Arts and Culture

To increase arts and culture opportunities in West Central Minnesota and enhance UMM students’ involvement in arts and culture.

Why is the Arts and Culture initiative important to West Central Minnesota?

West Central Minnesota has a rich artistic and cultural life. In the city of Morris, the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance supports the arts through classes, programming, and an art gallery, providing artists with a physical space and networks in which to share ideas and resources. The University of Minnesota, Morris also provides a wide array of arts-related programming to the broader community. In addition, several organizations support the culture of West Central Minnesota through programming and exhibits.

Nevertheless, resources for arts and cultural activities, especially in rural areas, remain scarce, and agencies like the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance are primarily supported by volunteers and individual contributions. The "culture" of rural areas is not always celebrated or appreciated by the broader culture. Whether they come to Morris from small, rural communities or from bigger cities, students may have misconceptions about the value of a rural experience.

The arts and culture initiative seeks to deepen the community's appreciation for its unique culture and for the arts and to promote the creativity of all people. We hope to do this by:

Providing resources (including volunteer time and special projects) to agencies that support the arts and culture in West Central Minnesota;
Planning and creating projects, events, and products that celebrate the culture of West Central Minnesota;
Providing arts programming for a range of ages and in a range of artistic forms.

Current Community Partners

Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance
Julia Conroy
630 Atlantic Avenue
Morris, MN 56267
(320) 585-5037
prca@prairierenaissance.org

Center Hours:
Wednesday-Friday 11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance's mission is to advocate, promote, and coordinate arts, heritage, and cultural activities in Stevens County and the surrounding area by supporting the creativity of all people, welcoming and celebrating a variety of cultures and perspectives, weaving arts, culture, and heritage into the fabric of the community, and creating a physical place to see, do, experience art/culture/heritage.

Additional partners include the Stevens County Historical Society and local farmers

Examples of Current and Former Courses Participating in the Arts and Culture Initiative

ArtS 1050 and 2050: Advanced Ceramics
Spring 2008 Kevin Flicker
Students will create cups and bowls that will be used at a fundraising soup dinner with the proceeds going to Someplace Safe and the Food Shelf.

ArtS 2302: Beginning Painting II
Spring 2007 Michael Eble
Students created individual paintings that celebrates our community's history and assets to be housed at the Salvation Army.

Interdisciplinary Studies 2993: Art and Disability
Spring 2007 Tammy Berberi
Two UMM students will work with a professor to plan and implement a series of three workshops for people with developmental disabilities at Divine House. The residents' work will be displayed at the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance.

ArtS 1500 and 2500: Photography
Therese Buchmiller
Students visit local sustainable farms and take photos of the farmers. Through a collaboraition with Argie Manolis' Fundamentals of Writing class these photos and writing pieces were shown at the Local Foods Meal, at the PRCA, and are currently on display at the Pomme de Terre Coop in Morris. The goal of this project is to educate the community about the importance of sustainable agriculture.

ArtS: Media Studies: Mural Project and Public Art
Fall 2005 Michael Eble
Students created two murals: one celebrating UMM's Local Foods initiative, housed in the Food Service Building on campus and one that celebrates our community's history and assets, housed at the Salvation Army.

Theater 2111 Creative Drama with Children – Ongoing course
Ray Schultz
Students study the techniques and benefits of using drama in K-12 classrooms, and write and lead lesson plans using creative dramatic techniques.

ArtS 2401 and 3400: Beginning and Advanced Sculpture
Fall 2005 Therese Buchmiller
In collaboration with a broad range of community members and agencies, students created a public art piece and planned an event to promote more involvement in the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance.

Hist 3456 History of Religion – Ongoing course
Stephen Gross
Students study the history of religion in America while looking closely at how religion impacts the individual lives of Morris residents. Students conduct oral history interviews with community members and host a forum to discuss religious diversity in Morris.