ARTS FOUNDATION OF CAPE COD
2 0 2 0 R EP O R T
The mission of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
is to support, promote, and celebrate the arts and culture of Cape Cod in order to sustain a vibrant, diverse and strong arts community.
A 2020 REPORT TO OUR DONORS This year, your generosity helped local artists and our cherished cultural organizations, who even in the face of a pandemic, have brought us together. Members of our creative community has lifted us up with their music, their art, and their words. And they have done so despite the obstacles presented by social distancing. Lost income, shuttered doors, and furloughs and layoffs have been devastating to the arts on Cape Cod. For over 30 years, the AFCC has been dedicated to building and strengthening the arts in our region. That work has never been more vital than it is today. We are grateful that you have joined us in our commitment to ensure that arts and culture remain an essential part of our community fabric here on Cape Cod.
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$30,000 awarded to
$51,500
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awarded to
local artists
GRANT-MAKING
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cultural nonprofits
Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund In late March, the AFCC moved swiftly to launch the Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to local artists and cultural organizations that face urgent fiscal need as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. We are grateful to the following individuals and groups who helped seed the fund: Pete Hocking, artist and educator; Terrence Meck and the Palette Fund; RogersGray; AFCC Patrons; AFCC Board of Directors; and the Barnstable County Economic Development Council License Plate Grant Program through the Cape Cod Commission. One of our first relief fund grants went to a single mother of two who lost all of her music gigs performing for residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Cape Cod, leaving her unsure how she would pay her utility, medical, and insurance bills. Since its inception, the relief fund has distributed roughly $82,000 in grants to artists and cultural organizations. That figure far surpasses the $53,000 in grants distributed in 2019. This marks the fifth straight year the AFCC has been able to increase the total amount funded through its grant giving, strengthening its investment in the region’s creative economy. “ This pandemic has taught us the value of our product. People crave seeing art in person; they want to be here experiencing it and learning about its history, and they want to stay engaged. We’ve learned about our own resiliency and will do what it takes to serve our community and visitors in the best, safest way possible.” — Lesley Marchessault, Development Officer, 2
Provincetown Art Association and Museum (grant recipient)
2020 DONOR REPORT AFCC Access AFCC Access, now in its third year, will continue to fund grants that remove financial barriers that prevent children in our community from accessing arts and cultural programming. AFCC Access recently awarded a grant to the Cape Cod Museum of Art (CCMOA) to fund technology support to connect at-risk teens in its no-fee and long-standing Creative Outlets program. This tech funding will also help the CCMOA build more interactive methods for school engagement, offering teachers and students across the Cape and Islands alternate options to the field trip experience. As children and families continue to deal with remote and hybrid learning, the AFCC Access program is committed to helping Cape Cod’s cultural nonprofits stay connected with our young people — fueling imagination and building critical learning and life skills amid isolation.
Provincetown Performing Arts Fund The Provincetown Performing Arts Fund (PPAF) is a new collaboration between the AFCC, performing artist / event producer Jonathan Hawkins, and the Palette Fund to serve performance artists, musicians, theatre professionals, and technical production staff impacted by Covid-19. At the Provincetown Theater, an arts relief grant will be used to help the cultural nonprofit reconfigure its space, both indoors and outdoors, to create a safe venue for audiences to view live performances next year. “This money will help us get back in front of people. Whether it’s next summer or fall, we’ll be ready for it.” — Kevin Drake, Artistic Director, Provincetown Theater The PPAF strives to provide stability and financial support to Provincetown’s performance artists who have been instrumental in making their community a vibrant and diverse entertainment destination, not to mention an economic driver for its summer community.
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performance artists, musicians, theatre professionals, and technical production staff based in Provincetown.
$31,000 awarded to
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2020 DONOR REPORT
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$5,000
graduating high school students seeking higher education in arts-related fields.
awarded to
SCHOLARSHIPS
For the past 10 years, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has generously partnered with the AFCC to award scholarships to students pursuing higher education in arts-related fields. This summer, the program awarded five scholarships to students seeking degrees in photography, fine arts, music, and theater production. We were happy to help these Class of 2020 students, and we are excited to see what the future holds for these promising artists.
