4.0. SR 08-23-1993
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ITEM 4.
TO:
MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
PAT KLAERS, CITY ADMI
DATE: AUGUST 19, 1993
SUBJECT: ARTS COUNCIL REQUEST
The Arts Council staff, Jane Thompson, has requested to be on
the agenda to review some of the activities the Arts Council
has supported and developed over the past few years, and also
to request funding within the City's 1994 budget. The City has
contributed $10,000 each year to the Arts Council for its first
three years in order for the Arts Council to obtain a $10,000
per year grant for the first three years. In 1993, the City
included $5,000 in its budget as a contribution to the Arts
Council. The Arts Council is asking for an identical amount
for 1994.
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The City Council will have a budget work session on Monday,
8/30/93, and will hopefully finalize the budget on Tuesday,
9/7/93. It is appropriate for the City Council to discuss the
Arts Council's activities, membership, fund raising efforts,
etc., but the Council should delay any final commitment on a
$5,000 contribution to the Arts Council until the 1994 proposed
maximum levy and budget is approved next month.
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P.O. Box 490 · 13065 Orono Parkway · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
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,AUS11.
REQUEST FOR FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF ELK RIVER'S
1994 BUDGET FROM THE
ELK RIVER AREA ARTS COUNCIL
We request that you consider funding us at $5,000 for 1994. The money would be
used as follows:
$3,000 toward the Strings for Youth program. The money would be spent for the
teacher or teachers' fees (In '94 and '95 we have promised to expand to include other
instruments than violin, with a youth orchestra coming in 1995. This will mean an
additional teacher beside Cynthia Soltis.)
$2,000 toward the Arts in the Park program. It would go toward maintaining the
quality of the concerts. Combined with other funding, it might enable to you to see
an even more exciting and varied concert schedule in '94 and '95.
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PROGRAMS OF THE ELK RIVER AREA ARTS COUNCIL
THAT NEED YOUR FUNDING IN 1994,
AND THE BENEFITS WE WANT TO BRING
TO THE COMMUNITY WITH THESE PROGRAMS
In order of expense, cost excluding Coordinator's wages:
Strings for Youth: Violin lessons that are affordable to almost every student that has shown interest.
For anyone that wants to take these group lessons but is unable to pay, we pay for lesson and only
ask that they pay when they can. This happened only once; the student's parents did pay for all but
one session. Cynthia Soltis teaches traditional American fiddle style as well as classical tunes. (The
fiddle style at the highest levels of skill can be seen in the area at fiddle contests in local fairs and
festivals, and at the Minnesota Old-Time and Blue Grass Association Festival at Camp in the Woods
near Zimmerman.) We are planning to develop the program into a youth orchestra for those that want
that as a goal. That will mean more classical music in the 1993-94 term. 1994-95, we plan to teach
other stringed intruments, which will call for an additional teacher. About 150 students a year register
for the program. Program costs about $6500 a year. About $2650 in student fees come in per year.
I have asked for and received some grants and charitable gambling money for the program from the
Central Minnesota Arts Board, the United Way, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Arts in the Park: Concerts in the bandshell in Lions Park every Sunday all summer. All musicians and
performers are professional. About half are local, including some people who have played
professionally elsewhere, but have not had a "gig" and an audience in their own home town. The
concerts include jazz, country music, popular music, traditional and ethnic music and events especially
for children. All concerts are suitable for the whole family. Advantages of the outdoor atmosphere,
beside its beauty, are the fact that even tiny babies can come along to concerts without disturbing
other audience members or performers unduly (The one disadvantage of the outdoor setting is the
threat of lightning storm - it would be nice to have an alternative site). Arts in the Park costs about
$5500 a year. We make about $300 a year by selling pop, hotdogs, etc. I have also sought and
received grants from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, the Central Minnesota Community Foundation,
and the Elk River Jaycees for this program. Membership is also promoted at the concerts; but nothing
that costs money is promoted enough to make someone who has no money feel uncomfortable there.
