newburyport art association executive director`s annual report

 NEWBURYPORT ART ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL MEETING, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page i.
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Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….. Financial Overview……………………………………………………………………… Membership……………………………………………………………………………….. Fund Development……………………………………………………………………… Marketing…………………………………………………………………………………… Exhibitions………………………………………………………………………………….. Education……………………………………………………………………………………. Other Programming……………………………………………………………………. NAA in the Community……………………………………………………………….. Facilities………………………………………………………………………………………. Personnel…………………………………………………………………………………….. Our Future……………………………………………………………………………………. 1 1 2-­‐3 3-­‐5 5-­‐6 6-­‐8 8-­‐10 10-­‐11 11-­‐12 12-­‐13 13-­‐14 14 I.
INTRODUCTION – EXCITEMENT & CHALLENGE It is an honor to submit the enclosed 2014 NAA Executive Director’s Annual Report – reflections on the past year at the NAA. I think, in time, this past year will prove to have been one marked by transformative momentum – a year full of all the excitement such a moment in an institution’s history can bring, as well as the challenges. It will be evident that the 2014 Annual Report is shaped in large measure by the focus of the NAA Board of Directors’ Strategic Planning Process on fundraising and marketing, in service to the aspirations of the Newburyport Art Association and its membership. The pages that follow tell the story of a modest non-­‐profit – led by a dedicated Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers in service to its membership – working responsibly to support its mission while stretching to seize new opportunity which is proportional, timely, and appropriate. This is the story that follows here. II. FINANCIAL OVERVIEW In 2014 the NAA annual operating budget was $214,660. The financial highlights of the year include the following: •
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NAA revenue increased from 21.27%. However, it important to note that $57,000 of the revenue was restricted for the 2 capital projects. The actual operating revenue was decreased by 3.4%. The expenses were up 32.54% but again, $57,950 was for the capital projects; operating expenses increased by 5.5% without the capital projects. The annual auction, Artful Feast, was a success: proceeds were up 13.8% vs. 2013 (minus the Donald Jurney donation) Membership decreased 4.34% for the first year on the rolling membership. Note: As mentioned above, the change to a rolling membership resulted in numbers lagging in 2014. We encourage members to reach out to those who still need to renew; renewals will now be valid for a full 12-­‐month period -­‐ renewals can be made at the Annual Meeting. NAA art shows income decreased (fees and commissions) as the effects of the economic downturn continue to be felt Annual Fund is lower as a large annual gift should have been accounted for as foundation support Not documented on the Treasurer’s handout is the endowment account report. In 2014 it held steady and the NAA Board of Directors remains committed to its growth by reinvesting income -­‐ when first invested the account stood at just over $150,000, today the account balance is over $186,000. 1 III. MEMEMBERSHIP The Newburyport Art Association is an open, membership-­‐driven organization. Our membership continues to represent the very heart of the NAA’s mission; the richness of the members’ energy and creative passion make our work most meaningful. The 2014 membership profile is provided below. The year was marked by a slight downturn in total membership, anticipated with the shift to a calendar year membership system (from rolling). The Membership Committee hopes to reach beyond the 600-­‐
member mark in the year ahead. Total active 2014 memberships Artist Artist Plus Artist Select Individual Family Patron Youth Artist Honorary & Lifetime Membership benefits include the following: 597 349 97 68 25 11 13 13 21 •
10% Discount on purchases from the NAA Gift Shop for all NAA Members •
10% discount on framing from Newburyport Framers •
On-­‐line Gallery – When submitting show entries online, artists’ work images are displayed in the Online Gallery and available for sale broadening the prospective buyer audience •
Discounts of NAA Classes and Workshops 2 •
Weekly Newsletter from the Executive Director via Constant Contact (which includes opportunities for artists beyond the NAA) •
Exclusive opportunity to show work in the NAA Gift Shop – Juried Process by Gift Shop Committee •
Ability to join Special Interest Groups to further support artistic growth & exhibit your work during Featured Interest Group shows •
Eligibility for a Featured Artist Show (must have been juried into three NAA exhibitions and maintain current membership) •
Many & varied opportunities to show your art work to the public at prevailing rates The Membership Committee is regularly reaching out to members whose membership is pending and is introducing new recruitment efforts to identify new members. A recent March 2015 March Madness Membership Drive resulted in 25 new members, for example. NAA Director Patty St. John chairs the Membership Committee, and is joined by fellow NAA Director Terry Rooney, NAA volunteer Christopha Fitzmaurice, and staff. It is important for of us to remember that all NAA members, Board of Directors, and staff serve as ambassadors and chief recruiters for the Association, and as such are invited to use their voices, spheres of influence, and circles of family and friends, to enlist new members when appropriate opportunities present themselves. IV.
