Grants help arts thrive in Talkeetna

Frontiersman

TALKEETNA — The small town long known for it’s arts community just got a little recognition.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts awarded two Talkeetna-based organizations three grants totaling more than $8,000.

Two grants went to the Denali Arts Council. The DAC’s mission is to provide community-based artistic opportunities, executive director Mindy Lindgren said.

“We focus on arts for and by the community. We run locally produced drama, music camps and photography camps for youth. We also put on monthly art shows to help local artists gain exposure in the community,” Lindgren said, with tumbling children practicing for the circus in the background.

The DAC got $4,510 in unrestricted funding to help with general operations. This money will help the organization grow and expand their services and become more professional, Lindgren said.

They also received $700 to continue the jazz residency workshop into its third year. Residents can sign up for two weeks of classes learning from the Rocco John Group based out of New York. Over the eight classes, students learn technique and improvisational skills.

“Students don’t have to be able to read music, but if they don’t, they must know how to learn it by ear,” Lindgren said.

At the end of the two weeks, the students perform together with the Rocco John Group in a concert at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar.

“This program has been wildly successful in the past,” said Lindgren. “We’ve had 30 participants the last two years.”

The other local organization to receive a grant is Talkeetna Community Radio. KTNA connects the community through radio, said station manager Robert Ambrose.

“We provide a lot of access to news and information that we feel is important for people to listen to,” Ambrose said. “Also, as you know, the cultural offerings to this area are pretty scarce.”

To change this, KTNA runs a series of shows each summer called the World of Music concert series. The station received $2,800 from the state arts council to help fund this program.

The money will help defray the cost of bring the musicians to Talkeetna, said Ambrose. Concerts are held at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar as well.

The series kicked off with folk musician Greg Brown performing on March 20. Old Blind Dogs, the Scottish folk band, is up next on June 26. Go to www.ktna.org for more information.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.