We intend this program to add to the quality of life in Elk River by providing a regular, quality
entertainment event where people of all ages and from all walks of life can meet and feel at home.
(See special report on this year's Arts in the Park enclosed.)
The use of an office would save us $2100 a year, which would go into programs. Office space for
the Elk River Community Theatre would save them $1500 a year.
Our fall fund raiser event, another musical variety show A Century of Music and Comedy, is in the
works. We plan this event to be of artistic merit, and to give about 60 people of all ages (Last year
approximately ages six to seventy-six), an exciting experience being onstage; or playing a vital role
backstage.
We have another fund raiser event in the works for winter, 1993. We think that one will be fun and
of merit to the community while it helps fund ourselves.
ARTS IN THE PARK, 1994
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The first "plus" of this concert season is that audiences, across the board, have been about twice the
size of last year's audiences, with 100 to 250 people showing up for each concert. This is due first
to the force of habit and reward: Remember that there is a concert on Sunday, have a good time.
It is also due to the cooperation of Don Heizman at the Elk River Star News. I have continued to post
and leave for distribution 500-600 homemade flyers every week, including to CAER to be put in
grocery bags. About 1365 people have attended as of August 16, with three more concerts to go.
I project attendance of about 1750, with the probablility of doubling that next year.
Almost all of the concerts have been deemed "keepers" by me, if we can afford them in the future.
I have evaluated them by attendance and audience reaction. I have received many remarks of praise
and appreciation, from detailed rundowns of what was liked and why to a simple "Thank you" from
a woman who walked by me as she left the concert.
Why didn't I ask her for money in return? I have been asking for new members in my little speech
before each concert, right after I credit the City of Elk River. Still, I feel it wrong to ask for money in
such a way that anyone who comes to a "free" concert is embarrassed if he/she cannot pay. I know
from my home experience as a child that people who cannot pay for tickets, transportation and the
"right" clothes to wear to an arts event are just as capable of appreciating the event, and at least as
much in need of it, as those to whom the cost of tickets, a nice car, and fine clothes are taken for
granted. Also, in this day of "scams", a free concert at which you are asked to pay when you get
there is just one more scam.
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My concept of Arts in the Park (My favorite program although it was originated by my predecessor)
is that it be place for all kinds of people to meet, wearing casual clothing, and have an artistic
experience that refreshes them by temporarily taking them out of their perhaps humdrum lives. All
concerts are suitable for the whole family, including babies in arms. (We have for two years had some
regular concert attendees who are severely retarded and in wheelchairs.) Arts in the Park is also a
program in which local musicians can get appreciation in the form of a good local audience, and in the
form of a little pay - I and others ask them for enough "freebees" throughout the year.
Among local performers in 1 993 have been the Elk River Community Band; the Elk River German Band;
Bud Adams of Elk River with the Minnetonka Clippers, a barbershop chorus; in the Elk River Area Opry,
the Lund Family (A local "opry" was Tim Lund's idea), Dick Gatzke, the country rock group Chances-R,
and John Soderberg of Elk River with "Cousin Dad", his group that has played professionally in the
Cities, but not here; Chances-R and two more locally-based rock groups in the Rock Concert; and the
Foxy Trotters opening for D.R.U.M.P.A.C. on August 29. The one cancellation this year was due to
a problem with a local brass group whose bass player cancelled out on them at the last minute. I am
not sorry that I hired them - they were good last year; and they let me know in time so I could get out
adequate notice of the cancellation. The money they would have gotten was saved for use elsewhere.
My big moment of reward, at least so far, for Arts in the Park this year was at the Leroy Larson
Scandinavian music concert: Among the concertgoers were three grizzled old men in striped bib
overalls and denim caps, looking like the men that used to ride in railroad cabooses - hardly the "artsy"
crowd. They definitely were not there by accident - when Larson called for requests, one of the men
had one - a folk tune, probably from his long-ago childhood in the Old Country. This is an example of
what I mean by bringing "The Arts" to Elk River.
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