Fund Development As mentioned, as a result of the 2014 Strategic Planning Process led by the NAA Board of Directors, fundraising and marketing were identified as the NAA top institutional priorities. The most significant development on the fundraising side in 2014 was the establishment of a new Board Fund Development Committee, led by NAA Director Nicole Nadeau. The NAA’s Fund Development Committee will lead all fundraising efforts with a special focus in this period on the Range Light Community Sculpture Garden and NAA Education Center. The FDC members are: Nicole Nadeau, Chair 3 Robert Currier Karla Emmerling Kelly Gray Claudia Harris Jay McCarthy Paul Swindlehurst & Elena Bachrach, staff In 2014 the Newburyport Art Association enjoyed the generous support of individuals and institutions. Unrestricted gifts/purchases received from individuals (members and non-­‐members) for the 2014 Annual Appeal, Artful Feast Auction, and the Art of Giving fundraiser. o Annual Appeal $9,685 o Art of Giving $10,500 (new & multi-­‐year) o Artful Feast $40,000 $20,000 sculpture garden o Cleveland Foundation $5,000 sculpture garden o The Morrill Foundation $11,735 sculpture garden o Mary Alice Arakelian Fund $10,000 48 Water Street Other restricted major gifts include: o The Litle Family 4 o Arbeit Family Foundation $600 ArtLink o Institution for Savings Bank $17,500 OpArt, ArtLink, auction sponsor, Hartson o Hemphill Family Foundation $1,000 ArtLink o Matter Communications $3,500 Art of Giving, Auction o NAID $5,000 general o Newburyport Development $2,000 exhibition season sponsor o Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank $5,000 OpArt, ArtLink o RE/MAX On the River $2,500 auction sponsor o Individual Gifts-­‐Restricted $5,250 sculpture garden The two capital projects & fundraising goals can be summarized at the time of this writing as follows: o Range Light Community Sculpture Garden Budget: $120,000 Raised: $88,000 2015 Goal: $40,000 o NAA Education Center Budget: $250,000 Raised: $85,000 2016 Goal: $165,000 V.
Marketing The 2014 highlights of the work of the NAA Board Marketing Committee – led by NAA Director and artist member Bonita Leflore – included but not limited to the following: Portraits of Newburyport Show Increased visibility through free media that brought new visitors into the galleries 5 Created a book to celebrate the show Increased social media presence The NAA now has almost 1100 FB followers and post three times per week reaching as many a 5,000 people. The NAA posts regularly on Twitter The NAA Blog includes monthly posts on issues and ideas relating to art Art Book Sale Helped to fund the new floor in the Hartson Lights on in Hills Gallery till 11pm Plans for 2015 include: Close collaboration with the NAA Fund Development and Membership Committees Musical Suite Performances Survey Conducted an electronic survey reaching out to 1200 community members VI.
