ArtMatters Newsletter May 2021
ArtMatters Newsletter May 2021
Letter from ACCC President, Mary Williamson
April showers were prevalent last month and spring continues its whirlwind of warm days, cool nights and a few thunderstorms to wake up the trees and tulips! The colors of spring are fresh, bright and full of new life. The ACCC reflects this re-awakening with new officers and Board Members, a new collaboration with the City of Chaska and the CCC, exciting new events this summer season and of course new supporters, volunteers & members to the ACCC.
Much like our garden perennials, the ACCC is also growing! We are thrilled with our new, highly visible Gift Shop and expansive gallery to showcase our member’s work. If you were waiting on a good time to sell your art, literature, or music, it is time! We are on the cusp of publishing our online store and would love to support you on the world wide web as well as in person. Consider submitting your art for upcoming gallery shows or inquire on leading a class to expand your reach as an artist! Our community loves to learn from those creating! Drop into the new Gift Shop and say hello, or even better, volunteer for a shift or two each month to get to know more members and visitors! Be well, be creative! ACCC President, Mary K. E. Williamson, info@artsofcarvercounty.org.
Visual Arts News
Currently on display at the ACCC gallery exhibit is the juried show Sense of Place. We encourage everyone to come see this exhibit on display through May 8.
Our next show is a nod to the youngest artists in our community. Preschoolers at the Chaska Community Center will display their artwork starting May 12 through May 29 for Creations From Preschoolers Exhibit. You will love seeing their creative minds at work. Congratulations little artists!
In June, the ACCC will recognize the 5th year since the passing of our local legend, Prince. Carver County is encouraged to “paint the County purple” during Purple Reigns, a celebration of Prince’s life and work. The gallery at the Chaska Community Center will display entries to the show Express Yourself In Purple from June 2 to July 3. We invite artists to submit their work for consideration in this show.
Express Yourself In Purple – Call for Artists
We are asking all artists to get into the theme of Purple for the Express Yourself in Purple Exhibit. Whether it is a still life painting or photography depicting grapes and wine to a sculpture painted in purple or representations of a floral garden in purple. A study in Purple….is where we’re at… We want to see all things Purple and we ask you to create with that in mind. All mediums are welcome, we’re excited to see the Gallery walls decked in the color Purple and all that inspires your reign!
In conjunction with the Exhibit, the ACCC is sponsoring the County wide event, Purple Reigns. We will honor Prince posthumously as our 2021 Honorary Member of the ACCC, we celebrate in his birthday month. As his favorite color was purple… it’s natural to bring everyone together as we “paint the County Purple” for the month of June. Purple Reigns is approved by the Prince Estate, Paisley Park.
Entry Fee Deadline: by midnight on Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Show Dates: June 2 to July 3, 2021
Artists’ Reception and Purple Reigns Honorary Ceremony: Thursday, June 17, 2021, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Entry details and Registration Form are on the ACCC website.
Literary News
Poetry and Poets Celebrated
National Poetry Month has come to an end. We celebrated poetry and the winners of the 2021 Poetry Contest on April 21 with adult winners and participants reading their works to an audience on Zoom. We also had a brief discussion of poetry and the writing process. If you were not able to attend, you can read the winning poems of students and of adults on the website. Congratulations, again, to all the winners, and thanks to the audience for joining us in the celebration of poetry.
Looking forward to Summer
The Literary Committee is planning to have an authors’ booth at two local festivals this summer: The Norwood Young America Springfest Artisan Fair May 15, 2021, and ArtStock Art, Wine & Music Festival July 10-11, 2021. If you have a book or books to sell, do join us for two great opportunities this summer! Both opportunities are open to ACCC members and non-members alike and there is a nominal fee to secure registration for event(s). Please contact Amy at literary@artsofcarvercounty.
Music News
August 22nd from 5pm to 8pm at Fireman’s Park in Chaska we will be celebrating the release of The Songwriters and Musicians of Carver County Vol. Vll with a concert featuring music from the CD. Stay tuned for more details about this event. A music concert series for the fall at the Chaska Community Center Theater is in the works with more details to come! Email your questions to music@artsofcarvercounty.org.
Education
This month we are finishing our We All Belong in Carver Workshop series, funded by the State Arts Board of MN. It has been a great success. The Chaska Human Rights Group has taken a big interest in this project. We are hoping to continue offering similar programming. June will be the first of a series of open air gallery shows showcasing the photos and community dialogue created during the workshop.
