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4.2. SR 11-27-2000 . ArtSoup 2001 Elk River Area Community Arts Festival . . . . . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------~rt~()LJ~ ~()()1 Table ()f G()ntents ArtSoup Festival Mission Statement.................. .page 1 ArtSoup Festival Events and Components...........page 2 ArtSoup needs your support........................... ..page 3 . . . ArtSoup 2001 mission: The premiere of ArtSoup back in 1999 was very successful for a first time arts festival. It was met with overwhelmingly positive public reaction, and we received many requests for us to "do it again", and "keep going, keep growing" in our post festival survey. We have continued to receive requests for us to repeat the festival from citizens who saw it as a positive and important community gathering. This was the birth, so to speak, of ArtSoup 2001. In our initial planning meeting, we determined a four-part mission statement to define our festival's goals for 2001. Each component of the festival is being designed to address this mission. It is as follows: To reinforce the strong arts presence in our community, To showcase the arts opportunities available in our area, To introduce new and creative ideas to the people of the Elk River area, And to provide a connection between the local arts and the larger community. . . . ArtSoup 2001 Events and Components Friday June 22"d: The festival will be kicked off with a Community Swing Dance to be held from 8:00 to 11 :00 p.m. Friday E;!vening. "Fhe dance will be a ticketed event, with a "big band", beginner's instruction, and refreshments. It should be a well attended, fun event, with the flavor of a small town, "town square" dance. Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th: As before, there will be Artist sales booths where festival-goers will have the opportunity to purchase fine arts and fine crafts. The juried Fine Arts Show will be returning, and once again be moving to the government center after the festival for a month long public exhibit. We will again feature local and professional quality performances on our "Great River Energy Stage". ArtSoup 1999 attendees really enjoyed this component of the festival, and we received many positive comments on the location, which focused attention on our city's river bank setting. The live entertainment was such a popular component of our last festival we are expanding it to an additional performance tent. The "Performance and Activities Tent" will include more intimate, family oriented acts, like a magician, an animal act, story tellers, roving performers, and activities for children sponsored by Community Education. A new component we're trying this year will be a "Community Jam", inviting anyone with an instrument and the desire to join in, to interact musically. We have also invited "Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre" to perform in this venue. Saturday evening we will hold the premier of a play being written and produced now through the Sherburne County Historical Society and the Elk River Area Arts Council, based on the history of our area. This is an excellent way to introduce our many new residents to some of our Elk River heritage, and connect new and long time residents. A major new addition to ArtSoup 2001 will be the "Arts and Community Exhibit". This is the primary vehicle connecting festival attendees to local arts opportunities. The exhibit will feature examples of work created in various classes, workshops, and arts programs available in our area. Visitors will be aISle to obtain additional information, sign up for future courses, and join local arts organizations. This will be an all-il"lclusive exhibit covering every area of the arts, from painting and dance instruction, to musician's and writer's groups, to arts advocacy organizations. We will have a food concession area, with a large shaded seating area for resting and socializing. . . . ArtSoup2001 Needs Your Support Clearly a festival this ambitious doesn't come to fruition without the help of many dedicated people. Attached you'll find a list of committee heads who are involved in the planning and coordination of ArtSoup, but we also have had many private citizens step forward and volunteer their time to help ensure the festival's success. ArtSoup 1999 drew an impressive two hundred plus volunteers in addition to the many Arts Alliance members who contributed. Local organizations supporting ArtSoup 2001 to date include: The Elk River Area Arts Council (which under new leadership is cosponsoring the festival this year), ISO 728 Community Education, Elk River Area Arts Magnet, ERASH theatre and music departments, Community Recreation, RSVP, and the Sherburne County Historical Society. This isa growing list. We are hopeful that all of the groups that participated last time will want to be involved again. 