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CR 01-182 Funding Approval Of THe Municipailty's Challenge Grant• • October 31, 2001 J Strachota acilities Director • How will the grant benefit the Arts Center and residents? • How will the City fund the grant? Council Report 2001 -182 FUNDING APPROVALOF THE "MUNICIPAILTY'S CHALLENGE GRANT" FOR HOPKINS CENTER FOR THE ARTS, INC. Proposed Action Staff recommends adoption of the following motion: Move to approve a City expenditure of $6,000 to leverage $6,000 in matching funds from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council under the Municipality's Challenge Grant. Overview The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) has developed a pilot initiative called the Municipality's Challenge Grant to help "jump start" arts activities in the greater metropolitan area. The grant is a $12,000 grant made up of $6,000 from MRAC and a matching $6,000 from a municipality. The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Inc. has been approved to receive this grant (one of four in the metro area). The grant was written by HCA, Inc and the use of the funds focuses on communications with the community to determine how to best serve their needs and communicating the programs of the Arts • Center to the public. Primary Issues to Consider Supporting Information • Municipality Challenge Grant Guidelines • Narrative from HCA, Inc. Challenge Grant Application Financial Impact: $ 6,000 Budgeted: Y/N N Source: Cable Fund # 217 Related Documents (CIP, ERP, etc.): Notes: This expenditure will not affect the General Fund Council Report 01 -182 Page 2 • Primary Issues to Consider. How will the Municipalities Challenge Grant benefit the Arts Center and residents? The City's portion of the grant will be funded with Cable Fund reserves. Overall, the approach being taken with the grant is using the grant funds to increase communications with the public and to determine how to have those communications • reach the public effectively. Specific activities funded will involve communications through newsletters, newspapers, handbills /flyers and the HCA web site. This is an appropriate allocation of the Cable Fund. This will not affect the General Fund. • The grant will benefit the Arts Center and public through funding of three key activities: (1) increased communications with the public to find out what they want out of their arts center, (2) hiring a consultant to aid in charting the programming and communications course, and (3) communications and marketing of the Arts Center programs so that the word gets out to people who may have a special interest in a particular program. These key activities are a part of an overall audience development goal to better reach out and meet the needs of our diverse community. The desired outcome of increased communications and outreach into the community is increased attendance, increased community involvement and increased activity at the Arts Center creating a more vibrant and financially sound facility. How will the City fund the grant? GUIDELINES MUNICIPALITY CHALLENGE GRANTS MRAC's mission is to ".:.. provide opportunities for all interested individuals in the seven_ county metropolitan area to engage in the process of creating art as well as opportunities to enjoy the artistic accomplishments of others. MRAC is mandated to serve the seven- county metropolitan area The population of the region is over 2.5 million and nearly 75% live in suburban and rural communities outside the city limits of Minneapolis and St: Paul: Over the next few years, MRAC Will focus additional energy and resources on expanding and developing opportunities for audiences in greater metropolitan communities so that residents there may participate in arts activities "close to home." MRAC has developed three pilot initiatives to help "jump start" arts activities in the greater- metropolitan area, while at the same time helping MRAC learn more about the needs and interests of greater metro arts audiences. All three of the initiatives New Immigrant Communities Projects, Community Education Opportunities Grants, and Municipality's Challenge Grants - will be partnerships with community groups who have a history of successfully serving the target populations MRAC wishes to serve, excellent relationships with their communities and a strong history of successfully completing arts projects, many using MRAC funding. A group may receive only one FY01 " jump -Start Initiatives grant. Receipt of a grant • any of these pilot initiatives will not in any way affect eligibility for. other MRAC grant programs. Background why a pilot initiative focused on municipally funded projects? Description: The intent of this program is to reach new audiences in greater metropolitan communities and to leverage local money for new community arts activities by matching new municipal funds committed to arts programming. The program will offer a maximum of five grant commitments of up to $6,000 each. .A grantee will receive the funds after raising its target goal in new money from its local government. MRAC funds and the local match may be used in any way that the organization feels will best serve the needs of