2014-15 Arts Council Annual Report

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From Our President

Writing about the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, recipient of an Arts Council Operational Support Grant, a reviewer in Classical Voice of North Carolina encouraged readers to “Go hear this orchestra. It’s well worth even a substantial trip.” A parent and employee of our county schools called the Arts Council’s Artists in Schools program “priceless.” By exposing students to a world of creativity, she said, “it inspires and motivates them to be the best that they can be.” A cancer patient in the Arts Council-funded art therapy program at Cape Fear Valley’s Cancer Center wrote, “This program was a lifesaver for me.”

Among the 511,791 lives we touched, these are just a few examples of how the roots we cultivated – through our support for arts and culture – had a fruitful impact on our community in Fiscal Year 2014-2015. Our Annual Report gives us the opportunity to share what we’ve done throughout the year and, more important, why.

Through grant funding and other financial support, advocacy and collaboration, events and educational opportunities, our overarching goal is to enrich our community. We measure our achievement by how we help young minds blossom, artists’ talent bloom, our local economy flourish, and people from all walks of life find new ways to grow and thrive through artistic expression and appreciation for art in many forms.

This Annual Report is also a tribute to our supporters. But it goes far beyond the richly-deserved listing of those who gave generously in 2014-2015 because you share our belief that the arts enrich. Each and every page is a testament to why your contributions are essential and how they help us touch lives. There would be no examples of why we do what we do without the support of members, donors and sponsors, which enables the Arts Council to nurture the roots of arts and culture that make our community a better place.

With sincere appreciation to our supporters and to the caring community that embraces our programs and events,

Eric Nobles, Sr. 2

2014-2015 President Arts Council Board of Trustees

We invested more than $1.6 million into our community during Fiscal Year 2014-2015. Our support included: Operational funding for arts and cultural organizations; arts-related project funding for local schools, non-profit agencies and individuals; Arts Council events, exhibits and other programs, educational efforts and services; advocacy, marketing and support for the cultural arts industry.

The Arts Council’s Board of Trustees is a diverse and dedicated group of community members who volunteer their time, talent and expertise to guide our planning and operations.

2014-2015 Arts Council Board of Trustees 2014-15 Executive Committee

2014-15 Board Members

Eric Nobles, President Brent Sumner, Vice-President Dr. Denise M. Wyatt, Secretary William Brooks, Jr., Treasurer Anna Hodges Smith, Immediate Past President

Rodney O. Anderson Luis Collazo James Flood Vilma Jose Richard Kugelmann Dr. Earnest Lamb Eric Lindstrom John Malzone Bobbi Mattocks Rangel McLaurin

Core Values As the primary steward of public and private funding for arts and cultural activities in the Cape Fear Region, the Arts Council and the agencies we support shall be known for these core values:

Excellence in artistry and content of programs and presentations.

Accountability through best practices as non-profit organizations.

Transparency

Mission

in operations and decision-making.

The Arts Council supports individual creativity, cultural preservation, economic development and lifelong learning through the arts.

with many partners to leverage financial resources and expertise, and to build community consensus around cultural activities.

Ricardo Morgan Jill Patrick David Phillips Darlene Ransom Brittany Rogers Nitza Rothstein Jerome Scott Wick Smith Sarah Bryant Tilghman

Collaboration

Innovation as leaders in creatively enhancing the reputation and vitality of our city and county with a national and international audience.

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Enriching the landscape

that brings us together

Aware of the cultural richness our community has to offer, the Arts Council sponsors two major annual events that celebrate unity, diversity, heritage, history and artistic expression. These acclaimed festivals are highly anticipated by local residents and enhance our community’s reputation as a desired destination for thousands of visitors who come for these unique cultural events.

Showcasing downtown “today” by turning back time

At the 15th annual A Dickens Holiday, more than 15,000 people shared the spirit of unity and goodwill created by the heartwarming celebration, inspired by Dickens’ classic changeof-heart tale. Developed in partnership with the Downtown Alliance, this holiday event was also inspired by the need to generate traffic, on the day after Thanksgiving, for businesses in Fayetteville’s burgeoning downtown. Each year, more and more visitors come to delight in the Victorian characters, carriage rides, candlelight procession and fireworks display. The magic of Fayetteville transformed as a Victorian city continues to be something

wonderful our community is known for – and a boon for business downtown.

