June 12th, 2023
Waseca, MN – For the month of July 2023 Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council announces the selection of a new Executive Director, the marking of its thirtieth anniversary and the election of new Executive Board Members.
Anna Pollock was selected by the PLRAC Board as its new Executive Director based in Waseca, Minnesota. Pollock graduated Cum Laude from McNally Smith College of Music with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Business and a minor in Songwriting and Composition. She serves as the Theater Director of the Waseca Drama Department and previously served as the Deputy Director with Lead For Minnesota. Upon being notified of her selection, Pollock shared, “I am honored and excited about the opportunity to support artists and arts organizations in Southern Minnesota…I can’t wait to begin.” Her career path includes time with the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation in Los Angeles, California, and WCCO Radio in Minneapolis.
In 1993 the PLRAC became an independent non-profit arts organization serving, the artistic communities of a 9-county area of southcentral MN by supporting the creation and presentation of diverse art forms, fostering equitable access to arts opportunities, and integrating arts and culture to enhance quality of life in our communities. A major goal of the PLRAC is to distribute art grants to organizations and individual artists withing its jurisdiction. Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council’s programs and activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund (Legacy Amendment) and the State’s general fund. In addition, the PLRAC receives funds from the McKnight Foundation for its artist program.
In May, the PLRAC Board elected new Executive Officers assuming their positions in July. Elected are Randy Mediger of Waterville as President, April Malphurs of Saint Peter as Past President, Mark Wamma of Nicollet County as President Elect and Tom David Barna of Blue Earth County as Secretary-Treasurer. On the 2023-24 docket for the entire PLRAC Board is the roll out of a new and greatly simplified grant application process, the implication of a new grant panel selection process, and a renewed emphasis in reaching out to artists in the BIPOC and underserved communities.