Funds will help sustain and grow art education programming

Central Square Arts and Cultural Center in Glenwood was awarded an Arts Education grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB) to support adult and youth art education programming, it was announced last week. 

This funding will allow Central Square to continue offering educational and engagement opportunities that expand artistic development, deepen creative impact by building confidence in skills, and deepen social connections that support creative and artistic growth. 

Programming will be led by regional teaching artists and educational leaders within our area. Additionally, Central Square offers limited scholarship funds for all classes and workshops to ensure broader accessibility to creative education, promoting inclusivity and equitable opportunities for artistic engagement.

In 2023, Central Square has implemented Youth Theatre workshops and productions, revamped their summer youth art program, now called Art Adventures, and added literary arts to their adult class offerings.

“Receiving this funding feels like a vote of confidence in our team’s strategic programmatic planning.  It reaffirms our commitment to making our programming not only accessible but also more encompassing and impactful. We’re very excited and honored to receive this critical funding from our state arts board,” stated Marie Chan, Executive Director of Central Square.

Ranking third in per capita public funding for the arts makes Minnesota a national leader in arts funding. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the total value of the arts sector in Minnesota is $12 billion annually and 3.6% of the economy, making it only a bit less than the construction industry. 

“The significance of arts engagement, artists, and creativity in enriching our lives cannot be overstated. What sets Minnesota apart is our commitment to funding cultural initiatives, which we, the residents, voted to support through taxation. I’ve always been proud to be from Minnesota, but our state’s dedication to the arts makes me exceptionally proud. Furthermore, our state representatives, state Rep. Paul Anderson and state Sen. Torrey Westrom, are actively engaged and staunch supporters of the arts in our region. Their support has been invaluable to us here at Central Square,” Chan stated.

To learn more about Central Square programming, please visit: centralsquare.org. 

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.