Region 2 Arts Council awards $86,000 in Arts Access Grants
The Region 2 Arts Council Board of Directors awarded $86,000 in Arts and Cultural Heritage Funds to area non-profit entities following a community panel review of 25 applications. Organizations could submit up to two proposals each. Seventeen total projects were granted, promising to bring high-quality, accessible arts activities to primarily benefit the people of Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods, and Mahnomen counties. Region 2 Arts Council Arts Access Grants are made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Heartland Arts in Park Rapids received $6,000 to sponsor Art Leap 2026, an annual fall driving tour of Heartland Lakes artists’ studios and Park Rapids area cultural destinations.
Red Lake Middle School received $6,000 to engage resident artists Lady Midnight and Dex Wolfe to work with all seventh-grade students to write lyrics, create music, record the original song, and film a music video to be shared with the public.
Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids received $5,968 to contract with artist Kent Estey to engage members of their local and school communities in creating paintings of nature that encourage participants to “look beyond our four walls” culminating in a public exhibition of the artwork created.
Lake of the Woods School Community Education in Baudette received $6,000 to hire Missoula Children's Theater to provide a free Musical Theater Camp to area children in August 2026.
Bemidji Performing Arts Academy received $6,000 to provide more affordable access to Bemidji Summer String Institute by offering tuition discounts for all students that attend.
The Clearwater County Historical Society in Shevlin received $1,200 to bring Charlie Maguire to Shevlin MN to perform a concert celebrating America's 250th Anniversary.
Northern Light Opera Company in Park Rapids received $6,000 to provide the 4-week NLOKids Theater Camp, a collaborative project serving the Indigenous community of Pine Point MN and the Park Rapids MN community.
Hope House in Bemidji received $4,520 to hire Indigenous artist Wesley May to work with their clients to design and paint an eagle mural, incorporating Native American cultural values and teachings, in their newly renovated drop-in/activity center.
Bemidji Downtown Alliance received $5,880 to hire regional artists to create paintings to be photographed, printed on vinyl, and installed on the 5 blue downtown information kiosks as public art.
CREATE in Park Rapids received $6,000 to hire new visiting artists to teach mixed media, mosaics, and beading to the disabled adults they serve who then share their art and experience with the community through the Tin Ceiling Gallery.
Headwaters Music & Arts in Bemidji received $6,000 to hold a one-week immersive music experience for string instrument musicians of all levels.
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians received $6,000 to hire Anishinaabe artist Kent Estey to assemble, paint, and install a panorama of 5 murals in the new Red Lake Community Health Worker Program offices in Bemidji.
Northern Light Opera Company in Park Rapids received $6,000 to offer the Workbench New Play Workshop, providing professional training to novice playwrights culminating in a public performance of the new works created in the workshop.
The Bemidji Senior Center received $4,944 to host, in partnership with the Bemidji Woodcarvers Club, a workshop on “low-relief wood carving” with notable Midwest woodcarving team Elaine and Fred Stenman.
CREATE in Park Rapids received $4,162 to assist in funding a 4-day paper making workshop with Jill Odegaard, and the creation and public performance of a musical directed by Jennifer Garaedts with actors including the disabled adults they serve and other community members.
Lumberjack High School in Bemidji received $2,291 to take juniors and seniors on a field trip to experience multiple art-infused activities at the Duluth Art Institute, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Lake Superior Maritime Museum.
The Armory Arts & Events Center in Park Rapids received $3,035 to present the Art Studio Series, featuring five new, hands-on art classes designed to engage community members in creative exploration and skill development across various artistic mediums.
Region 2 Arts Council Arts Access Grants are made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.