Appendix C: Comparable
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts,
§
Founded in 1979 by local arts
groups without homes
§
850-seat theater, 8
multidisciplinary studio spaces, 3 galleries, outdoor sculpture garden
§
Four main tenant organizations
(Annapolis Chorale, Annapolis Opera, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the
Ballet Theatre of Maryland.)
§
Also present other programs
(touring groups, community groups)
§
Extensive class offerings for
children and adults
§
$2.5 million budget, only
$500,000 from contributions
2003-2004 Budget:
Contributed
Income: $1.1 million Earned Revenue: $1.5 million Operating Expenses: $2.6
million
Maryland Hall
for the Creative Arts is a multidisciplinary community art center and performance
venue. Its mission is to “inspire, nurture and engage interest in the arts by
offering superior arts education, diverse cultural programs and stimulating
artistic experiences in all arts disciplines.”
Maryland Hall
was founded in 1979. The building itself was a school that had been built in
the 1930s. Since a new school had been built, the building was unused and on
the verge of being torn down. Several community arts groups had been trying to
persuade the government to build a new community arts center, but to no avail.
Since many of these groups were without a home, this school looked like the
least expensive, most suitable option for a new home. The visual arts could use
the classroom spaces, and there was an auditorium for the performing groups.
MHCA is home
to the Annapolis Chorale, Annapolis Opera, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the
Ballet Theatre of Maryland. In addition to these core groups, MHCA also
presents a number of concert series. There is a world music series that is free
to the public, an independent film series and an emerging artists’ series
featuring concerts like Brazilian guitar or jazz flute. The performance hall’s
schedule is rounded out by touring groups like the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats
and the Three Irish Tenors.
The Hall
includes an 850-seat performance venue, six to eight multidisciplinary studio
spaces, several galleries including the Chaney,
Classes at
MHCA are offered to both children and adults. Some of the offerings include
ballet, ballroom, tap and jazz dance, photography, yoga, ceramics, drawing,
video and film production and poetry. An especially successful class has been
their Kindermusik and Artstart programs, which are classes that children ages 7
and under take with a parent. Within the Kindermusik/Artstart program alone
there are 24 different class times and offerings. Each year 5,000 people enroll
in MHCA’s classes, and an estimated 100,000 people visit the facility
altogether.
MHCA has also
established an artist in residence program. One local artist per year is chosen
to receive studio space, stipend and the opportunity for their work to be
displayed in MHCA’s galleries. Artists from the regional area (
Artworks, a
five-day cultural celebration featuring over 100 sites for visual and
performing art, is now in its second year. The festival, which is a joint
effort between Maryland Hall and the Annapolis Arts Alliance, is meant to bring
art and culture to the people and businesses of
The building
itself is owned by the Board of Education. MHCA does not pay rent; instead, 20%
of the classes it offers are free to public school children. The majority of
MHCA’s $2.5 million budget is earned through the rental and usage of their
facility. Only $500,000 of the budget comes from contributions. MHCA receives
very little money from the state, other than the arrangement of free rental of
the building. On average, it receives only $130,000 from the Maryland State
Arts Council. There are over 4,000 members of MHCA.
In 2005, MHCA
is entering into a cross-marketing endeavor with its tenant organizations for
the first time. For Mozart’s 250th birthday, the chorale, symphony,
ballet and opera are all presenting a Mozart piece this season. This effort has
allowed them to combine mailing lists, for a total of 14,000 names. MHCA’s own
list is about 9,000 names. According to MHCA director Linnell Bowen, the birthing
process has been difficult as this is the first time they have attempted to
coordinate amongst the tenants. They are hoping that this will be successful,
and possibly spur on more joint efforts.
MHCA is a
very busy place, with the theater’s schedule booked every weekend and many
weekdays. Bowen noted that if an arts center really wants to be in the public
eye and matter to the government, it should really be a community center. Let
politicians have their debates there, and let community groups like the parks
and recreation department use the space for performances. MHCA keeps their
rental fees affordable to all types of groups who want to use their space. It
is estimated that 100,000 people per year are served by the MHCA. The
population of
Sierra 2,
§
Old School renovated by
neighborhood association
§
300-seat theater houses
resident theater company; also rents to other users
§
20 classrooms rented out to
local artists to teach classes, other community groups
§
Building owned by school
district, rented to neighborhood association for $1 per year
§
Room tenants incur costs of
renovations/improvements
§
Center is open to all, but is
operated by the Neighborhood Association
Operating Budget: N/A
Sierra 2 is a
community arts center housed in a renovated school built in the 1920s. During
the 1970s, the school had to be shut down because the building could not be
seismically retrofitted. The building fell into disrepair, and in the
1980s the neighborhood association from the surrounding community decided to
renovate the building and turn it into a community arts center.
