Art Start

2.) Adult and Youth Development that includes community workshops in libraries and with social service organizations, school residencies, our Studio A in-store classes, and summer cultural arts camps to further our message of respect for our environment and honoring the arts of diverse cultures while employing artists from those cultures. ArtStart continued to implement community workshops working with the entire seven-county Metro library system, Washington Co., ScottCo., Hennepin Co., Ramsey Co., Carver Co., Anoka Co., Dakota Co., and the Saint Paul Public Library, as well as the Great River Regional Library system and those in southern Minnesota. Workshops emphasized cultural in twelve Minnesota counties that were free to the public. arts and reuse art workshops. In FY25 we provided 124 library workshops. * ArtStart implemented eight school residencies through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, plus twenty five additional residencies that were earned income. * It was a record summer for camp registrations. Our Passport to India Through the Arts and Teen Camp Create were filled with over 370 children ages 4 -17 years attending. In addition, for the second year we held our new Creative Writing Camp in June in Prospect Park, Minneapolis, and saw higher numbers than the previous year. ArtStart also provided client art camps to Sunny Hollow in July of 2024, and to St. Paul Urban Tennis's Artful Aces camp. * We added some new classes to our Studio A offerings for teens and adults, including Anishinaabe beading, painting on glass, and some artful and reuse programs like artful mending cigar jewelry boxes. Our popular poetry readings continued in the fall and spring, featuring both accomplished published Minnesota poets and young poets from Cristo Rey High School.

3. ArtStart Special Projects and Commissions provide emerging and experienced artists with income, training and support. This includes many program expenses that support the whole organization. * We provided artful reuse activities through a STAR grant at ten events in St Paul, including Irish Fair, Cinco de mayo, St Paul Pride, Twin Cities Jazz Fest and the Flint Hills Children's Festival at the Ordway Theater. We also served the greater Twin Cities area with thirteen additional workshops. * The board continued its fundraising initiatives holding a Fall and a Spring campaign through GiveMN. We saw an increase of more than 13% in our programming revenue overall.