The City of Cloquet, in collaboration with Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community, were selected as one of four communities selected in the state (out of 41 applications) for Minnesota’s Artists on Mainstreet Program. I want to thank all of the regional artists and other creative people who joined our West End Flourish virtual workshop April 29, hosted by Rethos, Springboard for the Arts, Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community, the City of Cloquet, and funded in part by the Bush Foundation.

It was an opportunity to hear from experts across Minnesota about how artful creative activities and physical art have revitalized communities. The city has also prepared a list of property owners and businesses for artists to contact in hopes of collaborating with them in our West End Business District. In June, proposals will be selected by a community-minded panel of representatives including Jonathan Ballmer, Kerry Kolodge, Pat McCoy, Traci Marciniak, Kristine Piasecki, Carolyn Ripp and Jensina Rosen.

The two-year Artists on Main Street program will provide funding for small artistic projects for up to $1,000 in two grant cycles (to a total maximum of $25,000). In the first grant cycle, due May 28, projects will take place from July to December. We call all interested creative people to consider a funding opportunity. The city hopes this project will help increase visibility for artists and the West End.

Our West End Flourish goals are to:

Compliment and honor the Cloquet’s Historic West End Business District and its character, creating an energy that will be catalytic in filling empty storefronts.

Improve aesthetics and create a draw into this compact two and a half block radius West End business district considering artist opportunities.

Culturally leverage opportunities to blend and balance the City of Cloquet’s history and adjacent Fond du Lac Reservation.

In case you missed the workshop, view it here: youtu.be/mEsCvqgpt3k and follow Cloquet’s West End Flourish on our website oacc.us/programs/west-end-flourish/ or Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/westendflourish.

Writer Holly Hansen is the Community Development Director for the city of Cloquet.