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DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEREDITH
The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod ~ The Positively Different Scholarship Program
2020 DONOR REPORT
ADVOCACY 2020 was an important year for arts advocacy. The AFCC continued its role as a voice for Cape Cod’s artists and cultural organizations at the local, state, and national levels. The AFCC’s work includes representation on the Reopening Cape Cod Task Force and the Barnstable County Economic Development Committee. It also supports MASSCreative’s nonpartisan initiatives via the Create the Vote campaign. “ The AFCC is a great resource, helping all the arts organizations on the Cape know of available assistance and support which is so important right now. In terms of advocacy, the AFCC is really fantastic about getting Cape Cod’s arts organizations connected with state leaders.” — Sarah Johnson, Director & Curator, Cahoon Museum of American Art Earlier this year, as seen in the photo below, we convened all of our local legislators, including Representative Paul McMurtry, Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Culture, and several Cape Cod arts leaders, to discuss arts funding on Cape Cod. As we welcome new legislators from the most recent election, we will continue to engage, educate, and inspire on the importance of arts and culture to the Cape’s community and economy.
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2020 DONOR REPORT
ARTIST AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION SUPPORT We believe our impact and relevance, and that of the arts sector, are deepened through creative leadership, continuous learning, and strategic partnerships.
Membership With over 200 individual members, the AFCC is a trusted and valued resource to our local artists and cultural organizations, providing crucial support, including grants, access to additional funding sources, information resources, and professional development training. “The Arts Foundation is really a central hub and resource for cultural organizations and artists working across all different types of disciplines on the Cape.” — Matt Scinto, Founder and Music Director, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra
The Creative Exchange The Creative Exchange is an initiative seeking to connect, support, and highlight Cape Cod’s creative community. In recognizing the diversity and dynamism of our region’s artistic sector, the Creative Exchange encourages discussion among established and emerging artists of all mediums, cultural organizations, and supporters of the creative community at large. Through the creation of a podcast, an annual day-long conference, and a series
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2020 DONOR REPORT of live conversations and workshops, we aim to provide avenues for artists to exchange ideas, learn from one another, and respond to challenges within our local and global communities. The AFCC completed two seasons of the Creative Exchange Podcast Series, with season 3 to be launched by the end of the year. The podcasts are designed to help creatives navigate new and ambitious challenges through discussions on timely topics and sharing ideas on getting initiatives back on track or on a new path. These valuable conversations keep Cape Cod creatives connected, inspired, and empowered.
Arts Cape Cod ArtsCapeCod.org is a website built and maintained by the AFCC to support and promote the rich cultural landscape of Cape Cod. Early next year, the site will be updated with a focus on cultural tourism and will include an artists’ marketplace, classifieds for work, and shared artist space and materials. The vision of this initiative is to support the efforts of our local Chambers of Commerce and cultural councils as they promote and celebrate what we have to offer here on Cape Cod and work to strengthen our creative economy.
Downtown Hyannis Artist Residency Pilot Program Main Street Hyannis is a mile-long district of vibrant retail stores, restaurants, and cultural institutions in the heart of Cape Cod. Through contemporary art, the Hyannis Residency Program will make space to tell new stories about who lives and works on Cape Cod and to celebrate the variety of perspectives, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, and livelihoods of our region. The program represents a collaboration between public entities, private businesses, and the nonprofit sector to support artists and strengthen the vitality of a community through public art. Along with MassDevelopment, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the Town of Barnstable, the Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District, CapeBuilt Development, The Design Initiative, The Studio, and The Cordial Eye Gallery and Artist Space are working together to make the residencies possible.
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2020 DONOR REPORT
CELEBRATING AND FUNDRAISING FOR THE ARTS Home Is Where the Art Is In early April, artists and musicians from near and far united for the AFCC’s first-ever virtual music and arts festival, Home Is Where the Art Is. The event brought many moments of joy, laughter, and connection and raised over $30,000 for Cape Cod’s individual artists, musicians, gig workers, theater production staff, and more.
$21,500 paid commissions to
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local artists participating in the AFCC’s first-ever virtual Live and Silent Art Auctions.
Citizens Bank Pops by the Sea Commemorative Artwork Unveiling Audiences from near and far were the first to see 2020’s Pops by the Sea commemorative artwork by renowned artist Cynthia Packard. The virtual event, sponsored by RogersGray, was streamed live from the artist’s studio in Provincetown, where she unveiled the 2020 painting, “A Symphony.” Every year, the unveiling is a must-see event that brings the community together to celebrate one talented local artist and their work epitomizing the Pops by the Sea concert.
