Title: DirectorReport2007-01-28.doc

 

Events:

Activity	Date	Title	#s
Workshops	ongoing	Ballet and Modern Dance	4
		Yoga –	12
Event	Dec 23	Private Party	60
Event	Jan 13	Dailey Brothers	30
Exhibition	Jan 13	Members’ Juried Show pick up
Event	Jan 19	Coleman, Feeney, Rawlings Trio	15
Event	Jan 20	Piracy	100
Exhibition	Jan 23	Good Impressions Transformed
		Vivian Pratt - Digital photography & video
Fundraiser	Jan 27	Yoga Day – free classes	16
Event	Jan 27	OUtlET Poetry & rock	?

 

 

We were closed during the holidays. The year started with new classes in dance and yoga. Jon cut back to one day a week and 18 people. Heather merged ballet, modern and creative movement into one class … and with her LCC Grant has obtained a spiffy ballet barre. The Dailey Brothers show included Mike and Shaun, of course, and Isobell, a fantastic band from Portland, ME.

 

James Coleman, Tim Feeney and Vic Rawlings attracted a good crowd on Saturday January 13. I was surprised. Presenting fewer experimental music events might actually bring in more people …

 

Dan McCarron from Piracy booked the gallery on Saturday January 20 for a rock show. Mary Ann and Vivian hung her show the afternoon before the show. The audience attending the show damaged one of Vivian’s prints and put two holes in the walls. Dan and his band played in Setheyny’s show so he ‘knew the score.’ However, he was unable to control the crowd and artwork was damaged.

 

Mary Ann, Dan Adam, Mark Henderson and I met the next day and decided that we would limit attendance, post our contract, be more selective with events, and pay more attention to keeping things under control: Simple things such as leaving the lights on the art and making an announcement before the show begins … and no ‘moshing.’ I called Dan McCarron and let him know that we were canceling his dates in February and March. He will have to find another venue. Mary Ann made an ‘Art Rules’ sign for the door.

 

It’s Yoga Weekend. Jon offered two free classes as a promotion for Brom Yoga and as a fundraiser for 119 Gallery. He didn’t get as many people as he’d hoped but he raised $200 …

 

Grants:

For me, a big event this month was the Parker Foundation grant. Here are some highlights -

 

We had six major exhibitions in 2006 –

 

1)      Figure–Ground, photos by Anna Isaak-Ross

2)      expanded sculpture, new sculpture local and area artists

3)      New Volumes, artists’ books by local and regional artists

4)      Digital Atelier, digital printmakers Krause, Lhotka and Schminke

5)      /Boundaries/Frontiers, installations by Dumas, Frye, Sauve, and Davis-Tourientes

6)      Second Annual Juried Show – 28 local and regional artists

 

A total of 886 people came to the receptions, artists’ talks and during gallery hours. The Juried Show was combined with a membership drive and all 46 artists who submitted work to the show became new members of the gallery. A small number of works from the shows were sold and the Gallery collected a commission.

 

We hosted a number classes and workshops –

 

1)      Improvised Movement Workshop with Debra Bluth

2)      Brom Yoga Classes with Jon Brandi

3)      Bowed Metal Music and Improvised Movement Workshop with Joe Burgio, Matt Samolis, and Andrea Blesso

4)      Dance Classes with Heather McQuiston

5)      Video Classes with Walter Wright

6)      Poetry Workshop with Steve Dalachinsky

 

A total of 789 people attended the various classes and workshops hosted by the gallery. Yoga classes run weekly in winter, and biweekly in spring, summer and fall. They attract a steady number of people who also enjoy the art on display. Several of the class members have become members of the gallery. Several represent other significant organizations in the community. Two grew up down the street and still live in the neighborhood. Dance classes began in the summer of 2006 and are building slowly. Other workshops drew fewer people but inspired the Masters’ Class schedule that was funded by the Lowell Cultural Council for 2007.

 

The classes and workshops have contributed significant facilities rental income in 2006. Since this was our first year of operation, we charged a minimal rental fee for the space in order to build the workshops and classes.

 

 

 

 

 

By far the largest contributors to our programming income for 2006 were events including –

 

1)      OUtlET’s Surrender Dance Night – local DJs, VJs and local bands

2)      Oddville Vaudeville - Cabaret as performance art

3)      Vagina Monologues – presented by United Teen Equality Center  [UTEC]

4)      Sushi Smackdown – Gallery fundraiser

5)      Will Pandas Ride Free – video screening and performance

6)      100sec Video Festival – videos by local, regional and national artists

7)      BIG MOVES – dance performance from Boston

 

A total of 1968 people came to our events. Some events brought in large crowds. A number of people found out about the gallery because of the events and followed up by visiting during gallery hours or inquiring about classes, workshops, and future events.

