Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council Inc

The Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council serves the artistic communities of the 9-county area of southcentral MN by supporting the creation and presentation of diverse art forms, fostering equitable access to arts opportunities, and integrating arts and culture to enhance quality of life in our communities.

We Value: The Arts - We value all forms of artistic expression, and resist the notion that there is but one universal definition of art or one best type of art. Instead, we embrace all artistic disciplines, genres, and subgenres, and encourage work that uses imagination, emotion, and craft to communicate. 

Artistic Merit - We value artistic merit that promotes growth and development of creative knowledge, skills and understanding. 

Creativity - We value the dedicated pursuit of and engagement with the arts. Creative expression contributes to the health of individuals and communities alike. 

Community - We value art that reflects a rich and expansive range of cultures, traditions, experiences, and perspectives. The art created by and supported by the community deepens our understanding of ourselves and each other. 

Accessibility - We value arts programming and arts education that is available to everyone. 

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion - We value an equitable, diverse, and inclusive community. We are committed to countering systemic inequities that exclude individuals and communities from access to the arts based on race, gender, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography.

Our current focus is to award Youth Scholarships to students in grades 3-12 Annually. Funds raised through GIVE MN will be used for this purpose. 

Students do you need funds to take lessons? We have a Youth Scholarship available to pay for Student lessons which is due Oct. 1 for students in grades 7-12, and Nov. 1st for students grades 3-6. You can contact us to find out details about applying at plrac@hickorytech.net, noted Brenda Byron. Details for the online application at www.plrac.org. 

The scholarship applicants represent these artistic disciplines: music 80%, dance 15%, and visual art 5%.  The music areas represent cello, guitar, piano, organ, string bass, viola, and violin.  On average students represent eight counties and eighteen different communities.   

Ethnicity: 85% are White students and 15% students of color. We would like to expand the program to serve more BIPOC students. The variety of student activities includes: New Ulm Suzuki School of Music; Dance Conservatory of Southern Minnesota; Mankato Ballet Company; New Ulm Figure Skating Club; Mankato School of Music; Spotlight Dance Company, Mankato; and 50% are taking lessons with private instructors in cello, guitar, organ, piano, viola, and violin.