Event Link: https://project412mn.org

FEE: FREE to attend.

Deep Dive DL is an engaging speaker series that celebrates entrepreneurship, art, and community. We’re excited to announce our 2025 Summer lineup which includes:

·      June 20 – Hannah Irene Marie, artist behind DL’s beloved Art Surprises, and Travis Stone, an owner of Action Fabricating

·      July 11 – Kent Estey, contemporary Anishinaabe multi-medium artist and author, and Sue Trnka, owner of Handcrafted at the Lakes

·      August 15 – Carmen McCullough (Strange Farm Girl), mixed media artist, and Larry & Eric Brown, father-son team behind Art Materials

About the Event: Gatherings are held at Bucks Mill Brewing (enter through the Washington Square Mall entrance) at 8:00 AM with the program starting at 8:15 AM. There is no fee to attend, and no RSVP is necessary.

What Else to Expect:

·      Coffee and Connections: Grab a coffee, meet new people, and mingle while you check out art from our featured artist.

·      Featured Artist Talk: Discover the stories behind our artist’s work and what inspires them.

·      Behind the Business: Get the inside scoop from a local entrepreneur about their journey and the lessons they've learned along the way.

·      Audience Q&A: Got questions? Dive in and ask away during our Q&A session!

For more info, please contact Sarah Hofmann at sarah@project412mn.org or 218-844-4221 ext. 123.

 About Project 412:
Project 412 is dedicated to fostering community connections and supporting local entrepreneurs and artists. Through events like Deep Dive DL, we aim to create spaces where creativity and innovation thrive. Learn more at www.project412mn.org.

EVENT LINK: https://springboardforthearts.org/events/building-financial-resiliency/

FEE: Free

REGISTER HERE

This workshop is presented in partnership with LSS Financial Counseling.

Building Financial Resiliency
If you find yourself worried about what you will do in the case of an unexpected crisis, preparing can set your mind at ease and help you weather the storm. Resiliency is defined as the mental ability to recover quickly from illness or misfortune. In this workshop we will focus on preparing for periods of financial challenge so you can bounce back quickly.

You will learn:

- About the different layers of savings.
- How to budget flexibly.
- Strategies to intentionally pay down debt.
- What types of insurance you may want to have.

Part of a series of workshops offered by LSS Financial Counseling, through their Financial Choice partnership with Springboard for the Arts. LSS Financial Counseling offers guidance on budgeting, debt management, student loan repayment, home ownership and credit rebuilding. Click here for more information.

Instructor Bio: Shannon Doyle is the Program Manager for Partnerships and Financial Education at LSS Financial Counseling. With a BS in Social Work from the University of St. Catherine and certification in financial education from the University of Minnesota, she is currently pursuing a master’s in financial planning and psychology at Creighton University. Since joining LSS in 2007, Shannon has helped thousands achieve financial wellness through counseling and education. She leads the financial education team and manages Financial Choice, LSS’s financial wellness benefit. Shannon is known for her engaging, practical workshops and contributes to the Sense and Centsibility blog.

Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Instructor: Shannon Doyle, LSS Financial Counseling
Location: Zoom Meeting. The workshop will not be recorded. Automated Zoom captions will be available.
Register: To register, click the "Register" button above. If you have questions, contact Zaraawar Mistry at 651-789-2282 or zaraawar@springboardforthearts.org.

EVENT LINK: https://springboardforthearts.org/events/ask-me-anything-navigating-big-career-opportunities-as-an-artist/

FEE: Free

REGISTER HERE

“Ask Me Anything” events are panel discussions on a variety of topics with Springboard’s Artist Career Consultants (ACCs) or staff and guest artists/presenters. These events are held virtually, on Zoom.

Ask Me Anything: Navigating Big Career Opportunities as an Artist
Date/Time: Thursday, August 28, 2025, 6:00 – 7:30 pm Central Time

What happens when you’re presented with a major, career-defining opportunity? For many artists, these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities can be both intimidating and transformative. Join poet and hip hop artist Desdamona and multidisciplinary artist and community organizer Moira “Miri” Villiard as they share personal experiences and practical strategies for approaching major artistic opportunities. This panel explores the emotional, logistical, and ethical considerations artists face when navigating pivotal career moments.

This conversation will be moderated by Anitra Budd, Artist Career Consultant and Workshop Instructor at Springboard for the Arts.

Speaker: Desdamona (she/her)
Bio: Desdamona is an international, award-winning poet and hip hop artist known for her dynamic performances, powerful writing, and deep commitment to community. She has toured across the U.S. and abroad, leading workshops and performances in more than 300 schools and prisons. A co-founder of B-Girl Be—the groundbreaking celebration of women in Hip Hop held in Minneapolis from 2005–2011 Desdamona has long worked to amplify underrepresented voices in the culture.

Her artistry has reached global audiences through eight French music releases and collaborations with international Grammy winners Sly & Robbie, including a tour of France. In 2014, she was featured as a rapping lunch lady in Kmart’s national “Back to School” campaign. She also created commissioned work for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and wrote the theme song for the WNBA’s Detroit Shock.

Her 2016 release No Man’s Land showcased an all-women cast of singers, poets, and emcees from the Twin Cities. In 2024, she received a full scholarship to Pendulum Ink—a school dedicated to the craft of Hip Hop lyricism—where she studies under elite emcees like Mickey Factz and Chilla Jones.