Exhibitions The NAA’s mission states, “(t)he NAA is dedicated to promoting and exhibiting our members’ work…” This remains our foremost obligation to the membership, and the 2014 exhibition calendar dramatically illustrates this commitment. The 2014 exhibition schedule and related data are included below for your reference. NAA EXHIBITIONS FEATURED ARTIST FEATURED INTERET GROUPS EXHIBITIONS EXHIBITIONS Winter Juried Show, part 1 Linda Tasker, Annalee Johnson, Candy Mitchell Newburyport Ten Plein Air Painters Winter Juried Show, part II Nancy Cahan Life Drawing Young and Budding Artists Show Bonita LeFlore PHIG Newburyport High School Student Show Donald Reed Printmakers Strem Chemicals Catalogue Cover Art Contest Show Mary Altieri Band of Brushes Spring Members Open Show Patricia Doherty Abstract and Experimental Group 6 Regional Juried Show Rosalie Cuticchia OpArt Show Susan Sanford Then and Now Jeff Sluder 8 Cubed Elaine Asplind Russell Raw Arts Show Christine Molitor Johnson New Works, New Members Linda Dahlberg Portraits of Newburyport Exhibition In and Around Newburyport Fall Juried Show, part I Fall Juried Show, part II Past Presidents Show Holiday Show and Sale 2014 NAA Summaries Detail NO ARTISTS WORKS EXHIBITED QTR ONE QTR TWO TOTAL VALUE OF SHOW NO EXHIBITIONS 611 488 $260,966 SALES TOTAL WORKS SOLD 7 $8,345 31 380 258 $303,687 6 $6,785 16 QTR THREE 1340 327 $357,772 15 $19,270 76 QTR FOUR 736 296 $278,042 7 $20,999 115 3,067 1,369 $1,200,467 35 $55,399 238 Acrylic Painting QTR TWO QTR THREE QTR FOUR 63 48 131 Oil Painting 189 248 336 Watercolor 88 10 66 Photography 61 27 219 Pastel 50 8 35 Drawing 38 4 128 4 3 0 55 17 103 Fine Crafts
Mixed Media QTR ONE 79 220 79 150 49 83 5 29 7 Printmaking 6 4 231 Sculpture 45 7 13 Digital Art 12 4 Giclee Other 611 TOTALS 380 21 2 12 9 26 50 1340 736 3067 The NAA Board of Directors approves the exhibition calendar each September, however from time to time opportunities present themselves for additional, creative programming and 2014 was no exception. In particular, I would like to highlight the following: •
2nd Strem Catalog Cover Contest Finalists’ Show •
Then & Now (in celebration of the City of Newburyport’s 250th) •
Portraits of Newburyport (in celebration of the City of Newburyport’s 250th) •
Past NAA Presidents Show (in celebration of the City of Newburyport’s 250th) •
Raw Art Works Show – made possible by the generous donation of Donald Jurney & our colleagues at Raw Art Works VII.
EDUCATION While plans are underway for the new NAA Education Center to be located at 48 Water Street, the regular education sessions were held at the NAA and the following classes and workshops were offered for members and non-­‐members: 8 2014 EDUCATION SUMMARY Sign Ups Member Non-­‐
Member Classes 7 4 3 7 6 1 3 2 1 Acrylic Painting for Colorists with Karen Jones (April) 5 4 1 Fundamentals of Drawing with Susan Spellman (May) 8 6 2 7 6 1 Fundamentals of Drawing with Susan Spellman (afternoon class) 6 4 2 Oil Painting for Beginners with Bob Richardson 3 1 2 Watercolor with Beverly Mitchell 7 4 3 Beginning Photography with Rachael Kloss 4 3 1 57 40 17 Winter Fundamentals of Drawing with Susan Spellman Acrylic Painting for Colorists with Karen Jones Spring Landscaping Painting in Watercolor with Joan Rademacher Fall Fundamentals of Drawing with Susan Spellman (morning class) 2014 STUDENT TOTALS Spring Golden Artist Colors Lecture/Demo 19 14 5 Summer The Portrait: A Demo, with Robin Thornhill 23 17 6 (Year Round) Wednesday Night Life Drawing with Gordon Przybyla (39 workshops) 484 students (not counted) (not counted) Art of Business Winter Photographing Your Work 4 4 35 WORKSHOPS 2014 STUDENT TOTALS 493 11 The NAA continues to coordinate with David Hall as plans for the new NAA Education Center unfold. As Mr. Hall makes preparations for the conversion of 48 Water Street to business condominiums, and his gift of part of the property to the NAA, the NAA has been quietly raising funds for the future renovation of the space; a public capital project campaign will be announced in 2016. [The NAA 9 Board Fund Development Committee has established the Range Light Community Sculpture Garden and the NAA Education Center (in this order) as its fundraising priorities for 2015-­‐16.] VIII.
