Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council awards grants to local organizations

(Mankato, MN) – Twenty local organizations were recipients of grants recently awarded by Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council.

PLARC awarded a total of $117,050 in grants to arts organizations, community groups, and schools in the region for a variety of activities.

Because of the current health situation, the date of many of the activities is to be determined.

Grants were awarded as follows:

Blue Earth County

City Center Partnership – $7,000 to sponsor the CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour, consisting of outdoor sculptures in downtown Mankato and North Mankato.

Dance Conservatory of Southern Minnesota – $7,000 to expand dance programs to include more pre-point, ballet technique, dance camps, and hip hop and tumbling classes, as well as a free camp for children to try dance; Deaf Jamz, a dance workshop for the hearing impaired.

Mankato Area 77 Lancers Marching Band – $7,000 to present their 42nd season as the premier youth marching band for the Greater Mankato area.

Mankato Area Community Band – $4,400 to present free outdoor concerts at Sibley Park and Lincoln park in Mankato.

Mankato Ballet Company – $7,000 to present their large-scale, original ballet production “Dorothy” in the St. Peter High School auditorium.

Mankato Symphony Orchestra – $7,000 to presnet a concert in their Symphonic Series.

MSU, Muisc Performances Series – $7,000 to sponsor music performances of Minnesota artists as part of their performance series.

Rosa Park Elementary, Mankato – $4,000 to host a regional Elementary Art Show at Bethany Lutheran College with area school districts being invited to participate.

Brown County

New Ulm Suzuki School of Music – $7,000 to sponsor Pops Camps and conduct a season of rehearsals and concerts.

The Grand Center for Arts and Culture – $7,000 to continue their performing arts series which features many Minnesota artists presenting a variety of music genres and small theater productions.

Le Sueur County

Tri-City United High School, Montgomery – $4,000 to host the Classical Actors Ensemble from Minneapolis to perform two Shakespearean productions for the students of the high school

Nicollet County

Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps – $7,000 to perform throughout Minnesota and the Midwest and host a home concert in St. Peter.

Over 60 Band – $7,000 to perform across the state during their season.

Rock Bend Folk Festival – $5,000 to sponsor the 30th annual festival featuring local and regional Minnesota folk musicians and local artists displaying their work at Minnesota Square Park in St. Peter.

South Central College – $3,860 to sponsor an Asian dance group to perform at the Global Connections Conference

Sibley County

Gaylord Area Chamber of Commerce – $5,000 to sponsor “Music on Main,” consisting of weekly concerts in downtown Gaylord.

Green Isle Community School – $,3790 to sponsor an Artist in Residency, where students interview an elder from the community and work with local artists to create a play and music based on the elder’s life.

T-Bird Community Arts – $7,000 to sponsor an Art Camp for grades 3 through 8, including painting and set design, vocal performance, actin, dance/choreography, costume design, and a musical performance of “The Sound of Music.”

Watonwan County

Madelia Area Chamber of Commerce – $5,000 to sponsor the 8th annual Watona Park Blues Festival

Uniting Cultures Multicultural Fiesta, St. James – $5,000 to host a free outdoor fiesta with ethnic performances