2020 July Press Releases

Plains Art Museum, Racing Magpie, and Springboard for the Arts announce 2021 Creative Community Leadership Institute cohorts

Press Release
For Immediate Release (July 2020)

Fargo, ND; Rapid City, SD; and Saint Paul & Fergus Falls, MN – Plains Art Museum, Racing Magpie, and Springboard for the Arts are excited to announce its 2021 cohorts for the Creative Community Leadership Institute (CCLI). Originally scheduled for in-person sessions in summer 2020, cohort programming has been postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic.

Creative Community Leadership Institute is an intensive, in-person, cohort-based training program with real-world practice for artists, culture bearers, community organizers, community development practitioners, and other leaders seeking to deepen their impact in creative community building. In 2021, CCLI will host three cohorts, one each in St. Cloud, MN; Fargo, ND; and Rapid City, SD. The Rapid City, SD cohort participants are all enrolled tribal members and people who live or work directly in Native communities. Each cohort will meet in person for three intensive weekend sessions over six months in 2021.

CCLI began 17 years ago as a partnership between Intermedia Arts and LISC/Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Initially called Institute for Creative Community Development, or ICCD, the institute was designed for community-engaged artists working at the intersection of arts and community development. Over the years, in partnership with the Bush Foundation, ICCD became the Creative Community Leadership Development program, led by multiple faculty, guests, and coordinators until 2017 when Intermedia Arts closed.

Building on CCLI’s momentum and legacy, the Bush Foundation is supporting a relaunch of CCLI with the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND, Racing Magpie in Rapid City, SD, and Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul and Fergus Falls, MN. CCLI centers people in place and each organization is a resource hub for creative community development.

“In order for our region to become stronger in a good way, we believe that minoritized and marginalized relatives must be centered in decision-making processes; this includes Indigenous, Black, and LGBTQ+ relatives,” says Racing Magpie Director & Co-Owner Peter Strong. “Racing Magpie is committed, specifically, to centering Native artists and community members in our work. CCLI will very intentionally pair creative processes with a critical lens that will encourage cohort members to continue their powerful work in community while centering arts, artists and creativity. We greatly look forward to learning and building community with this year’s incredible cohort members.”

“The work of CCLI and its alumni has never been more important,” says Plains Art Museum Director & CEO Andy Maus. “Never before has the need been greater for more diverse, creative and inspiring community-building. Likewise, the potential of CCLI has never been greater given the combined vision of the facilitating organizations. Plains Art Museum is thrilled to be a part of the re-launch to expand this work across the entire region.”

“We are so excited to work with the latest cohort members to share knowledge, resources, and connections, and to build on the history of CCLI and its alumni who have shown us the impact of supporting community leaders where they are,” says Springboard for the Arts Executive Director  Laura Zabel. “Each cohort member will do a mini-project in their home community and we anticipate actions of joy, sorrow, conflict, understanding, hope, and vision that we all need right now.”

2021 CCLI Cohort Participants:

St. Cloud, MN

Osman Abdullahi, Heather Allen, Libbie Anderson, Adrienne Benjamin, Cierra Buckner, Jeannine Burnette, Amanda Cortes, Lydia Four Horns-Powless, Katarina Hansen, Heidi Jeub, Buddy King, Bethany Lacktorin, Kia Lee, Anne O’Keefe-Jackson, Mayumi Park, Heather Peebles, Jesus Ramirez, Sequoia Range, Grace Roberts, Laura Liz Ruprecht, John Salgado Maldonado, Sarah Swedburg, Katherina Vang, Jonathan Wong, Janette Yiran

Fargo, ND

Rachel Asleson, Jada Bell, James Bergman, Nicole Crutchfield, Rebecca Dallinger, Scott Ecker, Micah Eubanks, Nicole Gagner, Ruth Hall, Sabrina Hornung, Chanda Kraft, Denise Lajimodiere, Sara Lum, Brandi Malarkey, Shawna Marion, Vynetta A. Morrow, Pasteur Mudende, Renee Newton, Rachel Prazak, Yvette Reyes, Linnea Schluessler, Sue Skalicky, Chelsea Steffes, Ana Rusness-Petersen

Rapid City, SD

Christopher Bordeaux, Clementine Bordeaux, Keith BraveHeart, Cante Heart, Wanbli Ceya, Dawnee LeBeau, Elizabeth Lone Eagle, Star Means, Mikayla Patton, Carl Petersen, Ashley Pourier, Austin Red Dog, Jessie Rencountre, Alex Romero-Frederick, Jennilee Rooks, Joshua Rudnik, Derek Smith, Kahomy Souksavath, Natalie Stites Means, Angie Stover, Micheal Two Bulls, Tosa Two Heart, Heather Wood

Read bios of the new cohort participants and see more about the program here: https://www.creativecommunityinstitute.org/

Plains Art Museum is your nonprofit art museum and education center, supported by over 800 individuals and organizations. The Museum and its Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity are located at 704 First Avenue North in downtown Fargo. For more information about visiting or supporting your art museum, visit plainsart.org.

Contact: Andrew J. Maus, Director & CEO, 701.551.6123, amaus@plainsart.org