SMAC 2022 Annual Celebration

Celebrate Art & Artists at the 2022 Annual Celebration! You are invited to join us in celebration of the arts and artists of our 18 county region: Saturday, September 24, 2022 From 2-4 pm, check out these grant-funded art locations around Appleton:

• 52 Wing Mural (inside the building is under construction, but we can still appreciate the outside mural!)
• Appleton City Park Mosaic Benches
• Window Murals in the old Electric building along the river, across from the City Park
• Explore the many rooms of the Appleton Art & Culture Center who host classes weekly

At the Valley Dance District:

• Two options (2:30 pm & 3:30 pm) to experience what a class is like for students of the Valley Dance District
• Check out their large second-story* dance studio *Requires steps to access

At 4 pm, enjoy a Happy Hour cash bar on the main floor of Valley Dance District, followed by SMAC's Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony for our Prairie Star, John Sterner (joining virtually) and our Prairie Disciple, Melanie Loy, then a casual meal prepared by Plazita Mexican Restaurant at 5:30 pm.  Enjoy churros for dessert, followed by announcement of the Spirit of the Region Raffle Basket winners at 7 pm! **Registration is now closed** Event Details:

"Spirit of the Region" Raffle: A $10 raffle ticket will get you the chance to win a basket of specialty goods made in the SMAC Region (from wine to honey, beer to fudge). Raffle tickets available in advance at the SMAC office or through a SMAC Board Member. Raffle tickets also available onsite at the event.

Awards 2022 Prairie Star Award ($5,000): John Sterner, Marshall The Prairie Star Award is given out every other year and it recognizes an individual artist whose body of work has made a significant contribution to the arts over an extended period of time, who has been recognized by their artistic peers, and who has best exemplified the highest quality of work in the SMAC region. John has been making personal and public art for decades and works in a variety of mediums. He sculpts in bronze, iron and fabricated steel with many of these pieces featured in private homes, high school, colleges, universities, hospitals and public parks. His recent interest has been in Plein Air painting and he has participated in numerous Plein Air art festivals. John has exhibited in many galleries of the SMAC region including SMAC, Marshall Area Fine Arts Council, Jackson Center for the Arts, Hutchinson Center for the Arts and Ridgewater College. In addition, John is a licensed K-12 art teacher at Lakeview Public Schools and teaches art at Southwest Minnesota State University. In 2020, he was featured in Pioneer TV's Postcards program, which discussed his creative process and passion for creating art. Not only does he regularly create, but he loves to share and teach how to make art with others. Read more about John Sterner 2022 Prairie Disciple Award ($1,000): Melanie Loy, Worthington This award is to recognize a person who has been instrumental in promoting the arts in the 18-county area of southwestern Minnesota. When Melanie arrived in the Worthington District 518 Schools in 2006, there were 94 students throughout the district for her program; her tenacity and leadership has grown the program to well over 350 orchestra students, requiring adding two additional full-time instructors at the middle school level to maintain the growth and energy! Students from her program that go onto college playing or majoring in music have received the highest dollar amounts awarded in scholarships in the school district. Melanie has an impressive 100+ students in her 4th grade class at the start of every year. Read more about Melanie Loy