ARTigras 2010* was a smashing success!
Despite the warm and humid weather (no rain!), thousands of people turned out to celebrate the arts in Rochester's Mayo Park. The 2nd annual Free, Family-Friendly, Fun Festival was a big hit when listening to comments from those in attendance.
But we want to hear from you!
Please click on the link below to take our short survey and give us your feedback on ARTigras 2010 so we can prepare for ARTigras 2011.
Please click here for the MonkeySurvey.
The ARTiVillage had over 100 juried artisans displaying all forms of art, mingled with 21 premier Rochester arts organizations showcasing all that is available right in our own backyard.
ARTiStage was alive with music of all genres from 11:00 am until 7:30 pm, and the caliber of the musicians was so good, that several people stopping by the Arts Council booth wanted to know if the music would be available on CD!
And for the young and young-at-heart, ARTiKids was the place to be. The ever-popular Steamroller Art by ArtOrg of Northfield was close to the record for participation, and Dr. Bob (Kurland) was kept busy for hours creating balloon magic. The Rochester Art Center was also kept busy with attendees screen-printing colorful T-Shirts with the ARTigras logo, and Jay Maier of Maier Forest & Tree had kids laughing with their active participation in his tree activities. And the Children's Museum Rochester introduced their latest interactive exhibit Ready Set Go Raceway which was fun and educational.
Dave Munz, potter extraordinaire, brought his pottery wheel and had the kids gathered around as he demonstrated exactly how he makes his pottery. He also had Limited Edition ARTigras 2010 mugs available for sale which he made. There are only a few available so if interested, contact the Arts Council and we can direct you his way. Or head down to SEMVA on the Peace Plaza and ask for Dave directly. The mugs are attractive, useful and a great souvenir of the event.
This year also saw the introduction of the Rochester Civic Theatre and Friends Stage, open to any individual or any arts organization that wanted to perform. From the looks of the audience reception, the Stage will be back next year.
And there were more food vendors to satisfy everyone's palate: The Chocolate Twist,
Salad BROTHERS cafe and deli, RP Specialties gourmet cookies, Cold Stone Creamery to Mayo Civic Center Hospitality Services.
The Rochester Arts Council particularly wants to recognize and thank Counselor Realty of Rochester for providing its Famous Popcorn Wagon and free popcorn to everyone, cheerfully distributed by Arlene and Paige. Donations were accepted and Counselor Realty presented a donation of $150 to the Arts Council! Thanks to Counselor Realty (especially Debi Neville for making the arrangements) and to the ARTigras attendees for their generosity.
It's never too early to mark your calendars for ARTigras 2011, to be held Saturday, August 20th in Mayo Park. And if you want to revisit ARTigras 2010, just click on the link below.
Click here for greater details and the official 2010 brochure/map.
*This activity is funded in part by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council through the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
"Life's a Bench!"-get one!
The time has come! Thanks to the Parks and Recreation Department, the benches are now placed in their locations for everyone to sit a spell and touch the artwork. Because when life gets hectic and you want to take a few minutes to relax and re-group, what better way than to immerse yourself in an artistic surrounding, to feel the soothing beauty of art restoring your spirits when Life's a Bench!
Find the benches around Rochester
Our wonderful artists have transformed the benches into works of art, and we would like your opinion on the entire project. Below is a short SurveyMonkey that you can access, and we hope you will help us by answering the questions. All responses are anonymous.
Click here to access the SurveyMonkey link
This could not have happened without the generous support of our Life's a Bench! sponsors** so please thank them by supporting them as well:
Richard & Evelyn Berger, City of Rochester, Mayor Ardell F. Brede, DoubleTree Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, Alan & Judy Hoffman, Home Federal Savings Bank, Mayo Clinic, Peter & Bari Amadio, Post-Bulletin Co., Rochester Downtown Farmers Market Friends, Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation, Judy & Jim Sloan Foundation, The Shops at University Square, Think Mutual Bank, US Bank Building, University of Minnesota Rochester.
**This activity is also funded in part by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council through the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota state Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008;and by the Rochester Downtown Alliance.
How Sweet It Is!
The Rochester Arts Council is pleased to announce that we are now registered with RPCookies so donating to the Arts Council has never been sweeter.. or easier!
All donations* received from the sale of Gourmet Cookie Dough* will be used to bring the fun event of ARTigras for you to enjoy!
*Chunky Chocolate Chip *Made with M&M Candies *Monster
*Oatmeal Raisin *Peanut Butter *Peanut Butter w/Chocolate Chunk
*Snickerdoodle *Sugar *White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
Please support this family, fun-filled event by ordering at
http://rpcookies.com or stopping in at Rochester Produce.
*50% of each order goes directly to the Rochester Arts Council for the benefit of
2010
Did you know?.......The Rochester Arts Council is eligible to receive matching grants through the IBM Matching Grants Program. We received our first check from IBM as part of this program, and we want to thank all the current employees and retirees who not only donated to us, but completed the matching grant form. If you are a current or former IBM employee, and a donor to the Rochester Arts Council, please consider the matching program. Funds received will help defray the costs of ARTigras.
if you have enjoyed the Goose is Loose! project, you still have the opportunity to own all 18 geese at a fraction of the cost, because posters are available for purchase anytime at the Arts Council office in Mayo Civic Center-Skyway level in the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Mayor's Office in the Government Center, Methodist Hospital Gift Shop and Saint Marys Hospital Gift Shop (where you can also purchase the Limited Edition 2009 "Reflections of Mayo" goose 100% Pure Soy Candle), the History Center of Olmsted County and at Hering Galleries at 2002 2nd Street, framer of the Goose is Loose! poster on display at City Hall.
The cost of a poster is $15. Also available are Limited Edition 16 oz. 100% Pure Soy Candles featuring 6 of the geese, each with their own scent, but supplies are running low!. All proceeds benefit the Rochester Arts Council in accomplishing its mission of supporting the arts.
Since there is always too much to do in Rochester, our Events Calendar has been color-coordinated. Fundraisers are in green, events in red and auditions and gallery showings in blue. We hope this central location will assist arts organizations and others in planning their own activities, such as fundraisers. As well as letting everyone know when that high school or college play is being performed, or the season schedule for your favorite performing arts group. But this interactive website is also only as good as those who use it- so submit your events and refer to the calendar and Events section for all things Arts.
Thanks to the Rochester Downtown Alliance underwriting the funding,and the Rochester Arts Council's hosting, TicketsRochester, Rochester's own online ticketing site, is now live! Just click on the TicketsRochester icon at the top of this page for ease of purchasing.
Thanks for visiting our site!