We are offering two wonderful classes in cooperation with the Chaska Community Center. Please check the ACCC or the CCC for more information on this exciting programming. If you’d like to teach a class, please reach out to Anne Krocak at classes@artsofcarvercounty.org
Festivals
Purple Reigns
“Painting the County purple” is underway. Invitations have been sent to our cities, schools, libraries and chambers of commerce. Carver County has fully and enthusiastically embraced this first-ever County-wide public art project. They have committed to lighting the Government Center with purple flood lights during the month of June. Please join us, personally, wear purple at your workplace, be creative; in your neighborhood, challenge participation, develop a contest. Take photos of every “purple” expression and share on social media using #purplereigns2021.
The purpose of this event is trifold:
- To honor Prince. The ACCC is posthumously naming him Honorary Member, 2021.
- To draw attention to the arts in Carver County & invite everyone to be an artist during the month of June.
- County-wide individuals create “community” – a healing act as we emerge from COVID.
If you’d like to be on the Purple Reigns Committee, or participate in the event, please contact Barb Hone at purplereigns@
ArtStock: Art, Wine & Music Festival
July 10-11, we celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Mark your calendars. A Monroe Crossing Concert headlines the evening of Saturday, July 10th at 7:00 pm. Tickets are required $35 for VIP seating, $20 for General Admission. ACCC Members will receive early ticketing and a 10% discount.
To receive this benefit, order your tickets between May 3-16 by contacting info@parleylake.com. Single, public tickets will be on sale starting June 21.
Artists – please register to have a booth at ArtStock!
If you’d like to be on our Festivals Committee, please let us know! Contact Barb Hone, Festivals Committee Chairperson, festivals@artsofcarvercounty.
Art Tourism News
Kitchen Art in, on & created from Antiques, is the topic for the months of May & June for Ag Art. Please, submit photos of your kitchen antique art. Include the artist’s name, name of the work, approx. date created, city/township, and your phone number in case we have any questions. Photos of your Ag Art should be a JPG with file size of 1MB or less. Photos will be published on the ACCC website on the Ag Art Gallery page with descriptions. Email your questions and your entry to arttourism@artsofcarvercounty.
Arts Center Volunteers
We’d like to thank the volunteers who work in the ACCC Arts Center and allow us to keep our Gift Shop doors open Wednesday-Friday 11-6 and Saturday 9-4. We invite you to consider volunteering at the Arts Center. It’s a great way to learn more about the ACCC and see what’s for sale as our inventory is constantly being updated. We offer complete training, no retail sales experience necessary. Simply complete the Volunteer Form on our website and we will get you in touch with a trainer.
Any ACCC Member with artwork in our Gift Shop or in an Exhibit who works 6+ hours in the Arts Center Gift Shop in a given month will earn an extra 10% commission on the sale of their work for that month. See our How to Submit Art page for our Gift Shop or the Exhibitions at the Arts Center page for future shows.
Springfest Artisan Fair
The 2nd Annual Springfest Artisan Fair, hosted by the City of Norwood Young America (NYA), the NYA Economic Development Commission and the NYA Area Chamber of Commerce will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021. This event will unite local painters, designers, authors, potters, quilters, craft brewers, locals farmers, musicians, etc., to display their talents and wares in our charming Historic Downtown Norwood.
Please plan to join us for this 2nd Annual Springfest Artisan Fair! For more information visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/nyaspringfest/
Get Involved
Visit our Calendar for Classes, Workshops, Meetings, Readings, Concerts, Artists’ Receptions, Exhibits and More!
ACCC on Instagram
ArtMatters Newsletter May 2021
April is National Poetry Month
There still is time to 
We welcome Norma Marien to the Arts Consortium as a new member and as the new Membership Coordinator. Norma is currently the President of the Friends of Excelsior Library, where she has managed membership and book sales. She also volunteers at the MN Landscape Arboretum helping with their newsletter and other Marketing Assistant work. Norma is a member of the Chaska Area Quilt Club and part of the “Comfort Quilt Committee”, which sews quilts for charitable organizations. In addition, she is a member of the MN Valley and Eden Prairie Community Bands. Norma has a degree in Journalism and has experience in communications, creating newsletters for a number of organizations professionally and as a volunteer. We are thrilled to have Norma join our team and working with our members!
We INVITE YOU to attend the Arts Consortium of Carver County Annual Meeting to celebrate with us the changes we’ve made in an unprecedented year. We have experienced the solitude of the pandemic and the excitement of moving into our new location, all within our 11th year. We are thankful for our community partners we work with to lift others up and we are thankful to have had such diligent board members, volunteers, class instructors, donors, sponsors, members, business and organization advocates.
We are seeking volunteers for the following roles/positions. If you are interested in learning more, please fill out our 
Waconia resident Jillian Van Hefty has been awarded 1st Place in the adult category of the 2021 flash fiction contest sponsored by the Arts Consortium of Carver County. In her story, Speechless, a mother’s love and determination is miraculously rewarded.
