Are you new to MRAC grants or looking for a refresher on the basics?
Join us for this introduction to our programs for individuals and hear from our previous grantees about their experiences applying!
Monday, October 19, 10–11:30 am
Zoom webinar (ASL interpretation provided)
Register Now
Join us for this introduction to our programs for individuals and hear from our previous grantees about their experiences applying!
Monday, October 19, 10–11:30 am
Zoom webinar (ASL interpretation provided)
Register Now
In this webinar, our staff will give you an intro to MRAC’s grants for individual artists. You’ll learn about choosing the right grant for you, getting resources to help you apply, and avoiding common mistakes. Plus, you’ll hear from former grantees in our Creative Connections, Next Step Fund, and Arts Impact for Individuals programs about their experiences!
Please reach out to aimee@mrac.org with accessibility requests.
Meet the Speakers
Isabel Nelson (she/they) is a theater director, creator, performer, emerging community song leader, and ritual artist. In 2010, she founded Twin Cities-based physical theater ensemble Transatlantic Love Affair (TLA) and served as artistic director until 2022. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including most recently the 2025–26 McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship. Nelson regularly brings her creative practice to bear in collaboration with individuals incarcerated in Minnesota state prisons through theater projects, song circles, and more.
Emiko Rainbow is a Japanese Caucasian American illustrator and creative business owner. With an illustration BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, she runs her multifaceted art business creating art celebrating self-expression, connection, and diverse representation. Nana and Abuela is her first published picture book, written by Monica Rojas. Emiko is a 2026 grantee of MRAC’s Creative Connections and Next Step Fund, where she hosted Celebrating MN AAPI Creative Voices and is currently writing and illustrating her debut graphic novel.
Mari Esabel Valverde (she/her/ella) is a recipient of a 2025 Next Step Fund grant, where she composed three songs to complete a seven-movement song cycle titled Siete Canciones del Valle. The award-winning transgender Mexican American composer has created art songs, chamber music, and works for chorus, orchestra, and wind ensemble. Her choral music has been performed throughout the United States and abroad in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan.
Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is an award-winning Lao American playwright best known for her children’s book, When Everything Was Everything, and her Kung Fu Zombies play cycle. Her plays have been presented by Theater Mu, the Smithsonian APAC, Rosetown Playhouse, Mixed Blood Theatre, InterAct Theatre, and elsewhere. In 2024, she was the first Minnesota artist to receive a direct invitation to be a Kennedy Center artist-in-residence at the REACH. She holds multiple fellowships from the Bush, McKnight, and Jerome Foundations and is a recipient of more than 40 grants and fellowships.
