NEWS RELEASE

St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Minnesota Humanities Center will host three listening sessions in November to obtain public input for a 10-year plan and 25-year framework for the use of funds made available through the passage of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Meetings are scheduled on:

Monday, Nov. 16, 5-7 p.m., Rochester Community and Technical College, Heinz Center, 851 30th Ave. S.E., Rochester.

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 5-7 p.m., East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 2nd St. N.E., Minneapolis.

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 5-7 p.m., Southwest Minnesota State University, Charter Hall, 1501 State St. S., Marshall.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend and offer input. An online survey is available at http://www.ACHFMinnesota.org. Earlier sessions were held in St. Paul, Chisholm and Fergus Falls.

The planning committee is comprised of representatives from the three organizations and 10 other history, arts and cultural organizations, and libraries who are working together to develop a plan for how proceeds of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund will be spent. The committee will meet in working sessions on Nov. 10 at the Great River Arts Center, Little Falls; on Dec. 9 at MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis; and on Jan. 5 at a location to be determined.  The results of this collaborative planning process will be reported to the Minnesota Legislature by Jan. 15, 2010.

The amendment, approved by voters in November 2008, added a provision to Minnesota’s constitution for an increase in the sales tax to support outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, as well as arts, history and cultural heritage. “We hope Minnesotans will come forward and participate in defining the ways this important legislation will preserve our shared legacies and improve the lives all of our citizens in the years to come,” says committee member Andrea Kajer.

For more information about the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund visit http://www.ACHFMinnesota.org.