Community Artist in Residence Program
Granite Falls, MN
Exciting News!
From the article in the Granite Falls and Clarkfield Advocate Tribune by Jessica Stolen. Read the entire article here.
The Granite Falls Community Artist In Residence (CAIR) program has been selected as one of only seven sites in the United States to host a visiting artist through the newly launched Transatlantic Rising Stars Project…an elite three-year cultural exchange funded by the European Union.
The pilot initiative will bring emerging artists from European Union countries to select US cities to collaborate, create and engage locally. Granite Falls CAIR was chosen as part of the visual arts strand of the program and is the smallest organization among the selected sites.
The CAIR program has received a MInnesota State Arts Board Grant that will bring an additional artist and programming in the fall or winter of 2026.
Components of a Collaborative Community Program Design include:
Community Artist - 2-6 month residency, embedding in, working with and serving the community of Granite Falls MN
Local Host: Granite Area Arts Council (GAAC) - “Building Community Through Art”
The City as a Partner - sharing insight into town initiatives and municipal structure, staff hours and resources, local knowledge, financial partner, information access, program design oversight, and an office in City Hall.
Community Partner Organizations - community support, fundraising partners, institutional knowledge, volunteer hours, bridge building, connection, local materials, youth & elder engagement, and sharing resources together.
Advisory Board - an active, diverse and apolitical board of local community members, working together to select the artist and advise the staff on the current and potential futures of the program. This is a critical component to a healthy and effective program: the Board functions as community voice and oversight, guiding the ship of the program to serve community wants and needs.
Support Staff - efficient, accountable, paid part-time cohort devoted to serving the community and the program, building a sustainable future for both, and sharing information openly with anyone and everyone.
The Community! - a community artist program requires by definition community participation and feedback.
Visit this page for information on past projects and artists.
Contact us
graniteareaarts@gmail.com
Email us to share your ideas, provide community input, or discuss the experiment that is a rural artist residency.
We’d love to hear from you!