Greater Flint Arts Council

FORWARDGreater Flint Arts Council continued to work toward rebuilding audiences in 2023. Participation is still down nationally according to studies done by Americans for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. This year we looked outside the box for exhibition ideas and with additional funding from Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for the Parade of Festivals program we were able to start some new programs. We have also been much engaged in planning for our building renovation with funding from CS Mott Foundation, MEDC and HUD through City of Flint. MILLAGE FUNDSGreater Flint Arts Council (GFAC) was awarded $500,000 for a regranting program, Share Art Genesee, of which 12% was used for administration of the program ($60,000) and the remaining 88% was granted to small arts organizations ($440,000). GFAC was also awarded .01 of the millage funds to support our programs and services. In 2023, we received $105,409. These funds were allocated to GFAC programs that are free and benefit artists and the public throughout Genesee County including WFAH 102.1 Public Radio, Exhibitions, ARTWALK, Wheres Art? newsletter and the geneseefun.com website. SHARE ART GENESEEOur 2023 marketing plan was designed to drive people to the website shareartgenesee.org, where all the information about the program was available, as well as a portal to access the online application. In place of group workshops or zoom, we opted to give one on one virtual workshops again in 2023. Eight applicants took advantage of workshops including Flint Childrens Museum, Fenton Community Orchestra, Fenton Arts Council, Clio Amphitheater, Genesee County Historical Society, Whaley Historical House Museum, Jazz On Wheels and Fenton Arts and Cultural Commission. Many of them had new staff that were not acquainted with the program. Others wanted to know how they could improve their applications. There were twenty completed applications. A review team of six members was assembled. Those with a broad exposure and knowledge of the arts and no direct affiliations with the applicant organizations were chosen. Two of the reviewers were new to this program. The grants were scored according to the four sections in the narrative portion with twenty five points being available for each section, Management, Artistic Quality, Community Involvement and Additional Considerations (Marketing, Fund Raising, Media Coverage, etc). There were also bonus points for organizations that were willing to take some extra steps in advancing their development: Use of the geneseefun.com website, updating their donor page at Guidestar and setting up an account at DataArts.org which gives them a free 3 year report on financials and audience activity and access to a free annual report. The review team scores were averaged, bonus points awarded and a final score was assigned to each app. A report was generated with the applicants listed from highest to lowest score. A funding plan was developed (attached) using the scores of the review team and distributing the available funds fairly. A special effort was made to fund as many organizations as possible to maximize the popularity of the project throughout the county. All of the applications received acceptable scores and thus received an award. A press release was sent to media sources in Genesee County and some reported on who received the grants. ARTS INCUBATORArts Incubator continued to serve artists and arts organizations. Most of the programs and services of GFAC fall into this category. Our incubator services include event production to employ artists, consultations, sharing of our space and equipment, funding from our grant programs and formulation of alliances, pairing people and organizations for mutual benefit. Suzanne Lossing consults with those seeking funding. We were able to accommodate 40 rentals in 2023, an average of .08 per week and an increase of 25 over the prior year. Our rental fee for artists is only $25/hr. We train and pay artists $20/hr. as hosts during rentals. Their job is to be public relations with our renters, help with setup and cleanup and to protect GFAC property and the exhibition that is in the gallery. Our rental program has the added value of providing paying work for low and moderate income artists. We used electronic media (facebook and instagram), our geneseefun.com website and our publication, Wheres Art? magazine to publicize our activities and the events of other producers . Our combined facebook pages have close to 10,000 followers. We receive arts information from organizations internationally. We pass on information of interest in the arts daily on facebook including funding opportunities, calls for artists, fellowships and other programs available to local artists . Our monthly ARTWALK event was used to promote in person upcoming events for many organizations and individuals. They drop off promotional materials and GFAC staff and volunteers make them available to our audience. We also display posters for any arts and/or cultural event. We are an information hub where people can contact us for information about arts programs throughout Genesee County. We receive calls daily on our phone line, 810-238-ARTS. We receive requests by email, facebook and in person. GFAC received more than 7,000 requests for arts information in 2023. Direct email has become the most frequent way people contact us.Our staff provided consultations with visual, performing and literary artists throughout the year. We worked with more than 25 literary artists, 500 visual artists and more than 500 musicians in 2023. WFAH 102.1 PUBLIC RADIOBrendan Whitman continued as Station Manager in 2023. We did some strategic promotions for Mott Community College, Flint Institute of Music and Flint Repertory Theatre. We also recorded and broadcast interviews with key artists. We continue to stream our jazz programs online 24/7. We are able to track who is listening to the online stream. Our listeners come from 112 countries. Our live stream had 2,378 listeners in 2023. We are not able to track how many people listen to our live broadcast. We receive compliments on our broadcasts frequently. We are still searching for property to install our tower. We are currently using the tower at the Flint Fire Station at Pierson and Dupont in north Flint.

