Thank you all for joining us at our first Third Thursday Downtown event of the summer in May! Our next event will be on June 15 with a performance by the Northfield Community Band. We’ll have family-friendly activities, Riverwalk Market Fair vendors, the Northfield Public Library bookmobile, craft beverages, and more!
There is still room for a few more vendors, if you are interested, contact the Riverwalk Market Managers to sign up!
May is Preservation Month! We love our historic downtown district and buildings, which makes Northfield such a special place. This year’s theme is People Saving Places. Historic
place-savers like you pour their time, energy, and resources into protecting places they care about, often without recognition. The 2023 Preservation Month theme of “People Saving Places” is a national high-five to everyone doing the great work of saving places—in ways big and small—and inspiring others to do the same!
To celebrate, the City of Northfield created two videos for Preservation Month. These videos also highlight two of the Friends of Downtown Northfield board members! Thank you to Aaron and Cody and all those who are stewards of our historic buildings.
This May also brings good news as the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate have each passed an Omnibus Taxes bill that includes the reinstatement and extension of the state Historic Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit! The final bill makes the HTC retroactive to the previous sunset date and extends it until June 30, 2030. The next stop is Gov. Tim Walz’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.
Thank you to everyone, especially the RevitalizeMN folks, for advocating so tirelessly for the historic tax credit.
This summer there are two exciting opportunities for artists and aspiring artists in Northfield.
Artists on Main Street
For the fourth year, we are thrilled to announce another Artists on Main Street program. This year’s theme is Meet Me at the River and artists are eligible for up to $5,000 in funding. Artists of all types are welcome – painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers, and more! Learn more online about the full program guidelines. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and residents of the City of Northfield through the Percent for the Arts Initiative.
Hispanic Heritage Celebration Banners
The Northfield Arts and Culture Commission, in partnership with the Friends of Downtown Northfield, is hosting a competition for artists to design a new downtown banner in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The banners will be displayed on light poles along Division Street in time for Northfield’s sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on September 15, remaining for all of Hispanic Heritage Month and into November. Learn more about the full guidelines online.
Applications for both opportunities will be closing on June 23, 2023.
Springboard for the Arts is currently accepting applications for the 2023-25 Rural Regenerator Fellowship! Applications will remain open until midnight Central Time on Tuesday, June 20.
The fellowship offers a comprehensive two-year program that connects rural artists, makers, culture bearers and organizers across the Midwest, sharing opportunities for peer learning and exchange. Each fellow will also receive a $10,000 unrestricted stipend in support of their work.
For this year’s cycle, 12 Fellows will be selected from rural communities across the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Native Nations that serve those geographies).
Fellows will be selected based on their demonstrated commitment and passion for rural art, culture and creativity, their interest in exchanging ideas and learning with other Fellows, and their vision and ideas for the future of rural places.
People who are Black, Indigenous, Native, People of Color, LGBTQIA2+, and/or people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply, and will be prioritized in the selection process. Learn more and apply below. We’re looking forward to meeting you and your work!
The Northfield Arts and Culture Commission, in partnership with the Friends of Downtown Northfield, is hosting a competition for artists to design a new downtown banner in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The banners will be displayed on light poles along Division Street in time for Northfield’s sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on September 15, remaining for all of Hispanic Heritage Month and into November.
National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed September 15 to October 15, is an annual celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America or other regions that identify with the aforementioned cultures. To celebrate the vibrant and diverse communities of Northfield, the Arts and Culture Commission and Friends of Downtown Northfield invite Latine and Hispanic artists to participate in the open design competition.
The banners will be printed vertically on durable vinyl measuring 28 inches by 79 inches. Since the call for banner art asks for only a design, and not the manufacture of the banner by the artist, there are no expectations for the artist to deal with specific materials. Any medium or artistic form that can be digitally rendered is acceptable such as illustration, painting, photography, collage, or fiber.
The winning artist will be paid $1,500 for their design. Submissions are due June 23, 2023. For more information on how to submit a design for the competition, visit: northfieldmn.gov/CallToArtists
La Comisión de Arte y Cultura de Northfield, en colaboración con los Amigos del Centro de Northfield, organiza un concurso para que los artistas diseñen una nueva pancarta en el centro de la ciudad para celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Las pancartas se colocarán en los postes de la calle Division a tiempo para la sexta celebración anual de la Herencia Hispana de Northfield el 15 de septiembre, y permanecerán durante todo el Mes de la Herencia Hispana y hasta noviembre.
El Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana, que se celebra del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, es una celebración anual de las historias, culturas y contribuciones de los estadounidenses cuyos antepasados proceden de España, México, el Caribe y América Central y del Sur o de otras regiones que se identifican con las culturas mencionadas. Para celebrar las vibrantes y diversas comunidades de Northfield, la Comisión de Arte y Cultura y Amigos del centro de Northfield invitan a artistas latines e hispanes a participar en el concurso abierto de diseño.
Las pancartas se imprimirán verticalmente en vinilo duradero de 28 por 79 pulgadas. Dado que la convocatoria de arte de la pancarta pide sólo un diseño, y no la fabricación de la pancarta por el artista, no hay expectativas para el artista para hacer frente a los materiales específicos. Se acepta cualquier medio o forma artística que se pueda representar digitalmente, como ilustración, pintura, fotografía, collage o fibra.
El artista ganador recibirá 1.500 dólares por su diseño. El plazo de presentación finaliza el 23 de junio de 2023. Para más información sobre cómo presentar un diseño al concurso, visite: northfieldmn.gov/CallToArtists