The Matthew Holmquist Arts Memorial Scholarship

Andrew Holmquist is organizing this fundraiser.

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My beloved brother, Matt Holmquist, passed away unexpectedly from organ failure on November 21st, 2021. There has been an incredible outpouring of love since then, and a collective desire to do something meaningful to honor him. We invite you to join us in a celebration of Matt’s life on May 14th, 2022, on what would have been his 41st birthday. We would also like to ask for your support in creating an ongoing arts scholarship in his name: The Matthew Holmquist Arts Memorial Scholarship.

Matt Holmquist was a gifted musician and a champion of the arts, and to honor his memory and extend his legacy, we have created a memorial scholarship that will support graduating students from Northfield High School in their pursuit of music and visual arts in college.

Matt was such a supportive brother. He came to all of my exhibitions, and was the biggest collector of my art, filling nearly every wall of his home with my paintings. He was always curious about what I was working on and was so encouraging of my crazy big ideas. As I was getting started, if I ever faced financial hardship, he would send me funds to help make ends meet.

As the son of potters and art educators, Matt grew up helping our parents in the studio and traveled with them to art fairs across the country. Matt’s own creative spirit was anchored in music, and he was gifted with a beautiful voice and perfect pitch. In his youth, he performed in the Northfield Youth Choir and earned a position in the esteemed Minnesota All-State Choir. Beyond his voice, he was a gifted performer and took to the stage in high school as Conrad Birdie in Bye, Bye, Birdie, and had multiple solos in the bi-annual Rock and Roll Revival. He went on to create his own band, Mr. Sticky, where he wrote and performed original music across Minnesota with his bandmates. Music was central to his being, and he continued to write and record music throughout his life.

We are still discovering some of the musical treasures he left behind.

Matt lived a joyful life and was planning a bright future filled with love, music, and community. The last year of his life, he reconnected with his childhood friend, Emiko. After twenty years apart, he was delighted to rediscover that she had sung with him in Northfield Youth Choir, Rock and Roll Revival, and Minnesota All-State Choir, and also shared the rare gift of perfect pitch. They experienced a deep and immediate love, and joked about all the in-tune duets and growing family ensembles that awaited them in their future. Matt was also inspired by Emiko’s work as an educator of immigrant youth, and dedicated himself fully to supporting her and her students. Emiko has shared with me how Matt would continually check in on the progress of her students in their pursuit of higher education, particularly the students interested in music and art. While Matt and Emiko’s time together as life partners was tragically cut short, their love was marked by a shared commitment to building a better world they knew was possible - one with more compassion, creativity, and singing.

In talking with Emiko, and with my parents, we all felt that this was the part of Matt’s spirit that we should honor.

The Matthew Holmquist Arts Memorial Scholarship will award $1,000 to one young musician and one young artist every year. Our goal is to raise $20,000 that will be directed to the Northfield Public School District to fund this scholarship for at least 10 years. A committee of teachers from the art department and the music department will select the student recipients of the scholarship, and a dedicated plaque will be hung in the Northfield High School art wing featuring the names of the recipients over time. We plan on awarding the first scholarships this upcoming spring! We will share information about the recipients on this page, and continue to seek further donations in the years to come to extend this aspect of Matt’s legacy for as long as possible.

On Saturday, May 14th, 2022, we are planning an all-day celebration of Matt’s life and we hope you can join us. There will be a more formal memorial service in the morning, and a celebration in the evening. Both will take place in Northfield, Minnesota, and be filled with music and stories from friends and family. We will update this page as the plans are confirmed in the coming months.

Thank you so much for your generosity, and your unwavering love and support.

Sincerely,

Andrew, Sue, Chris, and Emiko