Charron named chair of Minnesota State Arts Board

By Travis Fick
Managing Editor

Creating new programs to ensure that all Minnesotans have equal access to arts programs is a top priority for Michael Charron, Saint Mary’s University’s dean of the School of Arts, who was elected as the new chairman of the Minnesota State Arts Board.

“It was both exciting and sobering,” said Charron after he was elected chairman. “In Minnesota, people know that natural resources and the arts are a way of life.”

With the passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in 2008, the board will be given additional funds generated from an increase in the statewide sales tax. Charron said that before voters approved the amendment in 2008, the arts board had a budget of about $11 million. For 2009, the board’s budget is estimated to be around $30 million.

“It is a historically significant year for the arts and the arts board,” said Charron. “Last fall, the voters approved a constitutional amendment that would give a portion of the sale tax to support the arts in Minnesota.”

With additional funds, Charron said the board seeks to expand access programs to reach all ages, locations and ethnicities.

But with increased funding during an economic recession, Charron said he feels an extra sense of responsibility. “We need to use tax dollars responsibly, efficiently and effectively,” he said.

Charron said that everyone in Minnesota pays sales taxes, and that knowledge will be a constant reminder that the board has a responsibility to meet the needs of a diverse group of constituents. “My dream is for an 80-year-old and an 8-year-old learning side-by-side in arts programs,” said Charron.

“The arts industry is an integral part of the economy,” said Charron. “For every dollar the government invests, they will get $11 back.”

The Minnesota State Arts Board is responsible for providing grants and services to individual artists and programs that support the arts. Charron said the board’s goal is to enrich the quality of life by making arts accessible, nurturing creative activities, encouraging the development of artistic expression and preserving the state’s diverse artistic heritage.

Charron was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in 2008 to serve a four-year term representing Minnesota’s first congressional district on the board.