This past July and August, Region 2 Arts Council held two Artist Relief Grant rounds. $500 awards were granted to 38 artists who rely on the creation of art to generate income, have lost arts income due to COVID-19, and have no overdue final reports with Region 2 Arts Council.
We needed to close each round within one day, due to the great number of requests and the limited funds we had available. Many thanks to Bemidji-based weaver and poet Kristin Majkrzak for her generous gift of $500, which fully supported an additional Artist Relief Grant. Also thank you to author and theater-artist Mary Knox Johnson, who turned down her award in favor of passing it on to the next applicant in line. Finally, thank you to the Region 2 Arts Council Board of Directors and the McKnight Foundation for standing behind this unprecedented use of our McKnight funding for individual artists.
Artists greatly contribute to the region’s economic and cultural vibrancy of our region. Any person or business interested in donating toward the support of artist through our programming can mail a check (made payable to “Region 2 Arts Council”) to: P.O. Box 693, Bemidji MN, 56619.
Region 2 Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to strengthening the presence of the arts by supporting opportunities for arts creation, promotion, and education for the people of Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods, and Mahnomen counties.
r2arts.org 