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Arts and Cultural Heritage Project

From the Minnesota State Legislature homepage: "In 2008, Minnesota voters passed a constitutional amendment, often referred to as the 'Legacy Amendment,' that increased the state’s sales tax by 3/8ths of 1 percent for 25 years . The funds raised by this tax are dedicated to four separate funds that each receive a specific percentage of the revenues: Outdoor Heritage Fund (33 percent), Clean Water Fund (33 percent), the Parks and Trails Fund (14.25 percent), and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (19.75 percent). The Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) is a state fund that 'may be spent only for arts, arts education, and arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.'"

As a member of the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (AMPERS), KMSU Radio is one of several organizations in Minnesota that is able to use this funding to support a wide variety of events to create broadcast content for the community. Many of these events and projects would not be possible without Arts & Cultural Heritage Funding, so we'd like to say thank you to the voters of Minnesota for supporting the Legacy Amendment. Your decision has made Minnesota an even more vibrant place to live.

2021 Arts & Cultural Heritage Funding

SONGS ON THE LAWN - KMSU partnered with Greater Mankato Growth and the City Center Partnership to present live music events for its Songs on the Lawn project. The live outdoor events were held each Thursday in June in downtown Mankato. The lunchtime concerts took place in Civic Center Plaza and included performances by local and regional acts. The station presented four events in FY21, which were attended by approximately 1,200 people. Lingering concerns about COVID reduced the number of attendees from previous years. Bands who performed included: Irie Minds, Chemistry Set, Jeremy Poland Band, and American Soul. Songs on the Lawn also had a radio component. KMSU produced four segments that included ten-minute interviews with each band along with one of the band’s songs. KMSU aired the segments the week prior to the live event. Songs on the Lawn was a four-month project.

MANKATO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA RECORDINGS - KMSU produced, recorded, and edited for later broadcast three high-quality stereo recordings of the Mankato Symphony Orchestra (MSO) concerts, for its Mankato Symphony Orchestra Recordings project. The project aimed to increase accessibility to local classical music by offering southern Minnesota residents the opportunity to hear orchestra concerts broadcast on KMSU. The live performances were professionally recorded using multiple microphones and digital equipment, then edited to fit the broadcast length. The Mankato Symphony Orchestra Recordings concerts typically aired at 4:00 p.m. on the Sunday following the live performance. Performances included works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Vivaldi, and more. Mankato Symphony Orchestra Recordings was a nine-month project, resulting in six 30- to 90-minute recordings which were later broadcast on the station.

KMSU LIVE EVENTS KMSU - supported multiple bands and artists as part of its KMSU Live Events project, which showcased five unique performances that were 45 minutes to two hours long. The free public live music events happened in large and small venues in Mankato and St. Peter. Due to the pandemic, most were held outdoors. The station also featured music, some live in-studio performances, and information on-air in the days leading up to each event. The number of events for KMSU Live Events was severely reduced due to the pandemic and the attendance was small due to the public’s uncertainty of attending in-person events. In FY21, KMSU Live Events consisted of three jazz performances at St. Peter Pavilion, with about 100 people attending each event. Fifty people attended the performance of Good Night Gold Dust at Wine Café, in the fall. Four bands performed at Bluesfest and attracted about 2,500 people. In addition to the live events, the station aired 10-minute segments that included interviews with the artists and an opportunity to hear their music. KMSU aired these segments in the days leading up to the performances. The station also produced and aired a one-hour compilation of recordings from the jazz performances at St. Peter Pavilion. KMSU Live Events was a yearlong project.