their community, except, to replace . funding for projects previously funded through municipal funds. It is expected that as recipients plan their projects they will honor MRAC's intent and goals in this special initiative program. Should this program continue beyond FY01, a grantee's success in securing an additional grant will depend, in part, on their demonstrated commitment to shared programming goals. Eligibility: Applicants must be local arts agencies or units of municipal government geographically located in the seven - county metropolitan area, but outside the core cities `. of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have a `' + minimum of two consecutive years' history of receiving municipal funding for the direct costs of arts programming in their community. The applicant must also be able to demonstrate successful completion of numerous arts projects. Recipients of previous similar MRAC municipal challenge grants are ineligible to apply. What is MRAC Trying to Achieve through this Initiative? • Provide increased opportunities. for community residents, particularly those who are not currently involved in the arts, to participate in the arts in their own . communities. • Enable municipalities and local arts agencies to respond to new opportunities, arts needs and project ideas of Community residents. • Engage community residents inplanning, implementing and evaluating community arts programs and community arts needs so that more residents are actively , .. . . engaged in the arts. • Stimulate support for artistic activities that have the potential to, in the futUre, : .:- ..- • - become sustained community arts programthing eligible to apply for other MRAC :.: - - grant funds. • Use the arts as a way of making the con accessille to all , : , -- - , residents—particularly.as a.tool to welcome and celebrate diversity • . Develop local arts leaders and leadership- . , : . • Encourage a greater commitment to community-based arts activities by local units of • • governnient. Proposal to Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Hopkins Center for the Arts, Inc. NARRA'T'IVE Hopkins Center for the Arts, Inc. requests a $6,000 challenge grant to match funds provided by the City of Hopkins and to be used to help us serve a larger and broader audience in our community. Mission and History The Hopkins Center for the Arts is owned and managed by the City of Hopkins and was built in 1997 through the joint efforts of the founding partners -- Stages Theatre (formerly Child's Play Theatre Company), City of Hopkins, Hopkins Area Arts Association and Hopkins School District 270. Child's Play Theatre and the Hopkins School District remain active tenants of the Center today. The Hopkins Area Arts Association transitioned into the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Inc., the nonprofit arm of the Center, in October of 2000 through a cooperative agreement with the City of Hopkins. The mission of Hopkins Center for the Arts, Inc. is to build community through the arts by fostering creative expression and artistic and educational opportunities for people of all ages. Towards this end HCA,. Inc. presents a full schedule of visual arts exhibitions as well as performing arts events, programs which complement the theatrical season of Stages Theatre and the community education classes offered at the Center through the Hopkins School District. In addition, other community groups may rent the facilities at the Center, adding to the diversity of arts activities at the Center_ Since its transformation last October, HCA, Inc. has concentrated on continuing and growing the arts programs formerly done by the Hopkins Area Arts Association and the City. A key goal is to develop a broader audience for our visual arts and performing arts events. A natural first step was to build on our existing relationship with the Hopkins School District and to incorporate activities for students in conjunction with our concert series (started in January, 2001). This will be expanded to local private schools next season. In September, we will begin augmenting our visual arts exhibitions with educational and outreach components the form varying from exhibition to exhibition but generally including artist talks and workshops for youth and adults. We are exploring other outreach possibilities such as establishing a teen council for the Center, offering professional -level workshops and open studio sessions for visual artists and holding open performances in our black box theatre (Monday Night Arts. Lab) for avocational and emer performing artists. Secondly, responding to suggestions from community members, we will hold a public meeting in late June to discuss adding a literary arts component to our ongoing arts activities. If community interest is high we will pilot this new program in fall, 2001 Less formal means of gathering input are also used. In our gallery, a comments book is always available for people to note their responses to the exhibitions we present. We also receive feedback regularly on an informal basis from the many volunteers who make our activities possible_ Volunteers not only serve on our committees but also staff our gallery, usher