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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007 - Cultural Resources Board - Annual ReportCULTURAL RESOURCES BOARD ANNUAL REPORT - 2007 BACKGROUND The Cultural Resources Board consists of seven members. Regular meetings were held on the last Thursday of February, March, May, July, August, September, October, November and December from 12:00 p.m, to 2:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Center. The Board held three Fort Fund funding session on the fourth Wednesday of January, April, and June. The Board receives monthly updates from staff and acts in an advisory capacity to City Council for the Cultural Services Department that includes Lincoln Center, the Fort Collins Museum and other responsibilities as needed. The Board reviews and advises staff on the following: biannual budget, facilities improvements, projects and other issues as they arise. The Board continues to gather community input on cultural issues and represent the ideas expressed. Members who served in 2007 were Ms. Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Dr. Diane Gaede, Ms. Carol Ann Hixon, Ms. Susan Marshall, Mr. Patrick Moran, Mr. Jack Steele, and Ms. Ann Wilmsen. Mr. Moran served as Chairperson. Ms. Beck-Ferkiss served as Vice - Chairperson. Council liaison: Karen Weitkunat/David Roy Staff Liaisons in 2007 were Marty Heffernan, Jill Stilwell, Cheryl Donaldson, Gail Budner, and Evan Hyatt. Liaisons from the Convention & Visitors Bureau were Jim Clark and Cathy Jones, and from Arts Alive, Rachel Herrerra. YEARLY HIGHLIGHTS - 2007 The Cultural Resources Board (CRB) outlined four strategies for 2007 to work towards the overarching goal: "To serve as a catalyst in making Fort Collins a cultural center and destination." 1. COMMON VISION: CITY COUNCIL & CULTURAL GROUPS Serve as a catalyst for the development of a common vision by working with various organizations. • CRB members served as liaisons and committee members for various groups to gain a broader understanding of the cultural activities in Fort Collins. The CRB was represented with the following groups: - DDA's Beet Street Committee — Patrick Moran - Task Force for Scientific and Cultural Facilities District — Sue Beck-Ferkiss Fort Collins Museum — Jack Steele Convention/Visitors Bureau — Diane Gaede Art in Public Places — Carol Ann Hixon Downtown Business Association — Susan Marshall Arts Alive — Ann Wihnsen UniverCity Connections — Patrick Moran and Carol Ann Hixon • CRB members served as liaisons to events funded by Fort Fund, attending approximately 40 different cultural happenings in the community, lending support and assuring that the Fort Fund monies were being well spent. • Encouraged cultural groups to create and share their long range plans by requiring applicants to Fort Fund Tier 4 to provide a long range plan. • Reviewed and provided input for the Cultural Plan and Cultural Facilities Plan. • The Board was also kept apprised of the progress of the partnership agreement between the Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center; the Lincoln Center Capital Campaign Feasibility Study; and the Community Branding project. • The Board advised City Council on the site location recommendation for the combined Museums. • Advised Council on the Museum's possible involvement in Holiday Decorations. • The Board organized and conducted two workshops: Winning Fort Fund Grants, October 24, 2007 and Tier 4 Launch on November 14, 2007. • The Board began planning a Business and the Arts Workshop. 2. AWARENESS OF CULTURAL IMPACT Enhance regional awareness of arts and cultural events and activities The CRB continued to support the Fort Collins Convention and Visitor Bureaus on- line cultural calendar and encouraged Fort Fund grantees to submit their events to the calendar. The Board built on the work they had done since 2004 to promote October as Arts & Humanities Month. The Board submitted and accepted Mayor Hutchinson's proclamation of October as Arts & Humanities Month. The Board supported the Fort Collins Museum's October 5 Kick -Off event to celebrate Arts & Humanities Month. The event showcased various arts and humanities organizations in Fort Collins and occurred on the First Friday Gallery Walk in October. The Board also encouraged arts and humanities organizations to use the National Arts & Humanities month logo in their advertising literature. Two CRB members participated in the UniverCity initiative. That membership is ongoing. 3. RESOURCES: Use & Development Use and grow resources available to the Board to forward the overarching goal. • Fort Fund: The Board monitored the impact of the three -tiered funding system that was instituted in 1998 and made changes as needed. The Board administered three funding sessions for Fort Fund and recommended grants for distribution as follows: January 2007 Session $35,725 to 21 organizations April 2007 Session $111,900 to 14 organizations June 2007 Session $37,000 to 18 organizations Totaling $184,625 awarded in 2007 • Fort Fund grants supported over one hundred community cultural and recreational events in 2007. • Over 135,000 people attended an event supported by Fort Fund in 2007. • The Board launched Tier 4: Cultural Entrepreneurial Innovation Fund for Fort Fund. The Board hosted a workshop to launch the new Tier in November 14, 2007. Tier 4 supports activities that emphasize uniqueness and tourism. Tier 4 aims to encourage new, larger cultural projects, that help forward the CRB's overarching goal. The first applications for Tier 4 will be accepted in April 2008. • The Board continued to work cooperatively with the Convention and Visitor's Bureau in making recommendations for Fort Fund dollars and in launching Tier 4. 4. Provide networking opportunities for the exchange of ideas and resources. • The Board hosted two workshops on Fort Fund grants and Fort Fund Tier 4. • The Board began planning a Business and the Arts Workshop. • The CRB continued to provide liaisons to appropriate groups in meeting the CRB's overarching goal.(see 1)