Celebrating cultural diversity as a community united

International Folk Festival • September 26-28, 2014

More than 115,000 visitors turned out for our 36th annual International Folk Festival. This

three-day event highlights the beauty, cuisine and traditions of more than 30 different ethnic

groups whose culture is woven throughout daily life in Cumberland County. The Parade of

Nations, International Café, ongoing performances, arts and crafts vendors, and a special

Children’s area allow visitors of all ages to learn, share and enjoy as they experience cultural diversity first-hand.

A Dickens Holiday • November 28, 2014

Fourth Friday Events Arts and culture come alive during these end-of-month events, which were also created so people would discover all that downtown Fayetteville has to offer. On Fourth Fridays, there’s always something happening at the Arts Council to add to the appeal. And our currently-running exhibits remain open and free to everyone who comes through our gallery doors.

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As part of the Earthy Abstraction exhibit, visitors wrote messages of inspiration and appreciation for the earth on paper leaves and hung them to fill empty trees.

Exposure to the arts can broaden horizons, spark ambitions and stir souls.

By offering exhibits with wide-ranging appeal and making them free to the public – thanks to the support of Arts Council members and exhibit sponsors – we provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to experience “art” and the impact it has. Each year during Black History

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Month, we hold a major exhibition of African-American art, which has also become an educational resource for students throughout the county.

To promote artistic expression and provide opportunities for everyone to show their work, we organize exhibits that invite public participation.

Black & White • October 24 – December 13, 2014 Public Works 2015 • May 22 – June 20, 2015

Words and Pictures: Illustrated Works by Kadir Nelson January 23 – February 28, 2015

This invitational exhibition presented the striking contrast of two- and three-dimensional works created in black and white.

This year’s Black History Month exhibit featured the breathtaking paintings and illustrated books of internationally acclaimed artist Kadir Nelson.

Visitor favorites included Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream, illustrated by Nelson, and Heart and Soul, written and illustrated by Nelson. The Arts Council was fortunate to be able to bring the work of this prominent artist, to Fayetteville.

Winner of the 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor, Kadir Nelson has created artwork for a distinguished list of clients that includes Sports Illustrated, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Postal Service, Major League Baseball and Dreamworks SKG.

15th Annual Cumberland County High School Juried

Art Exhibition

Photo Caption

Cultivating growth through artistic discovery

2014-2105 Arts Council Exhibits

March 2015

Partnering with Cumberland County Schools, the Arts Council provided space for this annual event, which enables local high school students to experience the process of jury review, while they learn about preparing portfolios for college admission and pursuing art at a professional level. Exhibit visitors have the opportunity to appreciate the outstanding mixed-media artwork created by talented students from our community.

Trees, triangles and trains! Eagles and eyeballs!

These were just some of the subjects portrayed in the 100-plus pieces of work presented in 2015 at this unique Arts Council exhibit. Sponsored by Fayetteville PWC, “Public Works” allows area artists – of all ages and skill levels, working in any style or art form – to have their original artwork displayed.

In addition, we provided gallery space grants for two exhibits presented by Fayetteville’s EllingtonWhite Community Development Corporation: Mediating Relevance: The Politics of Gender, a thought-provoking exhibit with works of art that explored current perceptions of gender roles; and Earthy Abstraction – An Invitational, featuring two- and threedimensional works of art in soil, stone, clay, wood and other natural materials.

Among the several thousand visitors touched by Kadir Nelson’s work, young Collin Harrison, already a devotee of the arts, was further inspired

by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream.”

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Planting seeds that nourish minds At the Arts Council, we know that the arts have the power to teach, inspire, fuel imagination and even change lives at any age. That’s why lifelong learning is entrenched in everything we do – from collaboration with our schools, to funding for projects that motivate and enlighten, support for organizations that share our commitment to education in their missions, providing learning opportunities at our events, and holding thought-provoking exhibits as well as classes and workshops for people of all ages.

Artists in Schools Through our Artists in Schools matching grant program*, we partner with schools throughout Cumberland County, including Fort Bragg, to make arts and cultural resources available for students’ enrichment. In 2014-15, we provided $53,127 in grant funding for Artists in Schools. And more than 23,000 students in 51 schools were touched by this program. The Artists in Schools Directory we publish each year is a valuable resource for our schools. It features artists and organizations that use art forms as a way for students to learn about many subjects, including science and math.

“As a school employee, I have been afforded the opportunity to become more

involved with the Artists in Schools program, which I feel is priceless! It allows

schools to provide exposure to the arts in ways that would not be possible with our

tight budgets. It exposes students to a world of creativity, which inspires and

motivates them to be the best that they can be – and helps them learn in ways they understand and remember.”