EJ Haas took 1st Place in the young adult category with Mary’s Manger, an encounter with a vulnerable girl at a hospital.
ArtStock Art, Wine and Music Festival 2021 is on Saturday July 10th and Sunday July 11th. Find detailed information on how to apply for a booth on the 
Thanks, from the Art Tourism Committee, for the robust response to our call for Ag Art. Twelve photographs were submitted in January and February. This month we announce a call for “silo art.” Images will be accepted through the end of April. To submit a photograph, 
Fresh Art – A community based Art Opportunity for ACCC Members
We are happy to announce that our first grant for “The Art of Being Human Series – Creating Community through the Arts” has been accepted! It is about opening new horizons with the intersection of race, class, gender and inclusivity in Carver County Communities. We look forward to starting this programing this year. Watch for new activities and class offerings in 2021. Thank you to Anne Krocak and Cindy Anderson for putting the grant together, we are so pleased that it was accepted!
What’s New in the Gift Shop?
Flash Fiction Contest
Window into the World of Classical Music
Art Tourism News
It was so wonderful to welcome our Member Artists and all the guests to our first Artists’ Reception in our new space at the Chaska Community Center. We loved being able to see everyone – socially distanced and masked up – again! If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to come to the gallery located just outside of the Theater in the CCC. It is open when the Community Center is open. The show is beautiful and an outstanding example of the work our artists are doing in Carver County. Attendees to the reception got to have a sneak peek at the new Art Center as we are busily getting ready for opening on November 4, along with the Holiday Show.
Thank you Barb Kelzer
September was a “book signing” month. September 19, Donna Franz “At the Farm” hosted a signing for the newly released Barn Quilts and Carver County, MN book. The following Saturday, a second signing was held at Parley Lake Winery. Thanks for supporting the literary arts and the barn quilts in Carver County. Barb Hone & Janet Fahey.
As the Board has been adjusting and keeping up with all of the changes we are experiencing due to change in physical location as well as COVID, we have been working towards a couple new interactive platforms.
A second barn quilt book has been released, Barn Quilts and Carver County, MN. It documents the expansion of the Barn Quilt Trail in Carver County. Now, 21 more Barn Quilts, all commissioned art, have been added to this “free, open-air art gallery.”
Anne Krocak: As an artist and teacher, Anne has won numerous awards and conducted public art residencies through VSA Minnesota, The Kennedy Center in DC, COMPAS, Public Arts St. Paul, ArtSage, Children’s Hospital Minneapolis/St. Paul Campus, Minnesota Creative Artists and Aging Network (MnCAAN). In 2009 she received the Jahney-Arts Access Award from VSA Minnesota, recognizing her as an outstanding artist educator of the Year. In 2011 received a National Fellowship from VSA National and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Anne is a Lifetime Arts teaching artist. She frequently teaches and prepares others to work with people who have special needs and older adults. She has led workshops and designed and taught classes around the U.S. and in over 60 senior living communities, museums, schools, homeless shelters, libraries, and hospitals. Anne looks forward to bringing her skills and knowledge to the ACCC community as a board member. View Anne’s Artist Profile on the 
Linda McNulty: Linda has been a volunteer all of her life. Transplanted from California then again from Arizona, Linda retired from the City of Victoria and State Farm and has become an advocate for the arts, both in Wickenburg, AZ and now in Carver County. Previous volunteer activities included Community Education Advisory Council for Eastern Carver County School District and campaign worker for two referendums, chair of the Victoria for a Lifetime Committee for eleven years. A founding member of the WeCAB transportation program since its inception in 2014, Linda continues to play an active role as dispatcher for the organization. She was a member of the Victoria Volksfest committee for three years and chair for two years. She also wrote a monthly column for the Chanhassen Villager for nine years, was a member of the City of Victoria Centennial Committee, and worked with the Sheriff’s Office, bringing law enforcement and seniors together.
We want to thank Susan Coultrap-McQuin for her unmeasurable contributions to the ACCC while serving on the board. Her term as board member included roles as Secretary, serving as the Literary Liaison and being on the Operations Committee. While this may seem like a lot, it does not even come close to accounting for her dogged determination to ensure the highest standards were always met in everything she did, her unflagging energy at moving the ACCC forward and upward and her wise counsel in guiding the arts in Carver County. Susan, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.
Hello, I’m Mary Williamson, a new ACCC Board Member. As we are navigating the new ways of doing things in the ACCC, one area remains the same. Membership and who that is made of? As I was accepted onto the Board a few months ago, I was simultaneously working on an Art Membership for my own Studio, with a strong focus on young adults. A passion of mine is teaching, especially youth. In the ACCC the focus on new members, art enthusiasts and artists alike, are geared more towards adults. The young adults have not had a seat at the table, yet.
