Hello everyone!
Since July, three great companies have performed at The Cowles: Rhythm Street Movement, South Asian Art and Theater House, and North Ballet Theatre. Thank you to all three.
Shows like theirs are the reason the Cowles Center matters.
My vision for The Cowles
What I want for The Cowles is to be a space where everyone in the Twin Cities can show their best work. I’d like to see artists mingle, cross-train, and make new work. I want the Cowles to be where artists can share work, learn from one another, experiment, and build new relationships. I want to one day be able to invite companies from across the Midwest to share their expertise here. Most of all, I want it to uplift all artists, whether through classes and workshops, a future grant program connecting established artists with high schoolers and young adults, or something as simple as an open show-and-tell night. The Cowles Center is a home for creativity that needs to be accessible for all artists at every stage of their careers.
None of that is possible if we can’t keep the doors open first.
Where we are with the City
We do not have a lease with the City of Minneapolis. Yet. We were working toward one this fall, and in the meantime we started booking rentals. The City has agreed to let us run the space while it retains legal control. We are still working toward a lease agreement, and shows are happening.
Running The Cowles as a rental space costs over $600,000 a year, about $12,000 per week at a minimum.
Arts' Nest is dedicated to nurturing emerging artists and arts professionals by providing access to learning, networking and visibility opportunities.
We will not charge local performing arts nonprofits $12,000 for a week. We are still offering rentals at $6,000, which includes the building for the entire week, 40 hours of labor from two IATSE technicians, and box office assistance or management.
This is a deliberate choice by Arts' Nest to keep the Cowles affordable to all companies.
How you can help
The other $6,000 per production week has to come from somewhere else. We are applying for grants and building relationships with funders, but we also rely on small consistent donations from individuals.
Our goal is to raise $100,000 by the end of the year, which covers the gap for about 16 production weeks.
Give once or monthly. Monthly gifts give us steady income we can plan around, and they can be changed or canceled at any time. Give at cowlesmpls.org/donation.
Help me tell the City that The Cowles matters. I need the dance community's voice to show the City this space is needed and worth investing in.
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Tell your communities about the Cowles Center. Please also share this post with one person who loves dance.
Why I’m doing this
I was on the Arts' Nest board for over three years before taking this job. When I was starting my career twenty years ago, there were plenty of opportunities for newer artists to try their own work without relying on the larger institutions to notice them. Over the last twenty years, I've watched many of those smaller theaters, both buildings and companies, close. I joined board to help change that. I still want our community to keep creating the opportunities I had.
Thank you,
Jenny Moeller
The Arts' Nest is a 501(c)(3). Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.