Deborah Dowd, grateful parent and Cumberland County Schools employee

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Forging new paths for creative careers Regional Artist Project Grants

These grants support more than just “projects.” They support the aspirations, dreams and plans of exceptionally talented artists working in the visual, performing, literary and inter-disciplinary fields of art. Grant recipients use this funding for projects that give them the opportunity to further their careers and make artistic and cultural contributions through the work do. During 2014-15, we awarded a total of $12,681 to nine artists who work in areas of visual arts, music, theatre, literature and photography. Residents of Cumberland and ten surrounding counties are eligible to apply for these grants. For a list of this year’s recipients, see page 23.

To bring more life to the rough draft of her novel – a poignant story about five sisters taking what may well be their last road trip together – Robin Joy Minnick wanted to replicate the trip from Raleigh to Metropolis, Illinois. Robin (pictured here at stops in Deals Gap along the North Carolina-Tennessee border and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville) says, “The grant provided the financial boost and the professional impetus to step out and do it. I love what it has added to my manuscript, and I love that it has fired me up to produce a novel worthy of the support the Arts Council’s RAPG provided.”

*The Arts Council’s Artists in Schools program is supported in part by Cumberland County Schools, as well as the North Carolina Arts Council, the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

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Digging deep for a strong foundation Operating Support Grants Included in the Arts Council’s $1,686,697 in overall support for our community during FY 2014-2015, $489,160 was awarded in Operating Support Grants. These matching grants are designed to strengthen and ensure the continued stability of major organizations whose programming is vital to the vibrant cultural life of our community.

Cape Fear Regional Theatre (CFRT): $200,000 The Arts Council is proud to support the CFRT’s commitment to “Great Stories Told Here” because we know these stories are told on stage and off. The Theatre strives for the highest standards of excellence in their diverse performances for all ages, as well as in their educational and outreach efforts. A true asset to our community, CFRT has grown to become the region’s premier theatre, nationally recognized for its award winning productions.

“I love that CFRT stretches the limits to tell stories that truly make an impact on the community and works hard to reach audiences that haven’t been touched before. A perfect example was The Bluest Eye. When I was recognized as a CFRT Board Member in the community, I welcomed the excitement around this production and loved to discuss the wonderful impact it had on our youth and community.”

Jennifer Gasque 10

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (FSO): $149,160 Established in 1956 as a volunteer community orchestra, FSO has grown to become the highly professional symphony that prompted a reviewer in Classical Voice of North Carolina to write, “… we were amazed to the point of being almost speechless. Go hear this orchestra. It’s well worth even a substantial trip.” With ongoing support, the Arts Council helps advance the Symphony’s mission to educate, inform and inspire audiences of all ages.

Cape Fear Botanical Garden (CFBG): $140,000 In 2014-15, we were proud to provide operating support for the Garden, as this local landmark celebrated its 25th year. During this time, CFBG has grown to become a national caliber institution,

with gardens, facilities and programs of exceptional quality. It’s

a place where visitors can appreciate the extraordinary natural

resources of our area and expand their horizons through

educational and cultural programs.

Funding for the Garden included an additional

$50,000 to meet critical needs for the year,

and the Arts Council also initiated a

$50,000 challenge grant that CFBG

was able to match.

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Project Support Grants Each year, we provide funding for projects that have a profound and far-reaching impact on our community through various forms of artistic expression. These Arts Council grants allow organizations in our community to enhance peoples’ lives – including vulnerable segments of our population – in ways that may not possible without our support.

In 2014-2015, we awarded a total of $151,592 for 27 projects by 21 organizations. Following are just some of the ways our funding enabled arts and culture to make a difference. For a complete list of Project Support Grants, see pages 21-22.

Arts Council funding for Cape Fear Studios included a cultural tourism grant to support two national juried art competitions, and a youth education grant for underprivileged students to participate in three children’s art summer workshops. A key partner in advancing the arts in our community, Cape Fear Studios is an artist cooperative, as well as a resource center, exhibit gallery and retail gallery for its members. Their studios and equipment are used for

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classes, workshops and special projects that serve the public, including children and people with special needs.

Branching out to touch more lives

To help capture young minds at a critical level, we supported the Communities in Schools’ Yanoff Music Program, which provides classroom instruction to third grade students in Cumberland County schools. Visiting musicians from the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra allow the students to learn first-hand about each instrument in the orchestra.

