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March 2024 News & Updates

McKnight Foundation

The McKnight Foundation seeks to advance a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.

发布日期: 2024年3月13日

“There is no word for art in Ojibwe language, art to us is in everything we’ve done.” These words from Red Lake Ojibwe tribal member and artist Steven StandingCloud, who we recently featured in a story about the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), are a poignant reminder that for many Indigenous people, artistic expression is inseparable from cultural values, and artistic practice is rooted in identity (scroll down for a link to read the story and watch the video).

McKnight's Arts & Culture program believes that it is crucial to invest in artists and culture bearers. Why? On top of creating beautiful and accessible works of art and inspiring Minnesotans to explore their own creativity and cultural expression, artists and culture bearers, like Steven, help foster our shared sense of belonging, identity, and place. They provide guidance in uncertain times and exert leadership in movements for justice and equity. They help us imagine and unlock new ways of thinking together about complex societal, political, and economic issues. And they remind us of our collective humanity and connections with the natural world.

In short, a more creative and abundant future cannot be achieved without a robust system of support for the creativity, leadership, and power of working artists and culture bearers. We're so grateful to be building that future together!

In collaboration,

Caroline Taiwo, Program Officer, Arts & Culture

Is Culture the Key to Vibrant and Equitable Communities?

A slideshow of photos from the American Indian Community Housing Organization in Duluth, MN

Discover how Minnesota’s Indigenous culture bearers are spurring creativity, power, and connection across the state. Organizations like Duluth’s American Indian Community Housing Organization and St. Paul’s Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance are using art to drive change and empower Indigenous communities. See the story.

2024 Distinguished Artist Award Nominations Open

The annual McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes artists and culture bearers who have made a lifelong commitment to artistic and cultural practices that are locally, regionally, and/or nationally significant. These artists and culture bearers have chosen to make their lives and careers in Minnesota, thereby making our state a more culturally rich place. Do you know an artist or culture bearer with an enduring and exceptional career in Minnesota? The McKnight Foundation invites nominations for its 27th Distinguished Artist Award. Nominations for the $100,000 award are due April 16, 2024. Make a nomination.

McKnight Welcomes Muneer Karcher-Ramos as Vibrant & Equitable Communities Program Director

Muneer Karcher-Ramos, incoming director of McKnight's Vibrant & Equitable Communities program — Muneer Karcher-Ramos

McKnight Foundation is pleased to share that Muneer Karcher-Ramos (he/him/él) has been selected as the new Vibrant & Equitable Communities program director. Muneer brings more than 15 years of experience working in and with communities to create greater opportunity for many residents in our region and beyond. He joins the program at a time of great momentum, as McKnight recently reaffirmed its goal of coming together to advance a vibrant future where all Minnesotans—from the Northside to the North Shore—have shared power, prosperity, and participation. Learn more.