Investing in the Arts throughout Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties, the CMAB aims to foster a thriving, collaborative, and innovative arts community. This includes striving for excellence in leadership, increasing quality of life through arts engagement, nurturing artists' professional needs, and ensuring responsible arts funding distribution. The mission encompasses supporting creativity, diversity, civic engagement, lifelong learning through the arts, and accountability in the funding process.
The Artist in Residence (AIR) grant program seeks to enrich educational and nonprofit environments by incorporating artists into their operational practices, offering up to $3,500 for such initiatives. Specifically, the program supports activities that are either directed by artists or conducted in collaboration with them, with the primary objective of engaging students and facilitating learning through creative processes. The grant priorities include not only the enhancement of existing programs and curriculum through the inclusion of resident artists but also fostering a balance between artistic demonstration and hands-on activity for participants. The desired outcomes of the grant include the development of new arts skills and techniques among regional residents, increased awareness and appreciation for diverse artistic disciplines, and the professional development of regional artists. Grant proposals are required to detail arts learning activities for a core group, plans for a community component to engage the surrounding area, and a staff in-service component to further support and enhance residency activities.