BEMIDJI — The Region 2 Arts Council is one of 11 regional arts councils in the state of Minnesota. They provide grants for art plans, projects, and programs for individual artists, non-profit organizations, government and tribal entities, schools, colleges, universities, and community education programs. Most of the funds come from the state.
The Region 2 Arts Council covers Lake of the Woods, Beltrami, Clearwater, Mahnomen, and Hubbard counties. They also support tribal communities, so they cover counties that are part of tribal lands.
If you haven't found your way into a community or figured out how that fits into the community, we're here to help create that community.Patrick Calder-Carriere
Patrick Calder-Carriere is the new executive director for the council. It is his job to advise the board of directors, which is made up of volunteers. They approve the council’s budgets and suggest where the council should focus its funding.
“I also see part of my job as being there for the community, because one of the most important things that arts do is bring people together,” Calder-Carriere said. “So that people have a place to come to if they're looking for support or even networking in the arts.”
Calder-Carriere grew up in Bemidji and was very involved with theater. He eventually got a degree in theater and education and went overseas to teach. When he came back, he went to graduate school for theater. He worked with Haskell Indian Nations University in the Thunderbird Theater, and then taught theater at Bemidji State University until the theater program closed. He then taught theater at Minnesota State University Moorhead for 11 years until they also cut their program.
Calder-Carriere values the Bemidji community, so when the executive director position became available, he took the opportunity to return.
He sees connections from his teaching background to his current job.
“As a teacher, my job is to help the student achieve their goals and recognize what they're doing and have a voice in their own education... as an executive director of an arts council, I think it's important that I help artists.” Calder-Carriere continued, “Our job is to help those artists go in the direction they want to go.”
An ongoing conversation the council has had is that some people have trouble calling themselves artists.
“So, part of my job is reaching out to those folks who don't yet feel like they want to take on the name of artist or kind of running away from it. But they're still making things.”
They also want to encourage artists that they’re not there just to help the visual arts. They cover musical performances, poetry readings, theatrical performances and traditional arts like beadwork and making regalia.
Another goal Calder-Carriere has is to bring visibility and celebrate Ojibwe artists from tribes in the region.
“It is the spirit and soul of the place where we live. Those traditions have survived through terrible hardships and people are working so hard to maintain and reestablish those things that I think part of our job is to help that process.”
To find out what grants are currently available through the Region 2 Arts Council, visit their website. People can also subscribe to their newsletter to keep up to date.
Calder-Carriere tells someone still on the fence of thinking of themselves as an artist, “It feels very lonely at times as you're making things on your own. If you haven't found your way into a community or figured out how that fits into the community, we're here to help create that community. If you just let us know you're there.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
