2020 Arts & Cultural Heritage Funding
Alone Together Concert Series project - With venues closed and concerts canceled, many artists were not able to perform. Nor were Minnesotans able to enjoy the music of Minnesota musicians. The Alone Together Concert Series aimed to address some of those challenges, by bringing the music of some Minnesota musicians directly to listeners. The station paid six artists to record musical performances in their own homes.
Songs on the Lawn/Alive After Five project -The summertime live outdoor events were held on Thursdays in August and September
in downtown Mankato. June concerts in FY20 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances included local and regional acts and were produced in collaboration with Greater Mankato Growth and the
City Center Partnership. KMSU also interviewed band members and event organizers and broadcast the 5- to 10-minute interviews, as well as live in-studio performances, promoting both the event and the musical acts.
Mankato Symphony Orchestra Recordings project - This
project aims to increase accessibility to local classical music by offering southern Minnesota residents the opportunity to hear two one-hour to 90-minute orchestra concerts broadcast on KMSU. The concerts in FY20
included: the MSO’s Celebrate Mankato Past and Present concert, which featured Guest Conductor Dr. Ruth Lin, and Resident Composer Benji Inniger. For The Snowman concert, the MSO performed Howard Blake’s
beautiful score to the animated film The Snowman, Leroy Anderson’s The Sleigh Ride, and, a popular holiday sing-along. The Snowman concert featured Guest Conductor Ernesto Estigarribia.
Collaboration with MSU Department of Music Performance Series -
In FY20, an estimated 300 MSU students and community members attended three 90-minute public concert events, both on and off-campus. Music students from the Department of Music were given the opportunity to gain real-world experience with these concerts in the areas of concert production and audio technology. Following some of the concerts, audience members were invited to participate in a question and answer session with the musicians and production crew.
Collaboration with the Arts Center of St. Peter project - KMSU helped to support two events for this project. The two organizations collaborated to create one concert and one community production that collectively attracted approximately 400 people. The community production of the Rocky Horror Pageant and Sing-Along featured more than 30 area residents performing songs by Meat Loaf songs that were featured in the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Bat Out Of Hell in costume and with live musicians, including a marching band, and tap dancers. KMSU provided promotional and financial support as well as hosts and emcees for the event. The concert was entitled The Longest Night: Solstice with Pianist, Ukuleleist & Vocalist Mary Traxler. KMSU provided promotional and financial support as well as hosts and emcees for the event. KMSU also recorded the performance held at the Arts Center for later broadcast on-air during a special episode of Live From The Arts Center of St. Peter.
KMSU Live Events project - showcased six unique performances that were 90 minutes to two hours long. These free public events were Mostly music related but also included other art forms. More than 900 people attended the events, and the project increased the exposure, appreciation, and variety of the arts in every facet of community life
in Minnesota. Several events in FY20 were produced in collaboration with other organizations including Midwest Art Catalyst, the Arts Center of St. Peter, and Minnesota Makers and Artists Guild.
Grind Fu Cinema - The popular film screening project is free to the public, and hosted by KMSU’s Dynamic Shuffle Function Duo, Tim Lind, and Shelley Pierce. Grind Fu Cinema consisted of three free monthly screenings throughout FY20 and was held at the Minnesota State University’s Wiecking Auditorium. Among the offerings of weird films featured were Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, and a Quentin Tarantino double feature of Reservoir Dogs and Inglourious Basterds.
Red White and Boom Mankato Fireworks Spectacular project - Mankato’s annual fireworks event is a popular and crowd-pleasing event of fun with live music. The station featured music and information on-air in the days leading up to the popular event, which was attended by about 1,000 people.
Mahkato Wacipi Pow Wow - The vision statement for the Mahkato Traditional Wacipi states that “In the spirit of reconciliation, Mahkato Mdewakanton Association is committed to healing and enriching the experiences of Dakota and non-Dakota communities through the preservation and sharing of Dakota history, traditions, and culture.” This annual Powwow takes place At the Land of Memories Park in Mankato, which honors the 38 Dakota members who were killed in the largest mass execution in the United States that took place on December 26, 1862. This gathering of nations is aimed at celebrating and honoring traditions and ancestors, with the goal of reconciliation and bridge-building between all nations through education, storytelling, and sharing Dakota Indian culture.