 

 

 

An important part of the grant proposal is the ‘goals’ for 2007. I wrote (and Mary Ann rewrote) -

 

The gallery Director has identified key goals for this year. These goals are based on last year’s programming, focusing on those programs that were successful; and in sustaining our ongoing operations.

 

Doubling our membership

 

Last year we built our membership through direct mailing and through our Second Annual Juried Show. We mailed 150 promotional brochures to prospective donors in our annual fundraiser. This new brochure features compelling graphics and describes our mission and programming clearly and concisely. The response has been tremendous. The brochure solicited dozens of new members who filled in and returned the detachable membership portion. The Second Annual Juried Show produced enticed 46 artists to join the gallery. Last year added a total of 70 new members and raised $3,300. This year we plan to mail our brochure to our entire mailing list to solicit new members and donations. And we look forward to adding more local and regional artists to our membership as a result of this year’s Third Annual Juried Show.

 

Fundraising

 

In 2006 we exceeded our revenue goals in both membership fees and in contributions and donations. Our first fundraising event in the new space, the Sushi Smackdown, was a great success. We raised $2750 and had over fifty attendees. We look forward to hosting a similar event next year, and raising twice the revenue.

 

The gallery will actively seek corporate sponsors this year for our exhibits and events. Last year the exhibit /Boundaries /Frontiers received $1000 in funding from the Delegation du Quebec a Boston. This money paid for brochures, and is reflected in the fiscal sponsorship portion of our 2006 budget. This spring the gallery will take part in the 2007 Boston Cyberarts Festival. We look forward to contacting potential sponsors for this high-profile event.

 

Last year we put in several grant applications. We received funding from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation to assist with marketing. We have already received two grants for this year from the Lowell Cultural Council [LCC] for programming, and have applied to the Greater Merrimack Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau [GMVVCB] for funding to ramp up our marketing campaign.

 

The Development Committee meets regular to target funding sources, including grants and sponsorship opportunities.  Heeding the sage advice given by Beate Becker from Mt. Auburn Associates, we hope to identify “new pies” to go after - funders to which competing arts organizations do not ordinarily apply - foundations such as the Tyco Electronics Foundation which awards grants in areas where they do business. One of their largest units, M/A-COM, has a facility directly across the street from 119 Gallery.

 

Marketing and advertising

 

Funding is key to meeting our marketing goals. Aggressively advertising and marketing of our programming is necessary in order to build our audience for exhibits, workshops, classes, and music, video and dance performances. Our exhibits schedule appears regularly in the events listings in the SUN, Artscope, The Beat, and The Boston Globe and The Boston Phoenix. This past year we produced postcards, posters and flyers to promote our workshops, classes and events. We also send out regular notices to our substantial news list, postcards to our mailing list, and maintain an easy to navigate online calendar.

 

119 Gallery’s first full-color promotional brochure was produced last year. 1250 brochures were printed and distributed at several summer festivals and expositions (The Lowell Folk Festival, The Lowell Quilt Festival, and the 2006 SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Conference in Boston), at the gallery, and mailed in our annual fundraiser. We look forward to printing several thousand more of these brochures so that we can mail everyone in our database.

 

We need to more to build our local and regional network. We plan to advertise our workshops and classes in the SUN, on Cable Channels 8 and 95, and on WUML. In addition we plan to print a monthly schedule of events to be distributed to local shops, cafés, schools and galleries.

 

Increase revenue from programming 

 

The board has agreed to raise our facility rental fees. For weeknight events the facilities rental fee will increase from $25 to $50; for weekend events from $50 to $100; for workshops and classes from $10 to $20 an hour; and for private parties and corporate events from $100 to $300. These figures are in line with comparable rentals in Lowell.

 

At the discretion of the Director and the Board, we will continue to subsidize certain events (those produced by younger artists) in order to promote and build programs.

 

Public relations and community networking

 

In 2006 we hosted several events in partnership with the University of Massachusetts, Lowell (UML), with the United Teen Equity Center [UTEC], the Arts League of Lowell [ALL], and the Cultural Organization of Lowell [COOL]. We hope this year to continue building community partnerships.

 

Expand our website

 

We look forward to adding new artists, space for community forums, and to launch Channel 119 online for video playback and vlogging

 

And there’s the Wiki for our documents. I have to ask Mark about that … after he fixes OUtlET’s Wiki.

 

 

 

Prepared by: Walter Wright, Director