2023 Annual Report

2023 ANNUAL REPORT

ARTS ACROSS THE AGES PROGRAMMING

We couldn't have done it without these generous funders! Thank you! REGNIER

Lyons Fund

Chico Sierra - have transformed the energy of InterUrban ArtHouse since joining us in May, and their personal artistic achievements have been aweinspiring to witness.

IUAH’s programs saw the introduction of several new initiatives in 2023, including the facilitation of a metro area network of curators, performances at Title-1 summer lunch sites locally, and on-site arts enrichment for youth in communities of need By far, one of our most significant points of pride in 2023 has been the return of Arts On Fire!, our community arts fundraiser The October 20th event was an unqualified success with over 700 works donated from over 200 artists. We look forward to making it the cornerstone of our annual celebration of the arts each year with an evening of art and entertainment that is free for all to attend and affordable for all to take home a piece of art

Johnson County Public Libraries

IUAH will be expanding on its ArtWorks program with Curators Connect, Festival Readiness and Financial Literacy.

Our Studio Residencies will double from 3 to 6, providing no-cost spaces for diverse, talented artists to create.

Expansion of our ArtSmart program to include professional mentorship for High School age youth pursuing a career in the arts

And perhaps most exciting of all, we anticipate the completion of our outdoor performance space renovations with the finished construction of an audience shade structure that will enhance events and programming at the ArtHouse.

We hope you choose to join us in the year ahead!

Angi Cain Hejduk

Angi Cain Hejduk Chief Executive Officer

Our Mission: To enrich the cultural and economic vibrancy of the community by creating a place where artists and creative industries can work and prosper in an affordable, sustainable and inclusive environment.

OUR CORE OBJECTIVES

#1

To offer a non-profit owned place where artists and creative industries can make and support art in a stable and affordable environment.

#2

To fully integrate arts and cultural activities within the community by creating an open atmosphere through engagement, inclusivity and diversity

#3

To promote and facilitate the successful entrepreneurism of the creative industries by sharing resources, building connections and supporting collaborations.

#4

To support growth and sustainability of the arts and culture through education and professional and artistic development

WHAT WE DO:

Through its 6 programs, InterUrban ArtHouse:

Provides arts and cultural activities for Title-1 schools, where the majority of students are economically disadvantaged, typically lacking access to arts experiences;

Provides funds to pre-K through 12th grade students and schools to acquire instruments, pay for private lessons, and support school music programs through a donor designated contribution;

Offers no-cost events and activities based in mental health and wellness through the arts, including art-therapy informed hands-on small and large-group activities;

Provides community arts experiences at little or no cost to the general public. 85% of our programming is free and open to the public, and includes arts exhibitions, spoken word, dance and musical performances, book readings/author talks, film screenings, and hands-on arts activities;

Provides entrepreneurial development and resources offered weekly, bi-weekly open-studio work sessions; Maintains inclusive, affordable, and accessible studio work spaces to Kansas City Metro artists, all of whom are practicing Creative entrepreneurs. One-third of these artists are provided no-cost studio space through funds raised by the ArtHouse, as well as funds for materials and time to complete projects;

Initiates and raises funds for community development projects through the arts, including public murals, sculptures, arts-based neighborhood improvement projects and festivals;

Works intentionally alongside artists, partner organizations, and community members to represent diverse walks of life through the arts, regardless of race, ethnicity, genderidentification, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief or political leaning.

InterUrban ArtHouse celebrates the spread of the arts across Kansas City and into all communities, but particularly to those who are under-resourced, under-represented, or who lack access. The arts are for all, and should be available to all, whether to those who are pursuing their own craft or to enthusiasts, appreciating from the outside. This is why we support KC Metro artists with funding and opportunities, and why we provide no-cost arts events and activities to our audiences.

2023 ACHIEVEMENTS/HIGHLIGHTS

IUAH kicked off a new series, “Curators Connect” talk/tour series, featuring 7 KC metro curators and their spaces. The series worked to elevate the arts and artists in Kansas City, and included 96 local artist participants.

