Calling All Northfield Creatives!
Seeking local talent to develop creative ideas:
*Represent ALL cultures
*Showcase our riverfront
* Build community
Bring your vision and voice to Downtown Northfield – all cultures, ages, and styles of creativity are welcome!
~10-15 Artists will be chosen & project support funds to use for their project. By attending the meeting, this is the first step to receive funding to support your project this upcoming summer and fall.
LEARN MORE at a FREE WORKSHOP: (If you are interested in receiving project support ~ you MUST attend one of the FREE informational meetings)
ARTISTS WORKSHOPS:
March 8
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Northfield Arts Guild
light snacks & drinks provided
(bilingual Spanish interpreter available)
-OR-
March 9
9 a.m. – noon
Northfield Public Library Minnesota
light snacks & beverages provided
(bilingual Spanish interpreter available)
This activity is part of Artists on Main Street, a partnership between NDDC, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and Springboard for the Arts, with support from the Bush Foundation.
Learn MORE:
Northfield Artists on Main Street
Connection/Conexión
Calling all Creatives to Build Connections/Conexiónes in Downtown Northfield
Artists, makers, and creatives of all types are invited to participate in one of two free upcoming Creative Placemaking workshops as part of the Artists on Main Street Initiative here in Northfield.
Attending the workshops is the first step for creatives to apply for and potentially receive funding to support projects this upcoming summer and fall.
The workshop will be facilitated by Michele Anderson, Northfield native and current Rural Program Director for Springboard for the Arts, and Sarina Otaibi, Rural Program Manager for the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. Attendees will learn more about creative placemaking in general, the Artists on Main Street Initiative, examples of projects funded in other MN communities, and the project parameters specific to Northfield.
The name of Northfield’s initiative is “Connection/Conexión.” Project funding will be available to any artist, creative, or maker living or working within the Northfield Public School district boundary. Projects will use art, creativity, events or performances to help to draw people from across Highway 3 to downtown and create connections between people and places within our downtown.
Projects should occur within the boundaries of 2nd street on the north, 5th street on the south, the railroad tracks on the west side of Highway 3 and the East Riverwalk/backs of Division St. buildings on the east. All cultures, ages, and styles of creativity are welcome! A full call for proposals will be distributed at the workshops. The project’s fund of $15,000 will support 10-15 projects that will be selected by a Public Art Review Committee, a process facilitated by the City of Northfield’s Arts and Culture Commission. Projects must be implemented between May-October 2019.
Funding applicants must have attended a creative placemaking workshop in order to be considered for funding. Light snacks and beverages will be provided, and a bilingual Spanish interpreter will be available as well.
The Creative Placemaking workshops will take place on Friday, March 8 from 5:30-8:30 pm at the Northfield Arts Guild, and Saturday, March 9 from 9 am-12 pm at the Northfield Public Library. Registration for the workshops is free, but attendees should RSVP at http://downtownnorthfield.org if they plan to attend.
About the Artists on Main Street Initiative and Partners
The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation was awarded a $30,000 grant through the Artists on Main Street community development initiative in Fall 2018. The
program is a partnership between the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM) and Springboard for the Arts, with support from the Bush Foundation. The program explores the intersection of arts and culture, downtown revitalization, and historic preservation in eleven Minnesota Main Street communities over a four year period.
Minnesota Main Street is an economic development program of PAM that uses a historic preservation based strategy to revitalize downtown districts in Greater Minnesota communities. The program works with communities long-term and provides training and resources, including a Main Street Project Fund; to help community members revitalize their downtown.
Springboard for the Arts is a national leader in creative community development. Their approach is rooted in the principles of community organizing and focuses on a “lots of little” strategy that surfaces unrecognized leaders in communities, builds public narratives from a multiplicity of perspectives and voices; and creates low-risk opportunities for collaboration. This equity-based model centers on the lives and experiences of the people in and of the place; values the relationships, partnerships, and creative capacity that artists and communities build together; and aims to build power and agency for individuals, neighborhoods and communities.
About the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation
The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 to support, strengthen, and grow Northfield’s unique downtown district. It is made up of business owners, buildings owners, and engaged residents who value the role downtown plays in Northfield’s vibrancy.
Northfield, Minnesota, is a picturesque river town with a walkable downtown district along the scenic Cannon River. Northfield is home to St Olaf and Carleton Colleges, and so is one of the upper Midwest’s best college towns. It is home to historic buildings, a swirl of art and cultural activities, state-of-the-art businesses, a rich offering of hotels and restaurants, and a sophisticated retail environment.
The program will help the NDDC to sustain a vibrant downtown by providing art and creative placemaking experiences that draw people to shop, dine and connect in Downtown Northfield; enhancing the downtown’s aesthetics through the creativity of our local artists; and utilizing the arts as a springboard for improving diversity and inclusiveness in Downtown Northfield across all cultures. As the Designated MN Main Street organization, the NDDC will coordinate the Artists on Main Street program in collaboration with the City of Northfield’s Arts & Culture Commission and the Northfield Arts Guild.
