MINNESOTA PILOT
The first-year goal in Minnesota is to create a competitive Anthems contest with prizes including theater season tickets, group and individual tickets to theaters, museum memberships, dramaturgy, coffee with theater directors, actors, and crews. Target demographics are 225 high schools serving 270,000 students and 78 four-year colleges and universities serving 425,000 students. The Minnesota pilot has a budget of $142.
Places Rated Almanac ranks the Twin Cities eighth out of 354 metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada for its variety and participation in the arts (Minnesota State Arts Board, 2019). 95% of Minnesotans believe the arts are an important or essential part of the overall education of Minnesota children (e.g., classes in music, writing, dance, art, and drama). In a national sample of 25,000 students, those with high levels of arts learning experiences earned higher grades and scored better on standardized tests than those with little or no involvement in the arts, regardless of socioeconomic status (Minnesota State Arts Board, 2019).
The arts in Minnesota have over $1 billion in economic impact annually (Minnesota State Arts Board, 2017).