The Cedar's END OF 2011 FUND DRIVE
We're in our end-of-the-year fund drive here at The Cedar: Will you make a donation today to support our 2011 programming? CLICK HERE
WHY SUPPORT THE CEDAR? The Cedar is a nonprofit organization that presents over 200 concert performances and educational events per year by unique artists from all over the world. Every year, The Cedar needs to raise about $100,000 from donors like you who give anywhere from $10 to $10,000 each. Your support is crucial to the survival of our organization and demonstrates your gratitude for The Cedar’s work.
You may remember when singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten said “I hope you guys know how lucky you are to have a place like this.” A local blog posted, “You folks from the Twin Cities, haul your a** down to the Cedar Cultural Center once in a while. There's something going on almost every evening. Don't take it for granted, beautiful things can slip away unnoticed.” Don’t we know it!
This year, your donations allowed us to:
Present over 200 concerts so far in 2011 featuring artists from all over the world.
Offer FREE concert events: Last July, our Cedar Outdoors program presented free shows by national acts like Mountain Man, the Henhouse Prowlers, Dovekins, Typhoon, Amy Lavere, and local group Steve Kaul & The Brass Kings, AND we kicked off our season with a free concert by Swedish group Väsen.
Present our third annual Global Roots Festival, which was completely free to the general public this year. This included concert events and educational programs by Colombian pyschadelic electro-cumbia group Bomba Estéreo, merengue master Joaquin Diaz from the Dominican Republic, Polish baltic dance band Dikanda, and chamber music by the Malian Ballaké Sissoko and French Vincent Segal.
Present legendary musicians such as the Blind Boys of Alabama, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Bruce Cockburn, Black Uhuru, and Tinariwen.
Present out-of-the-box artists such as Portland Cello Project, who play Top 40s pop songs with anywhere from 10 to 15 cellists, German minimal electronic group Brandt Brauer Frick from Germany, The tUnE-yArDs whose African inspired beats, vocals, and live looping made vocalist Merrill Garbus an indie sensation, and Debo Band, who brings traditional Ethiopian songs and melodies life witih a big brass band.
We installed a new air conditioning system
Commissioned local artists to create new collaborative work in connection with Jerome Foundation grant.
Served over 3,000 youth in partnership with organizations like Project SUCCESS, Project for Pride in Living, and Brian Coyle Center and public school classrooms.
Launced Cedar Seeder, a crowd-fundraising platform to invigorate the local arts and music scene with creative projects.
Increased our outreach to the East African community: We are currently working with Ka Joog organization, a youth-led non-profit with a mission to bring positive influences and guidance for Somali youth in the immigrant community. We are also working with the the Cedar Riverside Community School, a charter school located within the Riverside Plaza Towers, Midwest Community Development, Inc., and the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center.
We also hosted several events on behalf of our East African community partners, such as a a fundraiser for Somali youth, Radical Minds Youth Panel discussion about radicalization in the Muslim community, Threads for Somalia, a fashion show event with proceeds going towards famine relief efforts, and coming up, the Somali Entertainment Awards.
- Present over 200 concert events featuring artists from all over the world.
- Host events that were FREE to the general public: Our Summer 2011 Cedar Outdoors program presented free shows by national acts like Mountain Man, the Henhouse Prowlers, Dovekins, Typhoon, and Amy Lavere, and we kicked off our 23rd season with a free concert by Swedish group Väsen.
- Present our third annual Global Roots Festival completely FREE, including concert events and educational programs by Colombian pyschadelic electro-cumbia group Bomba Estéreo, merengue master Joaquin Diaz from the Dominican Republic, Polish baltic dance band Dikanda, and chamber music by Malian Ballaké Sissoko and French Vincent Segal.
- Present legendary musicians such as the Blind Boys of Alabama, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Bruce Cockburn, Black Uhuru, and Tinariwen.
- Host outside-of-the-box artists such as Portland Cello Project, who score Top 40s pop songs for 15 cellists, German minimal electronic group Brandt Brauer Frick, tUnE-yArDs whose African inspired beats, vocals, and live looping made Merrill Garbus an indie sensation, and Debo Band, who bring traditional Ethiopian songs and melodies to life witih a big brass band.
- Install a new air conditioning system
- Commission local artists to create new collaborative work in connection with a Jerome Foundation grant
- Serve over 3,000 youth in partnership with organizations like Project SUCCESS, Project for Pride in Living, and Brian Coyle Center and public school classrooms.
- Launch Cedar Seeder, a crowd-fundraising platform to invigorate the local arts and music scene with creative projects
- Strengthen our relationship with the East African community through partnerships with Ka Joog organization, a youth-led non-profit with a mission to bring positive influences and guidance for Somali youth in the immigrant community; Cedar Riverside Community School, a charter school located within the Riverside Plaza Towers; Midwest Community Development, Inc.; and the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center
- Hosted events on behalf of our East African community partners, such as a a fundraiser for Somali youth, Radical Minds Youth Panel discussion about radicalization in the Muslim community, Threads for Somalia, a fashion show event with proceeds going towards famine relief efforts, and the Somali Entertainment Awards.
Your donation will help us do these things in 2012:
- Redesign and reconstruct our outdoor patio.
- Present a second series of commissions for local artists
- Launch new programs in collaboration with our partners in the East African community
- Take a leadership role in the development and improvement of the Cedar Avenue streetscape and implement creative placemaking of several public spaces in the neighborhood
- Present international artists such as Aar Maanta from Somalia and the UK, Locos Por Juana who play Colombian-Caribbean dance music, and Sean Kuti & Egypt 80 from Nigeria.
- Support presentations by local artists such as Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, Malamanya, Steve Kaul & the Brass Kings, The Pines, and Pert Near Sandstone.
- Present master musicians Leon Redbone, Hot Tuna, The David Bromberg Quartet, Jake Shimabukuro, and Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar players.
- And, of course, continue to bring you a diverse program of unique, innovative musicians.
We rely on your contributions to make all of our programming possible and accessible.
Thank you.
You can also direct your support to any of the following Cedar programs:
