Dancing for the Arts Celebrity Dancers Named!
Ten Rochester celebrities go toe-to-toe in fun event to raise money for arts education
It's official! The unveiling of Rochester's local celebrities has arrived. So who will kick up their heels on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 in the Exhibit Hall of the Mayo Civic Center?
Drum roll please!
Melissa Brinkman- COO, Custom Alarm/Custom Communications
Lisa Clarke- Mayo Clinic/Division Chair, Dept. of Public Affairs
Sharon Gentling- Retired businesswoman
Tessa Leung- co-owner of Sontes
Betsy Singer- News anchor, ABC 6/KAAL-TV
Randy Chapman- Publisher, Post-Bulletin
Scott Hoss- Attorney, Dunlap & Seeger, P.A.
Brad Jones- Executive Director, Rochester Convention & Visitors Bureau
Michael Munoz- Superintendent, Rochester Public Schools
Gregory Stavrou- Executive Director, Rochester Civic Theatre
Our Rochester celebrities are paired with wonderful professional dancers. Representing the Dahl Dance Center are Gary Dahl, James Geroux, Joel Ray, John Vitek, April Dahl, Katy Jablonski, Christine Miller and Amanda Ruggeri. Lynne Billing is representing the
How to vote for your favorite(s)?
Better yet- how to attend the event?
Stay tuned for further updates.....and in the meantime- SAVE THE DATE!
Arts & Economic Prosperity IV Study has ended!
32 Organizations Worked Together to Gather Data
The Rochester Arts Council's study to determine the economic impact of nonprofit Arts and Cultural Organizations and their Audiences in the City of Rochester has closed as far as the data gathering portion of the study. Now all the data is in the hands of Americans for the Arts for analysis and inclusion in the national project. Those results will be released to the public in June 2012. But a big THANK YOU is in order for all those who participated in the gathering of the information and especially to the audience members who took the time to complete the survey.
A project of Americans for the Arts, the Arts Council was chosen to be the representative for the state of Minnesota, as well as commissioning a customized study for Rochester thanks to generous partnerships with the City of Rochester, University of Minnesota Rochester, Mayo Clinic and Home Federal Savings Bank.
In addition to the Rochester Arts Council, participating organizations included Bella Voce Young Women's Choir, Children's Dance Theatre, Children's Museum of Rochester, Choral Arts Ensemble, Diversity Council, History Center of Olmsted County, Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota, Lyra Baroque Orchestra, Mayo Civic Center, Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine, RCTC Drama Club, Rochester Aria Group, Rochester Art Center, Rochester Chamber Music Society, Rochester Civic Music, Rochester Civic Theatre, Rochester Dance Company, Rochester Downtown Alliance, Rochesterfest, Rochester International Film Group, Rochester Male Chorus, Rochester Music Guild, Rochester Music Men Barbershop Chorus, Rochester Public Library, Rochester Repertory Theatre Company, Rochester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Southeastern Minnesota American Guild of Organists, Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestra, St. John's Block Party and Vertigo Theatre Factory.
In 2006, it was determined that close to $18 million was spent in southeastern Minnesota. We had an opportunity to determine the economic impact that the arts have in Rochester specifically. The Arts Council will receive its customized study in April 2012, and the results will be available for publication in conjunction with the national findings in June 2012.
It's all "About You"!
Study seeks your input on Rochester's arts and cultural scene
A unique 20 minute study is available online until February 29, 2012 asking people not what they think is missing in Rochester, but what they think about what Rochester currently offers. All responses are anonymous, although there is an option for further participation.
Known as a "community asset inventory", Heidi Mestad (Director of Communication and Community Engagement for the Rochester Downtown Alliance, and a board member of the Rochester Arts Council) defines assets as the currently available venues, activities/offerings in Rochester, as well as the talents and interests of people in the community.
The survey is sponsored by the City of Rochester, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Downtown Alliance, University of Minnesota Rochester and Mayo Clinic's Destination Medical Community.
For more information about the study, email info@aboutu.org, call 507-424-2866, and/or go to Facebook: www.facebook.com/AboutYouRochester.
Speaking of Dancing.....
Dancing is great exercise and is a wonderful heart-healthy activity.
Our friends over at the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media have put together a heart healthy message on YouTube that is sure to get your toes tapping.