ARTWALKWe produced exhibitions and opening receptions every month in 2023. We continued to have 15 partners for ARTWALK throughout the year. Attendance is growing but still about 70% of pre- covid levels at an estimated 2,500 visitors each month. The two months of highest attendance are April and May when we host large student shows at GFAC. GFAC EXHIBITIONSWe produced a unique variety of exhibitions throughout the year. We chose some new groups to work with this year. All of our exhibitions are with Michigan artists. Our 2023 Exhibitions were: January Artist Members of GFACFebruary African American Artists of MichiganMarch Flint Artist Market (The longest running guild in Genesee County) April Young Artists Today Tri-County High School ExhibitionMay University of Michigan Art & Design Annual Student Exhibition June Michigan Artists InvitationalJuly Michigan Artists InvitationalAugust University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Prisoner Art Traveling Exhibition September AI Immersive Art ShowOctober Michigan Art QuiltersNovember Claire Mott White Michigan Clay Artists December Michigan Water Color Society traveling exhibition 164 Students from 19 High Schools in Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Counties participated in the Young Artists Today Exhibition (List of schools and numbers is attached.). 123 Students were represented in the UM Student Show.We offered full catering and live music by paid local bands during each ARTWALK. Our gallery is open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. We receive 10 to 15 visitors daily in the gallery (estimated 3,380 annual). Attendance in our gallery during ARTWALK has been about 800 (estimated 9,600 annual). GFAC exhibitions served over 500 visual artists and employed 60 musicians.We screened the film, Master of Light, about George Anthony Morton, a classical painter who spent ten years in federal prison during the UM Prisoner Art Exhibition. Artists from the prisoner art program joined us for a discussion after the film. The conversation was fascinating and lasted over 2 hours. The AI Immersive Art Show had an additional closing night event featuring music and dance.Tunes At Noon Festival July 10 Aug. 18, 2023We produced the festival at Willson Park, a lovely oasis neatly nestled between UM Flint and the Farmers Market. We did 30 concerts total, 12:45-1:15pm daily. Our average daily attendance was 111 (3,345 total). Ninety-four paid musicians were engaged throughout the six week festival. Music styles included Jazz, pop, blues, gospel, African percussion, Latin, and funk. 41st Annual Flint Jazz Festival and JAZZWALK July 27-30, 2023We opened the festival on Thursday night with the JAZZWALK in six locations including White Horse, Cork, Market Tap, Sauce and Simmer (Hilton) and Churchills. We contracted three stellar headliners for Friday through Sunday in Riverbank Park, Adam Hawley, Marion Meadows and Brian Simpson. Throughout the four day event, 2,275 people were in attendance.PARADE OF FESTIVALSIn 2023 GFAC produced the Flint Jazz Festival and Tunes at Noon. We gave financial and marketing support to DROP Fest, Goodstock, Alley Fest, Pride Fest, Porch Fest, Civic Park Blues Fest and Flint Restaurant Week. We also started a new festival, Flint Comedy Festival scheduled for February 24 at the Capitol Theater. To help regenerate business in downtown Flint, due to the construction project on Saginaw Street, GFAC began two new monthly programs, Music on the Bricks (First Fridays) and Friday Night Fever (Third Fridays). We pay bands and djs to play in 5-6 venues downtown on the same night. We are also working with a group of organizations to start a 4th Saturday family oriented event.Detailed information on this program is forthcoming in the Parade of Festivals final report. REGIONAL REGRANTINGAs a representative of the MACC Regional Regranting program, we were able to distribute funds from the State of Michigan to local projects in Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Counties.In 2023, GFAC made 10 grants for arts projects totaling $35,860, 4 professional development grants to individual artists totaling $6,000, and 4 grants for art programs in schools K-12 totaling$2,800.CREATIVE PLACEMAKING PROGRAMThroughout 2023, 9,363 people attended 192 resident-driven placemaking activities and workshops including pop up fitness, music, art, performance, and technology small audience engagements. A separate final report with more details has been submitted to the Mott Foundation. DEVELOPMENTTanya Lane, Development Director finished her eighth year at GFAC in 2023. Donations took an 8% increase in 2023. This is attributed to mostly an increase in private donations. Tanya has been working hard to cultivate new donors and sponsors. Our 2023 sponsors include AAA Michigan, Commercial Graphics, Mott Community College, MTA, PFCU Credit Union, Flint Registry, Franklin Benefit Solutions, Kettering University, Totem Books, UM-Flint and Health Alliance Plan (HAP).Board Member, Laura McGuire, who formerly worked in the Trust Department at Citizens Bank, continues to work with Tanya Lane on our new Planned Giving program, Leave an Arts Legacy. Brochures have been printed. Advertising has begun in our newsletter and on geneseefun.com. We have begun meeting with members who wish to leave an arts legacy by designating a portion of their estate to GFAC upon their passing. Several members have made commitments in their wills or trusts. We created a new non-profit, The Foundation for Greater Flint Arts Council in January, 2022, to manage the legacy funds. The mission of the GFAC Foundation is to support the Greater Flint Arts Council as directed by the Board of Trustees. The foundation has the same CEO and Trustees as GFAC. We have received the 501 (3) designation from the IRS and a Solicitation License from the State of Michigan. The first Legacy gift was made in January 2024 by Greg Fiedler and his brother Robert Fiedler in honor of their parents Robert Fiedler and Lila Whitman Fiedler ($10,000).