at concerts, help in the office and work at special events. Hopkins is home to 17,145 people. Census data from 2000 indicates that Hopkins grew 3.6 percent since 1990. Hopkins, like much of the metro area, is becoming increasingly diverse. The latest figures show 82.6 percent of Hopkins residents are white; 5.9 percent are Asian, 5.2 2 These and other plans are being developed and implemented within the context of a strategic planning process begun by our Board in spring, 2001 and taking into account feedback we have received from community members. There are two ways in which we have solicited community input. First, plans for each of our major programming areas, visual arts and performing arts, are developed by an advisory committee. An advisory committee is made up of about ten people including one staff person, one or two Board members and interested people from the community. Members serve designated, staggered terms, permitting new voices to be added on an annual basis. The second way we have sought input from the community is through a series of surveys. In March, 2001 we surveyed our existing membership to find out who they are, the perceptions they hold about the Center, and what types of arts activities they want to see at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. This survey has been completed and summarized and is one tool being employed in our strategic planning process. At the same time we did our member survey, we also began surveying audiences attending our performing arts events to find out similar information. We will continue to collect these audience surveys through calendar year 2001 so that we cover a wide range of events and audiences. In creating the Hopkins Center for the Arts, the City of Hopkins has made a significant financial and philosophical commitment to promoting the arts in the community. In addition to supporting the ongoing maintenance of the facility, encouraging community arts usage through a community use policy that includes discount rentals to arts nonprofits, and financing the annual operating shortfall of the facility, the City directly supports HCA, Inc. by contracting a full -time staff person to oversee arts programming at the Center. Community Need/Support Hopkins, located 13 miles from Minneapolis, is comprised of about four square miles surrounded by the larger communities of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and Edina. Hopkins was created as the Village of West Minneapolis in 1893 and then renamed Hopkins in 1928. Because of its age, it is 98 percent developed, with little remaining vacant Land. Hopkins has always had a core business district and Mainstreet remains a vital place today. Contributing to this was the City's investment in the Art Center as well as a complex of movie theaters and restaurants immediately across the street. This development creates a focal point for arts, culture and entertainment in the Hopkins community and draws people to the downtown area. 3 percent are black or African- American; 2.8 percent consider themselves to be of two or more races; .9 percent are American Indian; .1 percent Pacific Islander or Hawaiian; and 2.6 percent are considered of other racial background. Of all races, 5.5 percent are Hispanic or Latino. Overall, the percentage of people of color has risen from 4.8 percent in 1990 to 17.4 percent in 2000. Although the city is comprised primarily of single family homes, Hopkins does have 4,658 multi- family units within its borders. The median age of the City has changed little in the past ten years, being approximately 31 years of age. It is assumed that this remains steady because older residents are selling their homes and moving out of the City to other locations while young families are moving in. Participation in the arts at the Center is growing. Stages Theatre contributes to the vitality of arts in Hopkins in a major way, being the fifth largest nonprofit theater company in the Twin Cities. However, HCA, Inca is also seeing a rise in participation in, and support of, its programs For example: ❑ Last October HCA, Inc. had 170 contributing members. Within six months, membership had grown to over 300. o The number of artists submitting slides for exhibition consideration is on the rise. A year ago we struggled to fill our exhibition calendar with quality shows. This past February we reviewed applications from sixteen individual artists as well as proposals for exhibitions by 6 groups /organisations: The review committee agreed that the quality of work being submitted was much higher than in the past and we . completed our 2001 -2002 calendar easily. The number of people who visited our gallery rose from 5,398 in 1999 to 6,565 in 2000. The number of hours contributed by community volunteers has risen from 391 in 1999 to 1,718 in 2000. This year we received our first concert sponsorship gifts from two local businesses and one individual. In 2001 we have seen an overall slow but steady growth in performing arts attendance. Over 2,000 people attended our four events this spring. We have taken small steps forward but still have a long way to go to serve the community in the way we feel we can. Diversity and Access One of