The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) is happy to announce the Artists’ Futures program for artists and culture bearers of African, Afro-Latinx, Afro-Caribbean, Latinx, Chicanx, Asian/Pacific Islander, and SWANA (South West Asian and North African) descent residing in the 7-county metropolitan area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties), and artists who are Native American/American Indian/Native Alaskan residing in Minnesota and the 11 Tribal nations that share the same geography.
Artists’ Futures provides $35,000 in unrestricted financial support, with an additional $2,000 for professional development, and access to vetted resources. Artist’ Futures is a professional development, skill building and networking cohort for artists working in any artistic discipline and any stage in their career. MRAC wants Artists’ Futures to be more than a financial boost in artists’ careers. Rather, we want this to be a boost in their lives. We are interested in investing in these artists by providing support that allows them to grow their ability to take creative risks, and build technical skills that could contribute to a sustainable and successful career in the arts.
Artists’ Futures was developed for and by a diverse group of artists and cultural leaders who are members of the artist communities this program intends to serve. A group of 11 advisors along with MRAC staff engaged with artists across backgrounds, experiences and cultures in several intimate focus groups and one-on-one meetings, engaging nearly 100 individuals. The responses shared during focus groups directly informed the design of Artists’ Futures
Artists’ Futures is a part of the Seeding Cultural Treasures program funded through a partnership between the McKnight Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Seeding Cultural Treasures is phase two of the America’s Cultural Treasures partnership.
To learn more about Artists’ Futures, please register for the Information Session on August 19, 2022 at 12:00pm.
If you have questions, please contact Jovan Rebollar at jovan@mrac.org