Trying times have the power to bring us together or tear us apart. With the ongoing pandemic, deep political and social divides, and devastating climate events, 2021 was another year of complexity and heartache. And yet, it was a time when many pulled together with renewed purpose, clarity, and hope. At McKnight, we welcomed new …
Our partner organizations announce the 2018 McKnight Artist Fellowship winners on a rolling basis starting in April. We post them here shortly after they become available. Then, after all the winners have been announced, we will update this list of current fellows. The Loft Literary Center Announces Recipients of the 2018 McKnight Artist Fellowships for …
Our communities have experienced transformative demographic change over the last few decades, and more arts funders and institutions are recognizing that the entire arts sector would benefit if arts funding better reflected that diversity. According to a recent study, just 2 percent of US cultural institutions receive almost 60 percent of all arts funding. In the …
This Q&A with McKnight communications director Na Eng was originally published by 5by5 Design and adapted here with permission. What does “digital-first” mean to you and why is it important? It used to be that communications departments spent all their resources on a print product and then created a non-user-friendly pdf version to post on the …
When two-year-old Sambath “Sam” Ouk and his family escaped the killing fields of Cambodia and arrived in Rochester, Minnesota, in the early 1980s, they became part of the first large wave of Southeast Asian refugees to resettle in the state. During his early years in Minnesota, Ouk struggled to figure out where he fit in …
Category:Perspective8 min read A Progress Report from the McKnight Foundation From Aspiration to Action Sharing Our Equity in Action Report When the McKnight Foundation presented its first-ever public diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statement for board approval in late 2017, one board member wisely reflected, “These are beautiful words. I just hope we can back …
SPURRING INNOVATION AND PROSPERITY IN GREATER MINNESOTA When Kendra and Paul Rasmusson traded in a life in a Minneapolis suburb to return to Kendra’s hometown of New Prague, Minnesota, they gained a close-knit community where they could raise their family. They loved New Prague’s sense of place. Still, their move required some adjustments. Like many …
Even though the Mississippi River flows more than 40 miles west of Robert “Woody” Woodruff’s farm in Modesto, Illinois, he still thinks about the impact his farming decisions have downstream. “We’re here to raise healthy food. Before you can do that, you need healthy soil and healthy water,” says Woodruff. “It’s all connected.” Depending on …
In fall 2017, McKnight’s Midwest Climate & Energy program undertook a strategy refresh in response to the tremendous growth in clean energy markets nationwide and the sobering climate math. As the largest greenhouse gas emitting region of the country, the Upper Midwest must do its part to accelerate the reduction of heat-trapping emissions into the …
People intrigued by Minnesota’s surplus of artist-centered creative placemaking activities often ask me, “What’s in the water in Minnesota?” And with good reason: A flurry of discussion (in articles, blog posts, opinion pieces, and at conferences) and bricks-and-mortar development (in the streets, neighborhoods, and lives of actual Minnesotans), all spinning out from the central concept …