our challenges is to better serve our diverse community. While we avll be addressing serving the increasingly diverse ethnic and cultural groups of Hopkins and also ensuring that activities are accessible by people of modest means, our first priority is in serving all ages. We find the largest demographic group to participate in our activities are people age 60 and over.. This is most evident in our performing arts program. Part of this may be attributed to the fact that retired people have the leisure time to become involved with their passions, including the arts. Other factors may include that it is cost prohibitive for young families to attend events. Certainly young adults and adults with children find their time at a premium. And much of our past performances has been chosen by and geared toward an older audience. We can do a better 4 job at reaching the under 60's and we have begun to make strides in reaching children through outreach initiatives primarily through the schools. However, the challenge of reaching young and middle -aged adults still haunts us. Our challenge seenzsto involve three key activities: (1) determining what various members of our community want out of their art center, (2) providing programming that serves and represents all aspects of our community and their desires, and (3) learning to market our programs so that the word gets out to people who may have a special interest in a particular program. It is to the end of addressing this challenge that we seek a Municipality Challenge Grant. Funds will be used to hire a consultant to aid us in charting a course to determine how to better serve and increase our reach in the community. Funds will also be used to help us pilot new approaches to programming. Ideas stemming from a recent board retreat include increased outreach and educational components in existing programs, collaborative projects with other organizations, a multidisciplinary approach to programming and even a Hopkins arts festival. The exact form change will take and the priorities for implementation are just being determined. Artistic Quality and 1V Merit/Challenge As a community art center we serve people with a wide range of sophistication and knowledge about the arts. We are always balancing the need to provide exceptional artistic programs to the community with our commitment to providing a place for local artists to showcase their work (artists range from the very accomplished to the novice, from the professional to the hobbyist). We also balance the desire to educate people about contemporary art and provide new experiences with also providing some of the familiar forms which simply entertain and delight. However, we believe that this balancing act can be accomplished while raising the overall quality of arts presentations occurring at the Center. Our visual arts exhibitions next year will combine exhibitions by accomplished and recognized artists (such as photographer Wing Young Huie and book artist Jody Williams) mounted simultaneously with related exhibitions by members. Our performing arts series will include diverse and quality events featuring the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Joe Chvala & The Flying Foot Forum, the Wolverines and Connie Evingson as well, as others. We will consider our season successful if: ❑ we fill 65% seats for performing arts events (this past season we filled 48 %) ❑ our gallery attendance continues to rise ❑ participants reflect our diverse community o our programs are broadly supported not only by attendance but also through financial and volunteer contributions o our membership base continues to grow ❑ we build new partnerships and collaborations ❑ our programs have the capability to surprise and delight 5 Securing New Municipal Funds for the Arts We will seek our matching funds from the City of Hopkins. Preliminary discussions with the city manager indicate that the City is open to the idea of leveraging MRAC funds through increasing their support of the Center. The city recently completed a visioning process that, among other things, resulted in a commitment to celebrate diversity and to provide a variety of opportunities for growth and enjoyment to all its citizens. As a part of this the city council has established the priority of promoting the Center as an important arts destination. Long Term or Significant Benefits This grant gives us the opportunity to inform city leaders of our efforts towards becoming an integral and vital part of city life in Hopkins. We have been working quietly at strengthening our programs and this grant program gives us a forum for informing the City of our progress and our plans for the future. We can show them that their investment in the cultural life of the community is paying off and that continued, and increased, support is important to maintain momentum We have an energetic and capable staff and a small army of committed volunteers but we have yet to find the methods to significantly increase the number of people participating in our programs. These funds will allow us to address this key challenge in the comprehensive and thoughtful way that is needed. Thank you for this opportunity to submit this proposal.