Q and A on Twin Rivers Move from the Emy Frentz Arts Guild

Who is leaving the Emy Frentz Arts Guild?

Twin Rivers Council for the Arts has made the decision to relocate its office to the Hubbard Building in Old Town Mankato (424 N Riverfront Dr, Mankato).

What does that mean for the future of the Emy Frentz Arts Guild?

The intention is to maintain the Emy Frentz Arts Guild as a cultural asset and build up the “guild” component, making it a vibrant arts space run by members of the guild.  Amanda Wirig, local artist and longtime studio holder at the Arts Guild has been appointed executive director and is in the early planning stages of developing the guild into a non-profit.  The Emy Frentz Arts Guild is transitioning from simply being a guild in name only, and into its own arts nonprofit, with a focus on bringing together artists of all disciplines in the spirit of community and collaboration.

Why did Twin Rivers decide to leave the Arts Guild?

In an effort to use funds more efficiently and shift staff responsibilities from building management to innovative programming, the Board of Directors of Twin Rivers made a strategic decision earlier this year to leave the Arts Guild.

In recent years, Twin Rivers program emphasis has shifted to community development work through the lens of creativity. As the arts commission, Twin Rivers is responsible for the development and implementation of a strategic vision for arts and culture in Greater Mankato and facilitates many of the public art and creative placemaking initiatives. As a small nonprofit of one and a half staff, we need to be strategic in the types of partnerships we take on. We are gaining a lot of momentum and visibility, and in order to serve the creative community better we need to focus on programs that will have the biggest impact and bring the greatest value to our community.

When will Twin Rivers transition to the Hubbard Building?

The official move in date is October 1, 2019.

Where will the Twin Rivers office now be located?

The Twin Rivers office will be located on the third floor of the Hubbard Building. This location is a natural fit as many of the tenants of the Hubbard Building work in the creative services industry.  We are excited to see what natural cross-sector partnerships are cultivated simply by being surrounded by creative leaders and thinkers.

How will this transition effect Twin Rivers affiliates?

The Emy Frentz Arts Guild will continue to be an affordable community cultural space for artists and cultural groups to meet, rehearse, hold classes, board meetings, etc. Amanda Wirig, the appointed executive director for the Arts Guild, is working on a new membership structure for artists and cultural groups who want to continue to use the space. Individual artists and/or cultural organizations will need to become a member of the newly formed non-profit, Emy Frentz Arts Guild.

Twin Rivers will continue to maintain an affiliate membership. We are currently working on a new affiliation structure with updated benefits.

The new membership structure for the Emy Frentz Arts Guild and new affiliate structure for Twin Rivers will be implemented in January 2020.

If you have additional questions or concerns about this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Noelle Lawton, executive director at director@twinriversarts.org / 507-387-2387.