AFCC Summer Auctions This summer, some of Cape Cod’s finest artists came together in support of the AFCC at our virtual silent and live art auctions. The events engaged thousands of art lovers (over 100,000!) from California to Switzerland and everywhere in between. The auctions raised over $65,000 and distributed more than $20,000 in commissions to participating artists. 8
2020 DONOR REPORT TD Bank Summer Concert Series Played On!
$20,000
For many years, the AFCC has organized with TD Bank a series of summer concerts during the month of July exclusively featuring the talent of local musicians playing over 30 outdoor events spread across 8 Cape Cod towns. This year the music played on — virtually! The series has such a strong following that we wanted to make sure it continued not only for our community, but also for our local musicians.
paid to
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local musicians, bands, and sound engineers. This also included technical training for musicians who had never done a virtual gig before.
To make this happen, we invested in a sound engineer to train and support the bands, and with social media as our platform, the series was a great success!
Citizens Bank Pops by the Sea At-Home Edition Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the AFCC was able to produce and present its largest fundraiser of the year. The Citizens Bank Pops by the Sea At-Home Edition brought our community together in support of the arts just like the live event has done for the past 35 years. The concert gave the public a chance to rally around Cape Cod artists and cultural organizations that desperately need our support. “ One of the things we’re all learning in this pandemic is how much our humanity is tied with our connection to each other — and the arts are a big part of how we connect and how we understand our experiences.” —Keith Lockhart, conductor, Boston Pops Orchestra
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2020 DONOR REPORT
LOOKING AHEAD… Our local artists and culture organizations are critical to our region’s health, economy, and community — and stand ready to be a part of Cape Cod’s recovery. With the help of our supporters, the AFCC will keep: Investing in our local artists and cultural organizations by providing the funding needed to help address sustainability and resiliency as they work to reassess, rebuild, and plan for a new and shared future. Funding access to arts programming for our region’s most vulnerable children and families — fueling imagination and building critical learning and life skills amid isolation. Advocating for the arts at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that Cape Cod has a voice at the legislative table for the resources and support needed for economic recovery. Collaborating, innovating, and connecting with our artist members and cultural organizations to identify strategies, resources, training, and best practices to broaden access to the arts for everyone on Cape Cod, especially the next generation.
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2020 DONOR REPORT
THANK YOU Today, your support helps Cape Cod’s artists and cultural organizations build sustainability and a path to recovery. Thank you for helping to ensure that arts and culture remain a powerful force on Cape Cod and on the people who live here.
Board of Directors
Staff
Kathryn Kayajan Chair
Julie Wake Executive Director
Mary Lenihan Treasurer
Amy Tuttle Director of Development
Carl Lopes Executive Committee Member
Emma Sullivan Operations & Special Events
Diane Boudreau Executive Committee Member
Marianne Williams Grant Administrator
Lilly Chan Director Matt Clark Director Jennifer Dooling Director Becky Dowd Director Bethany Muhlebach Director
396 Main Street, Suite 10 Hyannis MA 02601 artsfoundation.org
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2020 DONOR REPORT
OUR SPONSORS It is with deep thanks and appreciation that we acknowledge these generous sponsors for supporting the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod this year. AFCC Business Patrons Gold Patron
Silver Patron
Bronze Patron
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OUR SPONSORS CONTINUED
2020 DONOR REPORT
Patron Supporters
Funding Partners
Barnstable County Economic Development Council License Plate Grant Program through the Cape Cod Commission Bilezikian Family Foundation Cape Cod Healthcare The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation Massachusetts Cultural Council David and Melissa McGraw/Donald C. McGraw Foundaton TD Bank Town of Barnstable
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2020 DONOR REPORT
OUR SPONSORS CONTINUED
Pops by the Sea Sponsors We would like to extend special thanks to this year’s Pops by the Sea At-Home Edition Sponsors and VIPs. Even though we had to cancel our annual live concert, they continued their support by donating their table and seat purchases to the AFCC. THANK YOU for standing with the arts! Sustaining sponsor
Platinum sponsor
Gold sponsors
Silver sponsors
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2020 DONOR REPORT
OUR SPONSORS CONTINUED VIP Table Attendees
Anchor-In
DiCarlo Family
Quell Foundation, Inc.
Rick and Angela Angelini
Eastern Bank
Bates Family
Fairway Lawn and Tree Service, Inc.
Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis
Gregory Bilezikian Jeffrey and Nancy Bilezikian Genie and Bob Birch Biz Checks Bornstein Family
Glivinski and Associates, Inc.
Law Office of Singer & Singer, LLC TD Bank
Holly Hill Farm
TD Wealth
Mid-Cape Home Centers
VHB, Inc.
Puritan Cape Cod
Barbara and Bill Walsh
VIP Seat Attendees
Tina Campbell
John Harlin
David and Monique Crawford
Charlotte and Jay Kulkin
Sponsors
Sponsors
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