ArtChangeUS REMAP comes to the Twin Cities

(Minneapolis/St. Paul; August 27, 2018) –– How do we talk about the vital role of the arts in relation to the demographic transformation of the Twin Cities? By reframing the conversation.

ArtChangeUS REMAP: Twin Cities is the sixth in a series of nationwide convenings designed to spark deep discussions and new approaches to creativity, cultural equity and community benefits. A free afternoon session designed for institutions, organizers, artists and community members closes out a three-day conference, which will be attended by those who seek equitable, sustainable arts-driven change and aim to add more insightful methods and new perspectives to their work. The community forum will be held from 12:30-5pm on Tuesday, September 25 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

The public is invited to attend a roundtable from 1-3pm, featuring Twin Cities Theaters of Color Coalition and Racial Equity Funders Collaborative members, including Bdewakantunwan Dakota public historian Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Sioux), Penumbra Theatre Artistic Director Sarah Bellamy, The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations Program Officer Sharon DeMark, HRK Foundation Executive Director Kathleen Fluegel, Teatro del Pueblo Artistic Director Alberto Justiniano, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Program Director for the Arts Maurine Knighton, Artspace President Kelley Lindquist, The McKnight Foundation Arts Program Officer & Director of Artist Fellowships Arleta Little, Pangea World Theater Artistic Director Dipankar Mukherjee, Mu Performing Arts Artistic Director Randy Reyes, Jerome Foundation Program Director Eleanor Savage, Bush Foundation Community Creativity Portfolio Director Erik Takeshita, Grantmakers in the Arts President & CEO Eddie Torres, ArtChangeUS Director Roberta Uno, New Native Theatre Founder & Artistic Director Rhiana Yazzie and others. Artistic shares by visual artist Dyani White Hawk and performance by Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble are also featured.

Then, from 3-5pm, attendees – joined by roundtable artists and funders – will have the opportunity to participate in dynamic small group discussions on advancing cultural equity inside institutions. The session will be kicked off with an introduction on Cultural Community Benefits Principals tools and approaches by Creative Many Director of Creative Industries Cézanne Charles. Participants will learn about best practices applicable to their own organizations.

Attendance to the September 25 afternoon session is free but registration is required through Eventbrite or at http://bit.ly/ReMapTwinCities.

ArtChangeUS REMAP: Twin Cities will take place in Minneapolis and St. Paul, located in Mnisota Makoce on Dakota land. Minnesota is transforming: 19% of its residents are people of color, compared to about 1% in 1960. The population of color in the Twin Cities region is expected to be at least 40% by 2040.

REMAP begins with two days of immersive artistic workshops, Sunday-Monday, September 23-24, led by creative innovators at the nexus of the arts and social change. Featured workshop leaders include choreographer Ananya Chatterjea, visual artist Seitu Jones, visual artist Rosalie López, ceramicist Cannupa Hanska Luger, playwright/director Meena Natarajan, theater director Dipankar Mukherjee, vocalist Rebecca Mwase, multidisciplinary artist Junauda Petrus, vocalist Ron Ragin, musician Dameun Strange and performing artist Carlton Turner.

Registration subsidies will be offered to Twin Cities-based artists thanks to the support of the Jerome Foundation, on a first-come basis. For the full schedule of workshops, visit https://artsinachangingamerica.org/remap-twin-cities/

For registration and a detailed schedule, descriptions and artists bios, go to artsinachangingamerica.org/remap-twin-cities. Follow REMAP: Twin Cities and Core Partner collaborator on Facebook: @artsinachangingamerica, @AnanyaDanceTheatre, @PangeaWorldTheater and Twitter: @ArtChangeUS, @AnanyaDance, @PangeaWT and use hashtags #REMAPTwinCities #ArtChangeUS

REMAP was planned in collaboration with Ananya Dance Theater and Pangea World Theater and other Twin Cities partners. The program is made possible with support from the Bush Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the MAHADH Fund of HRK Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Arts in a Changing America (ArtChangeUS), based out of the California Institute of the Arts, has previously convened REMAP in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Richmond, Virginia; and the Pine Ridge Reservation in Rapid City, South Dakota.

To volunteer or to learn more about ArtChangeUS, visit http://www.artsinachangingamerica.org.