This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
On March 11, 2025, the SEMAC Board of Directors awarded $127,335 in arts programming grants to individual artists throughout Southeastern Minnesota. This includes one Opportunity Grant, 19 Advancing Artist Grants, and 11 Emerging Artist Grants.
SEMAC, a non-profit arts agency, is designated by the State of Minnesota Arts Board as the regional arts council for eleven southeastern Minnesota counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha and Winona.
Grants were awarded to the following artists, listed by county:
Fillmore County
- Robbie Brokken received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Influential Women.
- Micaiah McNeilus received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Through the Lens: Fish of the Root River.
- Quilters Therapy received a $500 Opportunity grant for Neighborhood Sewcial.
Goodhue County
- Kate Bauman received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Surfaces for Sculptural Clay Forms.
- Brian Johnson received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Suite for 3 VCRs and Guitar.
- Dawn Mikkelson received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Becoming Lake City (working title).
Houston County
- Melissa Wray received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Sewing Rural Seeds of Plenty.
Olmsted County
- Benjamin Gateno received a $4,380 Advancing Artist grant for Voice Lessons for Enhanced Artistry.
- David John Kassler received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Brass5 Performance, Coaching, Recording.
- Annie Mack received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Wolves of Impermanence Recording.
- Roger Nelson received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Songs for a Time of Endings.
- Maggie Panetta received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Love My Neighborhood Week Mural.
- Marlene Petersen received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Veggie Santa Picture Book.
- Libby Schultz received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Forging Connections.
- Barbara Schwenk received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Climate-sensitive Birds in SE Minnesota.
- Rosei Skipper received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Assembling the Artist.
- Christopher Tauzell received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for New Amateur Record, 2026.
- Ivete Vaz received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for O Gaúcho beyond languages/borders.
Rice County
- Paul Dice received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Mixed Asian and West Composition.
- Martha Larson received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Percussive Techniques for the Cello.
- Kent McInnis received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for What Lights Our Way.
- Scott Roberts received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Lost Heroes of the Imagination.
- JC Sanford received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Second Annual Northfield Jazz Festival.
- Shari Setchell received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for You do not have to be good.
- Nat Wilson received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Folklore through Shadow Puppet Theatre.
Winona County
- Lisa Becker received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Advocating for Native Plants through Art.
- Andy Kranz received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Drawing Fundamentals.
- Megan McCarthy received a $2,455 Emerging Artist grant for Surface Currents.
- Mike Speck received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Staged reading of BACH AT LEIPZIG.
- Elizabeth Tevis received a $3,000 Emerging Artist grant for Experimental Aqueous Surface Design.
- La Vonte Thompson received a $5,000 Advancing Artist grant for Finding a Place.
SEMAC congratulates the award winners and looks forward to celebrating the creative work these grants will support throughout southeastern Minnesota.
For more information about SEMAC’s grant programs, visit semac.org or contact the office at 507-281-4848.
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