It’s a parody of the 1980s hit by Tommy TuTone, “867-5309” or “Jenny.” But it has a serious message – Know Your Numbers – Blood Pressure, Lipids and BMI. They also developed a new Facebook app that will help you calculate your risk of a heart attack and learn how to prevent one. Video viewers also have the opportunity to enter a contest to earn points by helping spread the word about heart attack risk factors.
All the singers, musicians and actors are Mayo Clinic staff.
Check it out, and then have yourself checked out so, as the musical Wicked notes, you can keep dancin' through life.
Rochester's Legacy Weekend Captured On Video Postcard
Rochester played host for the month of August in the yearlong State celebration of the activities and organizations funded through the strong approval of the people of Minnesota
through the arts and cultural heritage fund. Click on the video for a sampling of how important this funding is in maintaining the quality of life for all Minnesotans and those who visit.
Building A Creative Economy (BACE) Unifies the Arts Voice
Too often it appears that Arts communities seem fractured in their ability to work together, when the opposite is often the truth. In Rochester, the Arts Council, through BACE, is providing the opportunity to unite the Arts voice by inviting all arts and cultural organizations, as well as individual artists, to join the effort to change the conversation of the role culture plays in building a creative economy.
Over the past three months, the Arts Council convened four meetings- two were facilitated discussions with board members from various arts organizations and their respective executive and artistic directors, and two were meetings with individual artists (visual and performing) to contribute their thoughts and ideas to this important conversation.
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A number of strategic issues were addressed that related to how our arts and cultural communities can position themselves to impact the future development of Rochester, as well as address the concerns of our individual artisans.
The beginning steps have been taken, but more needs to be done as Rochester's arts and cultural community unifies because the arts are critical to the future of Rochester.
Stay tuned.
KSMQ goes off90 and finds off the wall "Barn Bar"
The Rochester Arts Council Board Chair, Bob Sanborn, has been busy these past 4 seasons quietly creating, with a little help from his friends, a YouTube phenomenon in his barn.
The secret is now out as KSMQ showcases Barn Bar, the strangest bar since Star Wars.
If you want to see what the buzz is about, and catch sight of some people you might just know frequenting this place, go to Barn Bar.
"Life's a Bench!"-get one!
Thanks to the Parks and Recreation Department, the benches have been placed in their locations for everyone to sit a spell and touch the artwork. Because when life gets hectic and you want to take a few minutes to relax and re-group, what better way than to immerse yourself in an artistic surrounding, to feel the soothing beauty of art restoring your spirits when Life's a Bench!
Find the benches around Rochester
Please note that the Wizard of Oz bench is inside the Mayo Civic Center (near the Civic Theatre) for the winter, but outside next to the Arts Council goose for the summer.
This could not have happened without the generous support of our Life's a Bench! sponsors** so please thank them by supporting them as well:
Richard & Evelyn Berger, City of Rochester, Mayor Ardell F. Brede, DoubleTree Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, Alan & Judy Hoffman, Home Federal Savings Bank, Mayo Clinic, Peter & Bari Amadio, Post-Bulletin Co., Rochester Downtown Farmers Market Friends, Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation, Judy & Jim Sloan Foundation, The Shops at University Square, Think Mutual Bank, US Bank Building, University of Minnesota Rochester.
**This activity is also funded in part by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council through the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota state Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008;and by the Rochester Downtown Alliance.
Did you know?.......The Rochester Arts Council is eligible to receive matching grants through the IBM Matching Grants Program. We want to thank all the current employees and retirees who not only donated to us, but completed the matching grant form. If you are a current or former IBM employee, and a donor to the Rochester Arts Council, please consider the matching program. Funds received will help defray the costs of ARTigras.
if you have enjoyed the Goose is Loose! project, 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, Methodist Hospital Gift Shop and Saint Marys Hospital Gift Shop, the History Center of Olmsted County and at Hering Galleries at 2002 2nd Street, official framer of the Goose is Loose! poster.
The cost of a poster is $15. Also available are Limited Edition 16 oz. 100% Pure Soy Candles featuring 6 of the geese, each with their own scent, but supplies are running low!. All proceeds benefit the Rochester Arts Council in accomplishing its mission of supporting the arts.
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 for visiting our site!
