August 7th, 2023
Waseca, MN – Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (www.plrac.org) is proud to announce its 30th year anniversary providing funding and resources to artists and arts organizations in the 9-county region of Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, LeSueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan counties. This milestone coincides with celebrating the 28th year of Cindy Lewer and 14th year of Pam Trumbull with the organization. Both Lewer and Trumbull have been assets to the council’s success during the transition to a new Executive Director, Anna Pollock in July of this year.
Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council became an independent non-profit organization in 1993. It is funded in part by the Minnesota State Arts Board and the State General Fund through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (http://www.arts.state.mn.us/grants/machf.htm) as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. In FY 2023, the council awarded over $465,000 in grants to the 9-county region. Of that, the McKnight Foundation provides funding to Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council to give $49,500 annually to artists directly.
“It’s evident that arts in Southern Minnesota are crucial to the fabric of our communities. They allow a richer human experience to people of all ages, while connecting us in ways that expand our understanding of one another,” says Executive Director, Anna Pollock. Randy Mediger, representing Le Sueur County, has served on the council over the past 10 years and is currently the President of the Board. Mediger states, “The Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council has been working hard to be more inclusive in the population we serve by adding more artistic disciplines and simplifying the grant application writing process. Our staff is always willing to assist prospective applicants as well.”
They celebrate this 30th year anniversary by increasing visibility of the arts and to ensure proper use of state and foundation funding in the region by encouraging citizen participation, providing technical assistance, planning, public information, and administrative assistance to artists and arts organizations.
Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council is a part of The Forum of Regional Arts Councils of Minnesota (http://www.arts.state.mn.us/racs/index.htm), a consortium of the eleven regional arts councils that serve all Minnesota counties.
For more information, please contact Anna Pollock, Executive Director at anna@plrac.org or visit our website at www.plrac.org. For general inquiries, please contact info@plrac.org.