Grant funding helped the Fayetteville Urban Ministry’s Find-A-Friend program provide atrisk youth with meaningful exposure to the arts through a variety of activities, such as attending live theater productions and hands-on art workshops with professional instruction.

Support for the Vision Resource Center allowed this organization to expand outreach programs that include arts, cultural and historical activities for visually impaired residents of Cumberland County. These programs help participants learn to appreciate the arts through other sensory experiences, including touch and hearing.

A student’s thank-you note for the Yanoff Music Program shows how truly impressed he was by Peter and the Wolf.

With a marketing grant from the Arts Council, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation was able to spread the word, locally and regionally, about the outstanding public art on display at the museum. We also awarded a cultural tourism grant to market the Community Concerts of Fayetteville throughout the region. Both grants helped attract more visitors and make new “fans” of Fayetteville.

Khalil is visually impaired and, wearing gloves, was able to actually touch work by Auguste Rodin and other renowned artists -- access that most visitors do not have. “It’s amazing how wonderful the art feels. I would not have experienced it this way when I had my total sight.”

By providing funding for the Writers’ Workshop @ Your Library, we helped the Friends of Cumberland County Public Library offer this unique event that encourages people to write as a valuable, personal form of artistic expression.

“The Writer’s Workshop has encouraged me to return to my love of writing and given me a positive attitude.”

Linda Chappell “The Writers’ Workshop @ Your Library has been a wonderful resource for our area writers, many of whom can’t afford several hundred dollars for other regional writers’ conferences. It has done a lot to help participants grow as authors.”

Robin Deffendall, Cumberland County

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Partnering for fruitful results

Reaping rewards of volunteer service

During 2014-2015, the Arts Council provided support for this far-reaching list of non-profit agencies and organizations in Cumberland County

Imagine the value of 14,535 hours of volunteer service! During 2014-2015, by our best count, that’s how many hours were provided by 1,753 Arts Council volunteers. According to an

Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation* Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers* Cape Fear Basketmakers* Cape Fear Botanical Garden* Cape Fear Regional Theatre* Cape Fear Studios* Cape Fear Valley Medical Foundation – Friends of the Cancer Center City of Fayetteville Communities in Schools Community Concerts of Fayetteville* Cumberland County CommuniCare Cumberland County Public Library – Friends of* Cumberland County Public Library Cumberland County Schools Cumberland Oratorio Singers* Dance Theatre of Fayetteville* Dorothy Gilmore Therapeutic Recreation Center Ellington-White Community Development Corporation* Faces in the Community* Fascinate-U Children’s Museum* Fayetteville Area Transportation & Local History Museum Fayetteville Art Guild* Fayetteville Dogwood Festival* Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra*

Fayetteville/Cumberland County Parks and Recreation Fayetteville State University Fayetteville Urban Ministry Garden Club Council of Fayetteville* Gilbert Theater* His and Hers Performing Arts Theater JFK Special Warfare Museum Methodist University – Friends of Music Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation* North Carolina State Ballet North Carolina Symphony/Cumberland County Chapter* North Carolina Veterans Park Tarheel Quilters Guild* Umoja Group* Vision Resource Center Writers’ Ink Guild* *Note: These non-profit agency partners – whose mission, like ours, is rooted in arts and culture – are Voting Member Groups for the Arts Council. They approve the selection of our Board members, who set the policies that guide our actions.

in-depth arts and economic prosperity study, which included Cumberland County, the average value of a volunteer hour is $21.36. That equates to $310,476 contributed by our volunteers!

What’s more, Arts Council volunteers help out because they’re devoted to our mission, and their diligent and caring service allows us to go far beyond what we could do without their generous donations of time and talent.

The International Folk Festival is one of the main beneficiaries, with several thousand hours provided by volunteers from cultural groups and the Arts Council. Others volunteered at A Dickens Holiday, Fourth Friday events and our Neighborhood Art Attacks.

Some of our volunteer efforts provide additional benefits. Through Usher for the Arts, our volunteers serve as ushers at the Crown Coliseum Complex, and a donation is given to

the Arts Council for every person who volunteers at an event. In 2014-2015, 37 volunteer ushers provided 960 hours of service.

Service by local high school and college students also helps the Arts Council. And, in turn, the students earn community service hours for graduation requirements, while gaining realworld experience and a sense of fulfillment.