OTHER PROGRAMMING The third prong of the NAA’s mission is community outreach and in 2014 the NAA remained very active in the Newburyport and surrounding communities. OpArt – In 2014, through the efforts of Jenna Signore, Rachel Forte, and a handful of very dedicated volunteers, OpArt programming continued each week and is projected to grow as Opportunity Works moves into its new Haverhill location. OpArt includes not only weekly art education classes for clients of Opportunity Works (adults with disabilities), but opportunity for artists to exhibit and sell their work at the NAA and in other venues across the community. ArtLink – Programming with schools in the region continued in 2014 and included the following: Young & Budding Artists Show Scholarships for graduating seniors from various school districts Ongoing collaboration with Newburyport High School National Art Honor Society o Workshops with NAA artist members for students at the high school o Annual National Art Honor Society Senior exhibition held at the NAA o NAA role at the annual induction ceremony Internships for students from various school districts 10 Partner with Pentucket Regional High School new Innovation School/Visual Arts Academy The NAA is grateful for the support of private, including members’ gifts, and institutional donors who make both OpArt and ArtLink programming possible. Newburyport Cultural District – The NAA was the site for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s announcement of Newburyport’s successful application for the Cultural District designation and joined other cultural destinations in the City for the Progressive Party in celebration of this achievement. The NAA’s Executive Director serves on the Cultural District’s Steering Committee. Rental Program – The NAA offers its galleries for rent and worked again with two non-­‐profits in 2014 – the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center and the Newburyport Literary Festival. Graceful Path Yoga (Carol Gamble, owner), through a rental agreement with the NAA, has established a flourishing series of yoga classes that are held in the Hartson Gallery each week when not in use. As the NAA facilities and the infrastructure improve (and the sculpture garden is completed), the rental program will become more fully marketable and grow as source of revenue for the NAA in the years ahead. IX.
NAA IN THE COMMUNITY The Executive Director represents the NAA in the Newburyport and surrounding community and in 2014 participated in the following: •
Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce 11 o Annual Meeting of the GNCC o Non-­‐Profit Sub-­‐Group o Attendance at Chamber events as schedule permits (NAA Board of Directors also attend) •
City of Newburyport o Newburyport Cultural District Steering Committee o City of Newburyport Master Planning Cultural Resources Committee •
Newburyport Cultural Alliance Roundtable •
Newburyport ArtWalk •
Weekly Press Releases to Media Contacts •
Weekly E-­‐blasts to NAA Membership & Friends •
NAA Blog •
NAA Facebook page •
Ongoing cultivation of new community, institutional sources for financial support of NAA programming These commitments and other external relations work continues throughout the year to ensure the NAA is recognized in the community as a lead art association, cultural resource, and institutional citizen. X.
FACILITIES The NAA Board of Directors and staff acknowledge the invaluable contributions of those volunteers who assisted with the maintenance needs of the building in the last year. They include: 12 Ryan Kelley, NAA Board of Directors Al Moskowitz, NAA Board of Directors Warren Moskowtitz, NAA Member Brent Rotsko, NAA Member Mark Brophy, NAA Member Most significantly, in 2014 an important fortification repair was completed on a basement support column (will be followed by others as funds permit) and funds were raised ($6,000) to assist in completing the renovation of the Hartson Gallery scheduled for January 2015. The Hartson Gallery renovation was ultimately possible due to additional, and substantial, in-­‐kind (labor and materials) donations by Splitrock Ventures, Inc. and Timberline LLC. XI.
PERSONNEL In 2014 the NAA staff team performed professionally and consistently, working as a team throughout the year. The dedicated team makes it possible for the NAA to deliver on its mission with very limited resources, but with an abundance of talent, loyalty, very hard work, and, thankfully, good humor. Current staff includes: Elena Bachrach Executive Director Annemarie Smith Assistant Manager Colleen DeLuca Accounting Associate Rachel Forte Gallery Associate (pt) & OpArt Instructor 13 Michael Scaramuzzino Gallery Associate (pt) Susan Spellman Gallery Associate (pt) Pat Greeley Gallery Associate (pt) Jenna Signore Coordinator & Instructor, OpArt High school interns and the many, many NAA member volunteers supported the staff across the operation throughout the year – any success the NAA enjoys is only possible because of their ongoing commitment and dedication. XII.
OUR FUTURE The 2014 story of the NAA is thus marked by healthy challenge – outsized ideas for the size of the NAA community to be sure – but, more importantly, by the excitement that really good ideas can generate and promise. We now envision an expanding NAA that will include a beautiful community sculpture garden alongside the City of Newburyport’s Harbor Walk Trail dedicated to hosting annual NAA outdoor sculpture exhibitions (with further opportunities for education and community outreach) and the new NAA Education Center to be located across the street at 48 Water Street. The NAA will finally enjoy a dedicated space for a rich and rigorous program of classes and workshops. Both capital projects – the Range Light Community Sculpture Garden and the NAA Education Center -­‐ will result in enhanced connections with community organizations, expanded programming (exhibition and other), and the prospect of further financial stability. But, first an investment of human capital and some financial capital will be required – in the end, our shared investment will pay off. These goals will be achieved while staying true consistently to the NAA’s noble mission and history. 14