Artspace invites the public to a 10th anniversary celebration of the Artspace Franklin Arts Center (1001 Kingwood St., Brainderd, MN 56401), a former junior high school that Artspace transformed into a mixed-use arts hub. The lively arts community located in the building is collectively hosting this community event, underwritten by Brutger Equities, Inc., from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. Free and open to the public, guests can tour several artist live/work studios, shop for local arts and crafts, view an exhibition at the on-site community gallery, and see live performances.
Artspace Projects announced today $150,000 in capital grant awards from the HRK Foundation, in support of the Oglala Lakota Artspace building on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. An LLC partnership among First Peoples Fund, Lakota Funds, and Artspace will develop the Oglala Lakota Artspace, creating space for Native artists to work and showcase their art within the Pine Ridge Reservation. HRK capital is provided from both the HRK and MAHADH Funds; with the latter made in memory of HRK trustee Martha Hulings Kaemmer.
In this edition, we bring you stories from out there: innovative, expansive regions; small towns with strong identities; and a future-focused Native American reservation. These rural communities are working to show that small populations don’t equal small ambition. They are putting art and creatives at the forefront of their identities. They see the arts as indispensable, enhancing commerce, tourism, and cultural preservation.
A NEW MIXED-USE PROJECT FILLS A HOLE IN THE FABRIC OF HISTORIC DOWNTOWN HASTINGS WITH DISTINCTIVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ARTISTS
By Joel Hoekstra
For years, the city of Hastings had struggled to find a good use for a one-acre property on the eastern end of its historic downtown. The old tannery that once stood on the site, overlooking the Mississippi River, had been demolished and replaced by a surface parking lot. From time to time, various developers had made proposals to build on the site, but none of the plans ever amounted to anything.
Over the decades, Artspace has surveyed and facilitated discussions with tens of thousands of artists across the country. At the top of nearly every artist’s wish list, in places as diverse as Los Angeles, CA and Council Bluffs, IA, is the need for quality, affordable space. Sadly, these two ideals often work in conflict.
By Kelly Parker
Contributing Writer
‘‘If these walls could talk,” joked Artspace local project manager Joe Butler, as he addressed the crowd of Treme neighbors and culture bearers, along with philanthropic, financial and community partners at the new Bell Artspace Campus.