Desdamona currently serves as the Poetry Ambassador for TruArtSpeaks, and she leads Re-Verb Open Mic at Flava Café and Re-Verb Radio on WFNU, creating consistent platforms for emerging and established voices to be heard. 

Speaker: Moira “Miri” Villiard (she/her)
Bio: Moira Villiard (pronounced “Miri”) is a multidisciplinary artist and community organizer originally from Northeastern Minnesota. A direct descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, she uses art to uplift underrepresented narratives, explore the complexities of shared histories, and build spaces for community healing. Her work spans painting, digital media, collaborative murals, and large-scale projection art, with an emphasis on community participation and access. She considers her primary medium to be space itself – specifically, how people interact with art in shared environments. Her public artworks often incorporate responses from community members and are designed to reflect the cultural landscape of the places where they live.

Moira is the lead artist and organizer behind the Chief Buffalo Memorial mural project, a growing site of Indigenous storytelling and community reflection along the Lake Superior waterfront in Duluth. She is also the founder of Aanjichigeng, an emerging nonprofit supporting Indigenous-led creative work in the Great Lakes watershed region. Other recent projects include Waiting for Beds, a touring exhibit created with Carla Hamilton that focuses on the impact of long mental health care wait times, and Madweyaashkaa, a 150-foot animated projection that premiered as part of Illuminate the Locke in Saint Anthony Falls, created in collaboration with Milie Richard and Lyz Jaakola. 

She works full-time as a freelance designer, consultant, and speaker, and has received fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation (2023 Community-Engaged Artist Fellow), and the Bush Foundation (2024–2026 Fellow). Moira is currently pursuing a Master of Human Rights at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she continues to develop her approach to cultural leadership, systems change, and storytelling as public service.

Moderator: Anitra Budd (she/her)
Bio: Anitra Budd is an experienced freelance editor, copywriter, consultant, and public speaker whose clients include Fortune 500 corporations, literary publishers, marketing agencies, universities, and local and national magazines. Over the course of her career, she’s presented workshops on publishing, editing, and organization for artists at a variety of venues. She holds BA and MA degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Date: August 28, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm CST
Location: Zoom Meeting
Price: Free
Category: Workshop

This program will be held on Zoom. It will not be recorded, but Zoom automated captions will be available.

Registration: Receive the Zoom meeting details by clicking on the Register button above. If you have any questions, call Zaraawar “Z” Mistry at 651-789-2282 or email zaraawar@springboardforthearts.org.

Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/16j2gDJfkj/

FEE: FREE and Open to the Public

Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025 Guest Juror Exhibition, juried by esteemed artist and cultural organizer Nancy Ariza. The exhibition will be on view at the LRAC Main Gallery from July 14 through September 16, 2025, with a closing reception on Tuesday, September 16, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. This event is free and open to the public.

This annual exhibition is a highlight of LRAC’s gallery season, showcasing the creative breadth and talent of regional artists. Each year, a guest juror is invited to review submissions from artists working in all disciplines. For the 2025 exhibition, Ariza selected 28 works from a competitive pool of 102 entries, resulting in a vibrant and compelling mixed media show that includes two-dimensional and three-dimensional work, as well as bold explorations of color, texture, and form.

Naomi RaMona Schliesman, LRAC Gallery Curator, shares:

“The Guest Juror Exhibition is always very popular with regional artists, and we receive over 100 submissions each year. Every Guest Juror brings their own talent, aesthetic, and professional eye when jurying the work. It transforms our gallery space and creates a buzz with our visitors. We invite established artists to select the very best from our regional talent, and it’s consistently one of the strongest mixed media exhibitions we present.”

About the Guest Juror – Nancy Ariza

Nancy Ariza is a printmaker, educator, and arts and cultural organizer with over a decade of experience designing and leading arts programming in museums and nonprofit organizations across Minnesota. In 2024, she founded Amilado Press, a collaborative print studio based in Richfield, MN, focused on publishing, artist residencies, and arts education.

In addition to her work at Amilado Press, Ariza serves on the Leadership Council of Serpentina Arts, supporting Latinx artists across Minnesota, and is a board member of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center. She holds an MA in Education from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, specializing in culturally responsive teaching, and earned a BA in Art History and a BFA in Printmaking from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Exhibiting Artists:

Katie Muzquiz (Detroit Lakes, MN), Thom Tammaro (Moorhead, MN), Marie Merten (Alexandria, MN), Mary Erickson (Menahga, MN), Loretta Cantieri (Moorhead, MN), Kim Baird (Moorhead, MN), Tricia Coulson (Rochert, MN), Annette DuBord (Moorhead, MN), Laura VonBank (Moorhead, MN), Linda Beilke (Detroit Lakes, MN), Alyssa Christoffers (Moorhead, MN), John Shaw (Battle Lake, MN), Carmen Bruhn (Detroit Lakes, MN), Lrez (Perham, MN), John Beaudine (Moorhead, MN), Nancy X. Valentine (Battle Lake, MN), Katy J. Olson (Underwood, MN), Dennis Krull (Moorhead, MN), Torri Hanna (Fergus Falls, MN), and Maggie Peterson (Detroit Lakes, MN).

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Thursday | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed Friday – Sunday
Please call or email in advance to ensure the gallery is open on the day of your visit.
Contact: 1-800-262-2787 or 218-739-5780 | Email: LRAC4@LRACgrants.org

“This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, with additional support from the McKnight Foundation.”