Our second year of NEA-funded “IUAH Studio Residency” welcomed 3 new local artists to the ArtHouse and paid their studio fees for the year Artists included were Chico Sierra, Remy Wharry and Justin Canja

“

Arts Across Ages” engaged the community in visual and performance art. Funded by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, programming included live music performances, installation art, craft workshops and ant art gallery/exhibition at the Towers, a senior low income housing facility.

IUAH helped make getting lunch a little sweeter at SMSD schools The “Summer Lunch Performance” series placed performers at 2 lunch sites and entertained 527 kids through this important nutrition program

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Project” we funded 17 artists (11 IUAH studios 6 at-large artists) in the creation of new works to be featured in IUAH’s open-call exhibitions.

IUAH launched a new ArtWorks “Festival Readiness” for artists seeking to break into the local outdoor arts festival/fair scene 9 events supported 79 artists, 10 of whom participated in Overland Park’s annual Art Fair

Arts On Fire! featured 598 original works in a 6”x6” format donated by 197 area artists. This free-to-the-public celebration included food and drink, 5 circus-arts performances, and a unique fashion exhibition, raising $20,000 in funding for IUAH’s programs.

IUAH received No Divide KC’s Partner of the Year award. In 2023, No Divide and IUAH co-curated visual and performing arts in IUAH’s “The Queer Experience” exhibition. Additionally, IUAH hosted No Divide’s Pride and Pleasure event, as well as its LGBTQ+ Health Fair.

ARTSCONNECT ARTWORKS

696 beneficiaries through 36 events

18 performance events, including spoken word storytelling and poetry, film screenings, book readings, musical and theatrical performances, circus performers and live art creation - 89% provided at no cost to the public (16 of 18)

25 artists represented across 10 exhibitions in 2 corporate annex galleries and 1 public library gallery

Cross-promotion of content for 35 local arts orgs, municipalities, civic organizations and businesses working to realize amazing things in the arts

849 beneficiaries through 91 events

564 attendees benefitting for 12-unit Work of Art curriculum, KCVLAA consultations, and open house event for arts entrepreneurs

117 attendees of Festival Readiness developments for artists breaking into the outdoor arts-fest setting - 10 artists supported to participate in Overland Parks annual Art Fair, drawing approximately 10,000 in audiences

96 artist attendees of Curators Connect events, exploring 7 curated spaces in the KC metro and learning about their unique exhibition processes

66 artists attending local grants info panels hosted by IUAH and featuring ArtsKC, Charlotte Street Foundation, Arts Council Johnson County, and Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission

ARTMATTERS

2,797 beneficiaries through 124 events

Member open studios on Monday and Thursday mornings

6 artist instructors teaching fabric arts, painting, pastel, sculpting, and more

98 artists paid through IUAH earning opportunities

349 artists represented across 6 exhibitions

ARTSMART

640 beneficiaries through 11 events

6 summer lunch performances at SMSD summer lunch feeding sites (Westridge MS and Comanche Elem );

1 school-wide cultural assembly by Karen Linsondra at Westridge Middle;

3 high school class tours at InterUrban ArtHouse

ARTSPACE

403 beneficiaries through 12 events

3 IUAH Studio Residents served w/ no cost studio space for one year

3 nonprofit partners - No Divide KC, KC Source Link, and the Women in the Arts Networking Group - supported with inkind event space

19 studios - 23 Artists

ARTHEALS

428 beneficiaries through 10 events

Including art-therapist led workshops, a men ’ s mental health discussion panel and art installation,

2 performances, a multidisciplinary arts exhibition, and community roundtable discussions around the Arts and Health.

ARTSPACE

ArtSpace is InterUrban ArtHouse’s physical location, a nonprofit-owned arts and cultural hub providing affordable space for artists and community in a 10,000 sq. ft. former USPS sorting facility. Renovated and occupied in 2017, IUAH’s property includes 11 singleartist studios, 3 shared studios accommodating 9 multidisciplinary artists, a 3,500 sq. foot gallery/exhibition and event space, a donation-based coffee bar and kitchen, and an on-site art-therapy practice. The outdoor space includes a performance stage loading dock and seating for 50 guests, as well as room enough to accommodate 28 festival tents. In addition, IUAH houses partner arts-nonprofit Art As Mentorship’s studio recording space for emerging young musicians (The LAB).