The building
was owned by the City of
There are a
few large-scale changes that were made to convert the school into an arts
center, but much of the building remains the same. The former gymnasium has
been turned into a 300-seat auditorium with a raked house. The auditorium is
home to the resident theater company, which performs there for six months out
of the year. The rest of the year it is rented out to what they call day users
for things like an African drumming concert or a dance performance.
There are
three dance studios in the “dance wing” that have been outfitted with barres
and marley floors. Much of the classroom space has stayed the same. There are
20 classrooms in the two-story building. Most are rented out to local artists
and other groups. Some renters are not arts related at all. The renters are
treated like tenants—they rent the space and can do whatever renovations to the
room that they choose. There are some tenants that have been using the center
for 10-15 years. Some are artists that teach lessons, while there is also a
therapist, a day care, a group that transcribes Braille and a senior center.
Executive
Director Julie Gerth notes that the Center is not always as “artsy” as she and
the board would like. Originally, the goal for the Center was simply to keep
the building up and running. While their vision was to have an arts center,
they were willing to rent rooms to people who were not arts-related. They are,
however, making an effort to move the Center in the purely-arts direction. They
are looking to start offering their own classes at the Center, something that
they currently do not do. They also offer room rentals at a discounted
non-profit rate. One of the new functions of the neighborhood association is to
fundraise and promote the arts. The new funds they raise are meant to provide
free and low-cost arts classes to the community.
The board
consists of people who live in the neighborhood surrounding the Center. There
is an effort made to have a well-rounded board of people with varying
expertise. There is currently an excellent fundraiser on the board, which has
no doubt helped the center be financially stable.
Sierra 2’s
fundraising strategy basically consists of special event fundraisers and a
membership program. There are two signature events per year: a wine tasting and
silent auction and an open house tour of the neighborhood’s historic houses.
There are also a few performances throughout the year that are turned into
fundraising shows, which have been very successful for them in the past. This
year they plan on doing an art festival, where artists will donate their visual
art pieces for purchase, with proceeds going to the center. Sierra 2 has
received grant money this year for some work that was being done on the
auditorium seating, but generally speaking fundraising shows and an end of the
year membership appeal is the basis of their strategy.
While Sierra
2 is operated by a neighborhood association, the Center does not only cater to
its own neighborhood. It is estimated that people come to the Center from
within a 20-mile radius. There are no other arts centers in the surrounding
area, so Sierra 2 feels like it must truly cater to the community at large.
Sierra 2 has been an extremely successful endeavor for both the neighborhood
association and the City of
Julie Gerth
feels that it is especially helpful if the Executive Director has experience in
both property management and non-profit management. As difficult as it is to
find someone with experience in both areas, it has been an asset to their
organization. The previous Executive Director had no experience in property
management, and found the necessary aspects of the job, such as building
maintenance, very difficult.
§
Opened in 2001; renovated high
school
§
$35 million to renovate/adapt
§
Building also houses middle
school and senior center; organizations have no affiliation and separate
entrances
§
900-seat and 120-seat theater,
dance studio, classrooms
§
Both produce and present
performances
§
Classes in Dance, Theater,
Music, Literary Arts
2003-2004 Operating Budget:
Contributed
Income $185,000
Earned
Revenue $350,000
Operating
Expenses $535,000
After
undergoing restoration and transformation, an old high school reopened in 2001
as a home to three different tenants: a middle school, a senior center and the
There are two
theater spaces in the building—one 900-seat theater and one 120-seat theater.
These theaters are programmed both by the
The range of
programming in the theater is vast. Some performances in the upcoming months
include an interactive murder mystery, Ballet Theater of Maryland, A Christmas
Carol, several musicals and plays and a performance by the youth symphony. The
theater’s schedule is very busy, and is already booked over a year in advance.
The Center
has a variety of education classes for which they subcontract teachers. Classes
are offered for both adults and children in the areas of Literary Arts, Visual
Arts, Dance, Theatre and Music. Need-based scholarships are offered to local
children. Classes range in price from $75 to $220 for 12 weeks of instruction.
Executive Director David Jones has only been at the Center for less than a
year, and is currently doing some reorganization of the management structure.
The Center was not doing well financially, and efforts are underway to rectify
this. In addition to the existing membership campaign, there will also be an
annual giving campaign implemented this year. Jones notes that the membership
program and an annual giving campaign are two totally separate things, and the
Center was not doing enough fundraising to remain viable. One buys a membership
to the Center to receive discounts and benefits, and to be a part of an arts
community. But an annual gift is a) a substantially larger donation and b) not
about getting anything in return. As the Center launches this type of
fundraising program this year, they are focusing on how to tap into these two
sometimes separate groups.
About 50% of
the Center’s $609,000 budget is revenue earned from ticket sales, classes and
rentals. 10% comes from the membership program, and the remaining 40% is a
combination of foundation and government grants. With the inception of an
annual giving campaign, the hope is to increase the total amount of contributed
income. The building is owned by the Board of Education, and the Center rents
its space from them.