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Sowing fertile seeds with donor support The contributions of Arts Council supporters represent so much more than dollars added to our budget. Your donations go right to work – to enrich, engage, teach, inspire and expand opportunities for the greater good – and the economic growth – of our community. During our last Fiscal Year, your generosity allowed the Arts Council to …

2014-2015 Arts Council Supporters If your name appears on these pages, there’s something arts-related in our communitythat has enriched the lives of others and/or fostered economic growth because your support helped make it happen. Thank you!

Hallmark The Fayetteville Observer City of Fayetteville Cumberland County North Carolina Arts Council (through the Department of Cultural Resources) Public Works Commission of the City of Fayetteville

… invest $1,686,697 in our community – and touch the lives of 511,791 people through performances, concerts, festivals, exhibits and other programs offered or funded by the Arts Council. … reach more than 23,000 students in Cumberland County through Artists in Schools programs that provide meaningful learning opportunities through artistic expression … ensure free access for all to our exhibits and events, including the International Folk Festival and A Dickens Holiday … Promote economic development by making our community a better place to live, work, play and visit.

An excellent steward of public and private funding, the Arts Council is committed to using best practices for nonprofit organizations and demonstrating transparency in our operations and decision-making. Through our reporting process, we hold recipients of Arts Council grants to the same accountability standards. Because you – as an Arts Council supporter – give from your heart, we work hard to maximize the benefits we provide for the community with our available funds, which include your kind contributions.

ADMINISTRATION Only 10¢ out of every dollar was spent for administrative costs for our day-to-day operations.

SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS, SCHOOLS AND ARTISTS 58¢ of every dollar went to support organizations, schools and individual artists at events and through Operating Grants, Project Support Grants, Regional Artist Project Support, the Artists in Schools program and performances – as well as artist fees for events, marketing support, agency development support and other assistance to valuable cultural resources in our community, including the North Carolina Veterans Park.

COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT 32¢ of every dollar went to support free community celebrations including the International Folk Festival, A Dickens Holiday, other Fourth Friday events and Neighborhood Art Attacks – and for community development through programs such as support for public art initiatives and arts advocacy at all levels.

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Executive Producer

Anonymous Donor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Cape Fear Eye Associates Coca-Cola Fayetteville Area New Car Dealers Association Hutchens Law Firm R. A. Jeffreys The CarMax Foundation USAA WRAL-TV

Producer

Anonymous Donor BB&T Cape Fear Valley Health System

CenturyLink Cumberland County Farm Bureau Insurance H&H Homes Macy’s South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Terminix Walter Guy Jewelers Virginia and Ramon Yarborough ZipQuest Waterfall & Treetop Adventure

Carolina Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Center City Center Gallery and Books Franklin S. Clark, III Combined Federal Campaign Contributers Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Fayetteville Alumnae

Chapter Fayetteville Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Fayetteville State University - Fine Arts Dept.

First Bank Director First Citizens Bank Allstate Glass Ashton Fox Advised Fund Dr. Michael S Bryant Holmes Security Systems Callahan & Rice Insurance Thomas R. and Elizabeth E. Group, Inc. McLean Advised Fund

Special thanks for supporting the 36th International Folk Festival The Fayetteville Observer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Cape Fear Eye Associates Fayetteville New Car Dealers Association USAA Coca-Cola R.A. Jeffreys CenturyLink Cumberland County Farm Bureau Insurance ZipQuest Waterfall & Treetop Adventure City of Fayetteville Cumberland County NC Arts Council Media partners …and others

Dr. Eric and Donna Mansfield Senator Wesley Meredith Mid-South Lighting, Inc. Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services Gillie and Riddick Revelle Robeson County Arts Council SFL+a Architects Skin Prik City Tattoo Studio Valley Radiology

Associate Director

Arts Council of Moore County Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union Robert and Judye Bleecker Charles W. Broadwell Carillon Assisted Living Holt Oil Company Lucy and Wes Jones

Deborah Mintz and Larry DiLucchio Noble and Pound Financial Planning, Inc.* Suzanne and Robert Pinson Jerome Scott - The Insurance Guy Richard and Susan Shereff Dr. and Mrs. Frank Stout David Trego and Joanne Hessmiller Yvette McAllister Stokes, DDS

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Your support nurtures the community roots that yield a bountiful harvest through arts and culture.

generated at BeQRious.com

301 Hay Street | Fayetteville, NC www.TheArtsCouncil.com Special thanks to Wick Smith for photos of International Folk Festival and A Dickens Holiday, and LaTasha Jones for photos of The John & Vivian Hewitt Collection of African American Art exhibit.

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