrics into contemporary dress.
City of Skate: To create a skateable art plaza that brings out the creativity of skateboarders and the community with skateable sculptures, a video screen and performance stage.
Contempo Physical Dance: To bring international artists and their expertise to St. Paul through an annual choreography residency dance program.
Curious Incident: To highlight the history of St. Paul’s unused spaces by energizing them with immersive arts events.
East Side Freedom Library: To create large-scale artworks that celebrate freedom and honor the people who have shaped the city’s East Side.
Erik Barsness: To bring a new chill to Saint Paul Winter Carnival audiences through concerts performed on xylophones, marimbas and vibraphones made entirely out of ice by Swedish instrument builder Tim Linhart.
Ka Joog: To preserve the art of Somali poetry through a mobile art program offering performances and educational programming.
Minnesota Fringe Festival: To expand the year-round local arts scene by connecting adventurous audiences and artists in a winter Minnesota Fringe Festival.
Mizna: To foster the arts in the city’s Arab-American community by bringing acclaimed Arab writers and filmmakers to present their works in the city’s parks, art spaces and bars.
Rogue Citizen: To celebrate St. Paul hip-hop through an arts and music series that draws attention to an often overlooked culture in the city.
Seitu Jones: To provide an artistic and scientific exploration of the Mississippi River by creating a wooden barge called an “ARTark” for an exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Silvia Pontaza: To make art more accessible to the Latino community by creating a community radio and podcast that provides context on local cultural exhibits and events.
Stahl Construction Company: To preserve the legacy of St. Paul’s architecture by restoring the historical company signs that distinguish Lowertown.
The Drawing Project: To bring together two local artist groups — the Urban Roving Drawers and BikeDrawBike — to create artworks in neighborhoods around the city and display them in nontraditional settings.
VocalEssence: To capture the impact of war and honor veterans through song via the work of Iraqi veteran and poet Brian Turner, local musicians and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
In January, the Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced it was giving $8 million in funding to support the arts in St. Paul. With $3.5 million distributed over five years to five “anchor arts institutions” — Penumbra Theatre, Springboard for the Arts, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, TU Dance and the Arts Partnership (Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Minnesota Opera, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Schubert Club) — the remaining funds are part of the Knight Arts Challenge.
Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561. Follow her at twitter.com/amygustafson