Take on a Project

College students and faculty already engage with the Northfield arts community in a number of ways. The success of these initial connections serves as inspiration to increase collaborative efforts and also helps to create relationships upon which future projects can be based.  In the spirit of increased collaboration, below are outlines of project ideas that would benefit individual artists, arts organizations, or the arts sector of Northfield on the whole, as well as the involved Carleton parties. 

If you are interested in working on one of these projects, or want more information about the needs of individual organizations, please contact Adrienne Falcón.

Projects with Individual Artists

  • Student interns in a variety of areas
    • Help running a business: accounting, legal, marketing, advertising, technology
    •  Art students to partner on collaborative projects
  • Research pertaining to professional working artists' needs
    • Information about affordable housing and healthcare access
    • How to organize group art supply purchasing
    • Details of working studios
      • Average income, consignment policies, business models, financial management
    • How to maximize funding and income-generating opportunities
      • Policies on and opportunities for leasing or renting artwork
      • Grants available to artists; can be more challenging since they are for-profit

Projects with Arts Organizations

  • Student interns working with individual arts organizations
    • Help with creating or updating marketing strategies, especially in light of the current economy
    • Students with web development skills could help by directly working on websites and/or training organization staff
  • Comparative organizational research: helpful to know the policies and procedures of other organizations
    • Scholarship distribution
    • Strategic planning
    • How to engage new audiences
    • Fundraising techniques
  • Specific projects with individual organizations
    • For more information about the needs of individual organizations, please contact
      Adrienne Falcón

Projects to Benefit the Northfield Arts Sector

  • Clarify the specific vision of the arts in Northfield
    • Need to understand the views of residents who aren't currently involved in the sector 
  • Thorough assessment of the sector's resources - both human and physical
    • Directory of artists: discipline, hobby vs. professional, their involvement in the sector
    • Compare Northfield's resources to those of other "art towns" to determine the viability of marketing Northfield as an arts town
    • Facility availability analysis: what is available when versus the demand
  • Creating new resources for increased collaboration
    • Centralized calendar for arts events (already in progress with the Watering Hole for the Arts group)
    • Maps of Northfield as an arts town - both artistic and GIS versions
    • Website with links to arts-related sites
  • Research to improve the funding and prominence of the arts in Northfield
    • Analyze the interaction between downtown businesses and arts organizations
    • Work on crafting a law to support the arts in town - possibly relating to a tax for the arts
    • Look at models of public art forums
    • Examine the feasibility of starting a film society in Northfield
    • How to better market Northfield as an arts town
    • Investigate the impact of new policies, like the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment