Learn the steps & processes to start thinking about bringing a City Artist-in-Residence (CAIR) program to your town!
SMAC invites you to attend a virtual informational session for artists, arts organizations, and city government on Granite Fall’s first City Artist-in-Residence Program!
Design done by Marlena Myles. You can find out more: https://marlenamyl.es/
WHAT: Meet the artist and facilitators, hear what they’ve been up to, and learn the steps & processes to start thinking about bringing a City Artist-in-Residence (CAIR) program to your town!
Generated as a partnership between Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) and the City of Granite Falls, the Granite Falls CAIR Program received unanimous approval from the City Council and was designed with a local cross-sector CAIR Advisory Group. This small town CAIR program is the first of its kind in the country, fostering cultural work that sits at the intersection of civic, social, and place-based practice in a rural setting.
WHEN: Tuesday, January 19 starting at 2:30 pm
WHERE: Virtually at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/623395245*
*For call-in instructions from a landline, please email info@swmnarts.org
WITH GUEST SPEAKERS:
Ashley Hanson:
Hanson is the founder of the Department of Public Transformation (DoPT), an artist-led organization that collaborates with local leaders in rural areas to develop creative strategies for community connection and civic participation. The DoPT is the organization that spear-headed the Granite Falls City-in-Artist program with with city. Hanson is also the founder of PlaceBase Productions, a theater company that creates original, site-specific musicals celebrating small town life, and she was recently named a 2018 Obama Foundation Fellow and a 2019 Bush Fellow for her work with rural communities.
Michele Huggins
Huggins is the City Artist-in-Residence Coordinator for the DoPT. Previously, Huggins had careers in education and finance. In her current consultant work, she utilizes her skills from undergraduate work at UMCP (BA), graduate work at Cardinal Stritch University (MBA), and her Project Management Certification. Huggins also volunteers at the KK Berge and serves on the Granite Area Arts Council to further support local arts through community civic involvement. She also operates a small business called Doughp Creations, focusing on providing her customers with quality organic fermented drinks and sourdough bread.
Dani Prados
After distributing a national Call for Artists and working with a selection committee of local City officials, business owners, artists and residents, Dani Prados (previously based in Taos, NM) was selected as the first Granite Falls City Artist in Residence! Prados began her work in Granite Falls in October of 2020 and will remain living and working in and with the community for one year. Her role is to design and implement arts and cultural strategies that increase civic participation and community engagement in City policy-making, planning and public processes.
Prados was born in Washington DC and originally destined to be a marine biologist, but instead fell enthralled to the power of story and has designed, directed, production managed, devised, and produced theatre, narrative and experimental film, short form content, multi-sensory art installations, immersive performances and transmedia for almost fifteen years in locations across the USA and Great Britain.
