Rochester Arts Council

The Board and Staff of the Rochester Arts Council want to thank everyone for their support this past year!

Eighteen geese took up permanent residence on our streets at the beginning of Rochesterfest and were greeted with such enthusiasm that it went beyond anything we expected.

Thanks to Mayor Ardell Brede, City Council members and the Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation, who embraced the original concept and lent their considerable support; the members of the Mayor's Committee who assisted in making the project a success; the Media Committee who helped get the word out; the Sponsors who took a chance on an idea; and the incredible talent of our local Artists who brought the geese to life.

You still have the opportunity to own all 18 geese at a fraction of the cost, because posters are available for purchase anytime at the Arts Council office in Mayo Civic Center-Skyway level in the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Mayor's Office in the Government Center, Methodist Hospital Gift Shop and Saint Marys Hospital Gift Shop (where you can also purchase the Limited Edition 2009 "Reflections of Mayo" goose 100% Pure Soy Candle), the History Center of Olmsted County and at Hering Galleries at 2002 2nd Street, framer of the Goose is Loose! poster on display at City Hall.

The cost of a poster is $15 including tax. Also available are the first six Limited Edition 2009 16 oz. 100% Pure Soy Candles featuring 6 of the geese, each with their own scent. All proceeds benefit the Rochester Arts Council in accomplishing its mission of supporting the arts.

And then there was ARTigras 2009. 3500 (!) people participated in Rochester's first annual Arts Festival, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Again myriad volunteers worked on the Musical Strollathon Walk in support of 22 participating organizations. Over $11,000 was distributed to these organizations from generous donors and sponsors, who were treated to musical interludes as they strolled the path along the Zumbro River. Mayo Park was alive with the ARTists Village (over 70 artists and 25 arts organizations and more coming next year), ARTiKids activities, and the ARTiStage showcasing all local Rochester talent. Finishing off the day's events was the Blues and Barbeque Fest over on the Peace Plaza. Truly a day that celebrated Rochester's vibrant arts scene!

And ARTigras 2010 is coming... so mark your calendars for Saturday, August 21st, 2010 when Rochester's Second Annual Arts & Cultural Festival comes to Mayo Park followed on Sunday, August 22nd by the season finale of Down by the Riverside's outstanding concerts schedule.

We also oversaw the construction of our website, which has been well-received. There is something for everyone when it comes to the Arts. As with all things, the website is still a work in progress in some areas, and we will be adding as we go along. In the meantime, please navigate around and tell us via feedback what you like, what might need some tweaking, and just your overall impressions and anything else you might want to share.

For instance, check out ArtsConnect- Grants section for the latest opportunities available for the the Minnesota Historical and Cultural grants. It's all part of an effort to assist our arts and cultural organizations in accessing Legacy funding for the benefit of our community. SELCO has issued a call- the Poetic Strokes poetry contest has been revived! and all information can be seen under this section.

Since there is always too much to do in Rochester, our Events Calendar has been color-coordinated. Fundraisers are in green, events in red and auditions and gallery showings in blue. We hope this central location will assist arts organizations and others in planning their own activities, such as fundraisers. As well as letting everyone know when that high school or college play is being performed, or the season schedule for your favorite performing arts group. But this interactive website is also only as good as those who use it- so submit your events and refer to the calendar and Events section for all things Arts.

Thanks to the Rochester Downtown Alliance underwriting the funding,and the Rochester Arts Council's hosting, TicketsRochester, Rochester's own online ticketing site, is now live! Just click on the TicketsRochester icon at the top of this page for ease of purchasing.

Your Arts Council is grateful for the support it has received this past year. We have built infra-structure, had a successful first-time public art project and arts festival. We have more planned in the next year and look forward to sharing it with all of you.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!