4H and the Boys and Girls Clubs have also expressed an interest, and will be included. Having the support of the City of Elk River lends a huge amount of credibility to the festival. We, the arts community, would like to give this festival to the people of Elk River, and for it to become a part of the cultural identity of our area. We would like our residents to look forward to ArtSoup as "oursummer arts festival." This perception is much easier to propagate with the City on board. We would like ArtSoup to be a source of pride for our town as well. We are willing to work hard to that end, and are actively seeking funding to ensure a quality event. We are pursuing state and regional grants, as well as contacting local businesses to solicit their support. ArtSoup 1999's total expenses ran slightly over $35,000. Additional expenses for ArtSoup 2001 will include: another tent for the Arts and Community Exhibit, expenses for the production of the historical play including a COMPAS playwright, stage, lighting etc, additional seating,dance floor, band and decorations for the Community Swing Dance, seating for the concessions area, and some additional expense for professional performers such as the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. . It is our goal, once ArtSoup becomes an established festival, that all of our expenses may be covered through grant programs and ticketed events. This will be only the second year we are attempting this however, and we are still in need of financial support. In 1999, the City very generously contributed $5000 towards ArtSoup, helping make it a very successful debut, and a wonderful starting point. This year, as outlined, there are a number of improvements we would like to include that would really make ArtSoup a source of local pride. We are asking the City to consider a contribution of $3000 to this year's festival to help cover those expenses. It is our hope that the City Council will recognize the positive impact this arts festival has had, and will continue to have on our rapidly growing area, with so many new and long time residents searching for a sense of community and a way to connect. Thank you for your time and consideration, Sincerely, / Sue s~er / ~liance ArtSoup 2001 Festival Director . . . RESUMES OF KEY PEOPLE INVOL VED: Sue See2er, Festival Director Professional sculptor. Background in management, advertising and display. Key member of2001 Arts Alliance Visual Arts Exhibit Committee for ArtSoup Festival 1999. Designed and coordinated the display areas for student and adult exhibits and the street booths. Tony Darkenwald, Co-chair 2001 Arts Alliance . Chair of ArtSoup Festival 1999. Past board member of Elk River Area Arts Council. Chair of the 2001 Committee, Inc. community conference, "Enriching Our Communities-The Power of the Arts." Formerly business manager of family land development and rental properties business. BA University of Minnesota. Attended Minnesota Arts & Crafts Festival Directors workshop on community festivals October 1998. Harvey Schroeder, Co-chair of 2001 Arts Alliance Professional visual artist. Owner of and instructor in The Schroeder Studio. Taught art for 36 years in Elk River Area School District. BA St. Olaf College, advanced work MCAD, SCSU, New Yark Art Students League, master classes in painting at Loveland, Colorado. Featured artist in exhibit at Minnesota State Arts Board in St. Paul. Pat Feit, Performance Coordinator Professional musician and music teacher for 30 years. Music director at Elk River High School. Board member of Voice Care Network, Inc. Performance Coordinator for ArtSoup 1999. Carole McNau2hton-Commers, Community Education Carole and ISD #728 Community Education produced a community festival for years. She is lending her time and expertise to make ArtSoup a successful arts festival. Community Education is making strides in increasing arts education and providing arts experiences in their programing. David Raymond, Chair Facilities Committee Chaired Facilities Committee for ArtSoup 1999. The 200 I Cpmmittee, Inc. officer . Works with Sherburne CountySheriff's staff. Formerly active in Elk River Community Theatre. Member of Macalester Festival Chorale. Isobel Stander, Artist Booth Coordinator Professional ceramist. Art teacher in private schools in the US and Taiwan. Volunteer coordinator of artists' booths andjuried show ArtSoup 1999. Coordinator of Arts Alliance Art Crawl, Spring 2000. Member Program Committee and instructor for Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Artist in residence in Wayzata School District and in Costa Rica. BFA Rhode Island School of Design. Graduate studies at Columbia and Akron Universities. Workshops Bejing Museum of Art. Sharon Tracy, Finance Committee Executive Director Elk River Area Arts Council. Coordinated literary arts magazine and dance programs for ArtSoup 1999. Humanities and English teacher, Anoka-Hennepin School District.. BA Humanities, BS Education, University of Minnesota; MA English, SCSU; additional graduate studies St. Thomas and Hamline Universities.