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ACHF Planning Sessions to be Held in Chisholm Oct. 27, Fergus Falls Oct. 29

Oct. 22, 2009 – The Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Minnesota Humanities Center will host the second in a series of listening sessions to obtain public input for a 10-year plan and 25-year framework for the use of funds made available through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) in Chisholm on Oct. 27. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Minnesota Discovery Center, 801 S.W. Hwy 169. The constitutional amendment, approved by voters in November 2008, added a provision to Minnesota’s constitution that provides for an increase in the sales tax to support outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, as well as arts, history and cultural heritage.

Representatives from the three organizations and 10 other history, arts and cultural organizations and libraries are working together to develop a plan for how proceeds of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund will be spent. The first session was held at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Oct. 21. Subsequent sessions will be held on Oct. 29 at the Fergus Falls Center for the Arts, 124 W. Lincoln Ave., Fergus Falls, and Nov. 16 at the Rochester Community and Technical College, Heinz Center, 851 30th Ave. S.E., Rochester. Sessions will also be held on Nov. 17 in the Twin Cities and Nov. 18 in Marshall at locations yet to be determined. All sessions will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. An online survey will also be available at www.ACHFMinnesota.org. The results of this collaborative planning process will be reported to the legislature by Jan. 15, 2010.

“We hope Minnesotans will come forward to 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.

The 13-member committee was chosen from a field of 50 applicants nominated by their peers. Members are Peggy Adelman, chief financial officer, Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley; Jennifer Bloom, executive director, Learning, Law and Democracy Foundation, St. Paul; Michael Garcia, president and CEO, Duluth Children’s Museum; Allen Harmon, president and general manager, Duluth-Superior Area Educational Television; Andrea Kajer, deputy director, Minnesota Historical Society; Patricia Mulso, executive director, Freeborn County Historical Society, Albert Lea; Jeff Nelson, public strategy managing director, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul; David O’Fallon, president and CEO, MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis; Rebecca Lynn Petersen, executive director, Fergus Falls Center for the Arts; Brenda Raney, director of government relations, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul; Mark Ranum, director, Plum Creek Library System, Worthington; Stanley Romanstein, executive director, Minnesota Humanities Center; and Pam Perri Weaver, board member, Minnesota State Arts Board.

For more information about the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, details about upcoming listening sessions and the online survey, visit www.ACHFMinnesota.org.

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