Looking Back: 2016 at The Arts Partnership

The end of the year is a time for us all to look back and reflect on the progress we’ve made in the past year and the memories we made along the way. 2016 has been quite a year at The Arts Partnership, so we gathered photos of some of the highlights of our year. Thank you to our Primary Artist Partners and the Business and Individual Advocate Partners for your support in 2016!

Highlights In Early 2016…
… In February we participated in Giving Hearts Day through the  Impact Foundation. Thank you to Otter Tail Corporation for being our generous matching sponsor and to those of you who donated to the day. It was a very successful day for TAP, and we appreciate all your support. Thanks, also, to Atomic Coffee for hosting us in the morning and to Rustica for hosting lunch for our Partners and donors.

TAP won many awards for our Giving Hearts Day campaign.

TAP board member Jeff Knight and students of his at Concordia College designed our logo.

Highlights In Mid-2016… 
… In June we hosted the State of the Arts with more than 200 people in attendance at the Stage at Island Park. Artist Laura Youngbird received the Outstanding Artist of the Year award, FM Choral Artists received the Outstanding Organization of the Year award and Sanford Health received the Outstanding Corporate Sponsor of the Arts award.

Dave Anderson, Sanford Health, TAP ED Dayna Del Val and Michael Culloton, FM Choral Artists with awards made by Catie Miller.

Current TAP Board Chair, Karin Rudd, past Board Chairs Ellen Shafer and Michael Olsen, TAP ED Dayna Del Val and past Board Chair Andy Mara.

Fowzia Adde and guest, the Immigrant Development Center and Mayors Del Rae Williams and Rich Mattern.

… In August we hosted ChalkFest at the Red River Zoo. This year we brought in Visiting Artist-in-Resdience Marcus Dunn, who created several amazing pieces of chalk art throughout the week leading up to ChalkFest. Over 5,500 people participated in ChalkFest 2016. A huge thank you to our ChalkFest 2016 sponsors:

• The Red River Zoo
• Rhonda and Bernie Ness
• McDonald’s
• Livewire Media
• Gate City Bank
• Arctic Audio
• Midco Foundation
• Xcel Energy
• The Anjali Lall memorial fund
• FM AM Rotary and Fargo Rotary West

TAP’s Grants and Programs Coordinator Tania Blanich and TAP’s summer intern Libby Bahr.

McDonald’s owners (and sponsors of ChalkFest) and ChalkFest artist in residence, Marcus Dunn.

TAP ED Dayna Del Val, ChalkFest artist in residence Marcus Dunn and RR Zoo ED Sally Jacobson.

Marcu Dunn drawing at Xcel Energy (ChalkFest sponsor).

Marcus Dunn’s finished piece at Gate City Bank (ChalkFest sponsor).

Highlights Toward the End of 2016…
… We worked with Kilbourne Group to create APT, an arts incubator space in downtown Fargo.

… We hired Chelsey Engelhard, TAP intern in Spring 2016, as our new Communications Coordinator after MeLissa moved to New Orleans.

… And in October, we began our tactical planning process with consultant Jim Clark. Thank you to the City Mayors, Primary Arts Partners, and Business Advocate Partners for attending the tactical planning meetings!

Highlights Throughout the Year…

… We continued to communicate about the arts in our Metro through our partnerships with the Forum, KFGO Radio, WDAY, and Clear Channel.

Our #SupportLocalArt sign at the airport with Clear Channel.

Unplugged with Dayna Del Val on KFGO and all three metro mayors.

Chelsey’s first Forum article for The Arts Partnership. Can you tell she’s excited?

Chelsey is a weekly regular on Bob Harris’ Nightime Live on KFGO.

MeLissa and artist Dennis Krull on KFGO.

Dayna joins Mike McFeely on WDAY radio.

… We continued our Grants, Artist-in-Residence Program at TMI Hospitality and our CSA Program.

TMI Artist in Residence with artist Bob Schlomann.

A BIG thank you note from City Arts Partnership grantees Gooseberry Park Players.

Artist Char-Marie Flood received an Individual Arts Partnership grant. See our logo on her postcards? Makes us super happy!

… We continued our #SupportLocalArt campaign.

… And we continued to advocate for the arts in our Metro.

Fargo Commissioner Tony Gehrig and TAP ED Dayna Del Val debating the value of investing in public art at NDSU.

ND Council on the Arts ED Dr Beth Klingenstein, National Endowment for the Arts ED Dr Jane Chu and TAP ED Dayna Del Val on a panel at Plains Art Museum.

TAP supporters at a City of Fargo Commission meeting to show support for an increase in funding for the arts.

Tania Blanich, Dayna Del Val and MeLissa Kossick receiving the Pineapple Award for using the arts to highlight the community from the FMVF Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The full crew at TAP: Tania Blanich, Chelsey Engelhard, Linda Hinrichs, Dayna Del Val and Britney Litton.

Again, THANK YOU to all of our wonderful Partners for a fabulous 2016! We look forward to what 2017 will bring!

— Dayna, Tania and Chelsey and the Board of Directors of The Arts Partnership