12 IMPACT SNAPSHOT

3 Residencies Receptiions

23 Studio Artists

270 Classes

ARTWORKS

ArtWorks - delivered at InterUrban ArtHouse, partner locations, and via Zoom - affords opportunities for entrepreneurial development training to creatives to become professional, self-sufficient small businesses. Through ArtWorks, we aim to support innovation by enabling growth, advancing business skills and providing training for the creative sector. ArtWorks includes topics such as strategic planning, marketing & communications, grants writing and fundraising, budgeting, accounting & tax planning, project management and legal practices. All classes are offered at low cost or no cost and no one is turned away because of their ability to pay.

127 IMPACT SNAPSHOT

898 attendees sessions

5 partner organizations

ARTSCONNECT

ArtsConnect represents the community Creative Placemaking and arts advocacy work done by IUAH. Our Creative Placemaking engages regional artists, community members, local businesses, representatives from municipalities, and other key community stakeholders in equitable, representative, arts-centric community development and design, including public art, public gathering spaces, community-wide festivals and public-facing performances. Our advocacy work is in communicating the importance of the arts to local and regional economies, community livability, and quality of life to city, county, state, and national representatives to increase public funding for - and so public impact of - the arts.

696 IMPACT SNAPSHOT

89% provided at no cost audiences attendees

18 performances

ARTHEALS

ArtHeals provides arts-based mental, emotional, physical, and community health programming and events to the public, including a 6-week annual exhibition dedicated to issues of community and individual health and wellness. ArtHeals seeks to provide a safe environment for sharing, creating and healing, and strives to promote the exploration of self, culture, and identity through purposeful art activities. IUAH includes an on-site art therapy practice - Heartland Art Therapy. Additionally, IUAH organizes and hosts annual, regionwide Health and Wellness Roundtables, during which cross-sector representatives of arts and healthcare organizations discuss community needs and best practices for addressing issues of community health through the arts.

10 Events

ARTMATTERS

ArtMatters provides opportunities for artists of all levels wishing to advance their artistic skills, learn new studio methods, participate in discussions and critiques, connect with other creatives, and exhibit their works through the ArtHouse’s 6 annual open exhibitions. ArtMatters programming includes events such as open studio “work” sessions, live model drawing meetups, dance classes, painting classes, musician “jam sessions,” critiquing events, and exhibition receptions. ArtMatters offers presentations and workshops by visiting and established artists, discussions, and artist mentoring. For artist instructors, ArtMatters provides artists with paid teaching opportunities to share their skills, enhancing the community through artistic learning and expression.

2,797 IMPACT SNAPSHOT

349 exhibiting artists gallery audience

124 events

ARTSMART

IMPACT SNAPSHOT

ArtSmart provides pre-K through 12th grade students in Title-1 schools - the majority of whom are economically disadvantaged - with arts enrichment and curriculum integration for enhanced learning. IUAH pays KC metro regional artists from diverse backgrounds and artistic practices to bring the arts to students most sorely in need of it. By connecting with local artists, young people are inspired through dance, story telling, music, poetry, painting, sculpture, mural design, field trips and more. Numerous studies provide hard evidence of the positive outcomes for students who engage in and are engaged by the arts, which students from economically disadvantaged homes have less opportunity and exposure to.

640

Kids served

11 events

6 Schools Served

EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN:

FUNDS RAISED/EARNED

(difference is grant income with expenses in the 2024 calendar year) EXPENDITURES

CONSTITUENT SURVEY RESPONSES RACE/ETHNICITY AGE

DO YOU HAVE FORMAL ARTISTIC TRAINING?

MILITARY SERVICE

ARE YOU A DISABLED ARTIST?

IS ENGLISH YOUR 1ST LANGUAGE?