The Columbus Area Arts Council has streamlined itself to go from a budget deficit to operating in the black for the first time in four years.
It has moved to a new, more visible, downtown office space at 431 Sixth St.
And the council is expanding its partnerships with a range of organizations as it continues to move away from large-concert, live-music, weather-dependent gatherings to more varied family and children events, and ones that appeal to more young people.
Plus, the nonprofit, independent agency is kicking off a new five-program series of artist-led workshops April 21.
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If spring is a time for new life, then the arts council is blooming all over.
Kathryn Armstrong, who took over as executive director in June 2016, said that her agency is undergoing a shift — making artists a top priority while advancing its mission of integrating art and cultural experiences into community life.
“Artists are the core to our work,” said Armstrong, a longtime visual artist herself. “In order for the arts council to effectively move forward, we’ve got to put artists first. Without the artists, we have no art. We have no music. We have no performances.”
Part of the shift in focus is evident in the fact that the arts council trimmed its staff from four full-time employees in 2016 to one-full-timer — Armstrong — and three part-timers. Those expense reductions have allowed the arts council to go from an annual expense budget of about $661,000 in 2014 to a $441,000 this year with a budgeted surplus of $10,500. That’s a $220,000 per year reduction in spending.
The organization’s financial shortfalls began in 2015 when the city opted to discontinue $148,000 in direct funding it had provided to the arts council the two previous years. The financial turnaround has been a team effort, arts council board president Scott Poling said.
He lauded Armstrong’s donor cultivation, a strong and successful Uncommon Cause in October with a new, stand-up-and-mingle atmosphere at the Columbus Learning Center, “and a revised focus on building a plan for concerted efforts to raise money.”
“People need to remember that we’re not just raising money for the arts council,” Armstrong said. “We’re raising money for the arts in Columbus — and making the arts accessible to everyone, which is huge. For us, getting lean on staffing was done partly to make sure that every (donor) dollar is being spent wisely. And that helps us cultivate our creative community.”
Among other changes is a slightly later start and finish time for the summer’s JCB NeighborFEST outdoor street concerts that normally attract several hundred people in front of The Commons. Concerts will begin at 6 p.m., 30 minutes later than previously. Finish time, formerly at 7:30 p.m., now will be 8:30 p.m., giving people more time to mix and mingle.
The is part of the arts council’s newly expanded teamwork with Fun on 4th organizers Steve Leach and Kurt Schwarze. In the past, the duo provided beverages for JCB NeighborFEST. The pair has led successful events such as BBQ Blues & Brew event in June and the Mill Race Marathon After Party in September.
“NeighborFEST has been drawing roughly the same crowd for several years,” Leach said. “And we figured we needed some fresh faces. And to get those fresh faces in attendance, you need to change things up a bit.”
Leach said the later time is meant to attract a younger crowd accustomed to heading home after work to change clothes “or even to let the dog out.”
Two of the four NeighborFEST concerts will feature local bands — The Jackson Way, which performed previously at the Biggest Block Party Ever, on Aug. 2; and Flat Earth, which played last year at the Finish On Fourth Mill Race Marathon After Party, on Sept. 6. That fits with Armstrong’s preference to highlight local artists and performers whenever possible.
Poling said it’s tough to accurately assess the quality-of-life value of those type of events and offerings, but he suspects they mean plenty to local residents.
The council’s free family-oriented programs includes the monthly fall-to-spring First Fridays For Families series aimed at youngsters, featuring everything from drama troupes to singers to high-end, professional puppet shows.
“We would hear a lot more from people here if these kinds of events went away,” Poling said.
Columbus resident, artist and art teacher Susie Signorino, who moved from Chicago, sees the arts council as integral in bringing different people together — and to inspire young people. She attended last year’s Uncommon Cause partly because of that perspective.
“For kids, the arts are a great way to teach them to express themselves in this age of cell phones and social media,” said Signorino, the daughter of an illustrator father and sculptor mother. “If the kids could tap into the arts more, I think it would be so much more beneficial to them.”
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What: Independent, nonprofit agency supporting, presenting and promoting area arts such as music, dance and drama — and also serving through the Indiana Arts Commission as an arts promoter for regional arts agencies in nine nearby counties. Its vision includes a move to expand art and culture with thought-provoking programming that educates, engages and entertains, according to its website.
Financial support: Through private and public donations and grants.
Headquarters: New, in the carriage house at 431 Sixth St. downtown.
Office hours: 10 a.m., to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursdays.
Best-known programs: Summertime JCB NeighborFEST street concerts and fall-to-spring monthly First Fridays For Families, which are free.
History: In 1972, the Driftwood Valley Arts Council was formed. In 1988, the Driftwood Valley Arts Council and The Commons staffs were combined into the Columbus Area Arts Council under one board of directors.
Information: 812-376-2539 or artsincolumbus.org.
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Upcoming Columbus Area Arts Council calendar:
- April 21: Artist-led framing workshop with locals Laurie Wright and Bob Anderson from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wright’s Studio at 4780 Progress Drive in Columbus. Cost: $40.
- June 6 and 7: Artist-led workshop on zines as internet publishing for “young creatives” ages 15 to 20, at Viewpoint Books in downtown Columbus. Free materials and lunch provided.
- June 7: The Indianapolis-based Woomblies Rock Orchestra performs classic rock and Motown tunes at 6 p.m. for the kickoff of the new season of JCB NeighborFEST. Free.
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