 LITTLE FALLS, Minn. – Sprout announces new À la cARTe initiative to promote regional artists and provide innovative ways for them to engage community members though the use of mobile art studios. Sprout invites regional artists to learn more at the À la cARTe design party, hosted at Sprout on March 5th at 6 p.m. At this event, the parameters of the À la cARTe project and the application process will be shared with interested artists. Applications are being accepted for individual artists or artist collaboratives. Examples of these mobile studios, called “art carts,” may include supplies for a pop-up painting class like easels, paints, and brushes or a folding stage and microphone set could allow for short play productions or musical performances. Whatever the medium, the art carts will aim to foster community fun, new skills and interests. This project is made possible by a $150,000 grant from the McKnight Foundation, which includes funds to compensate artists to develop their carts and the materials for the cart itself.
The À la cARTe initiative allows artists to develop their art cart as an outlet for their art production, as a resource for engaging the community and as a differentiating factor and economic driver for their art business. Once chosen, the art cart will be owned by the selected artists, allowing them to bring their art to events and communities independently. This new project will also work in tandem with Sprout’s Mobile Market stops, providing additional community engagement activities and bringing a blend of local food and art opportunities to area residents. The Mobile Market program is set to begin this summer and will travel to rural areas in Central Minnesota. The À la cARTe initiative will allow for creativity by the selected artists to use their art cart in innovative ways and give them a mobile platform to share their art and creative talents. Five Wings Arts Council and Region Five Development Commission will help facilitate the application process for artists to assist them in generating their ideas to paper. Sprout encourages interested artists to attend the À la cARTe design party which both seeks to inform artists about the project and gather their feedback on the application process. A key goal of the project is to elevate the skills and insights of area artists, which are more uniquely equipped to infuse creativity into community engagement strategies. This program is open to all artists and art mediums and works to cultivate business skills to support artist’s work by providing connections to resources. “We want to ensure that all artists have the support they need to apply for this exciting program and to assist in any way we can for them to be successful with their business,” states Grants & Program Coordinator Vicki Chepulis of Five Wings Arts Council. Registration for the À la cARTe Design Party is free and found at Eventbrite.com: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-la-carte-design-party-tickets-56417437073 In addition to the funding from the McKnight Foundation, this project is supported in part by the Otto Bremer Trust, and Lakewood Health Systems and is led by partnerships with Sprout, Five Wings Arts Council, Region Five Development Commission and other community partners. ABOUT SPROUT MN Sprout MN is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 2012 by growers, eaters, creatives and economic developers. Their mission is to connect and strengthen the local food system as a regional asset, and to grow and contribute to a collective story of a vibrant and resilient Central Minnesota. Comments are closed.
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