Operating Support
ACHF Arts Education
We will increase our membership of 100 members by at least 20%. We will have a Facebook account, updated at minimum once a month. We will have an updated website. We will have a working list of at least 10 volunteers and a clear chart of their skills and availability. We will have at least 4 new board members. We will develop a more comprehensive evaluation for classes. We will develop a poll through which we can access more public opinion and better assess our community’s interests and needs. We will have a basement under our building. We will have a 2 year fundraising and grant writing plan. We believe that Milan Village Arts School completely supports three of Southwest Minnesota Arts Council's strategic outcomes: that the arts are interwoven into every facet of community, and that Minnesotans believe that the arts are vital to who we are and that the arts thrive in Minnesota. Our goals will support our continued presence and contribution to both the arts community and the town of Milan. Milan is a very small town whose identity has become interwoven with Milan Village Arts School, which reflects that the arts are woven into our community. Milan has repeatedly demonstrated that the arts are vital to the town’s health by supporting the school financially, by cooperating with us for public works and events, and by valuing arts in other activities and forms outside of Milan Village Arts School. It is hard to separate Milan and the arts since Milan Village Arts School is such a key part of what continues to animate the town. As the school and the town of Milan continue to thrive, they continue to contribute to the health of arts in southwest Minnesota in general. We need to work on expanding our student base, primarily by overcoming the barriers that keep people of different ages (mostly older students attend classes, we need to reach out to a younger audience) and different ethnicities (we have a large Latino and Micronesian community in Milan). We would like to dedicate more energy to including these different populations in the future.Our goals are very concrete and measurable, with numbers related to board members, volunteers, web presence and the creation of new evaluation tools. We currently distribute an evaluation after each class, but not after the spoon gathering or various studio sessions. We would like to update the current class evaluations, have a clearer invitation for feedback and class requests on the website, and develop more comprehensive evaluations for our other events and demonstrations. These evaluations will be included in our final reports, as well as synthesized information collected from them. The upcoming board retreat will provide a clearer plan and calendar for evaluative activities.
1. The growth of both classes and the growth of student numbers: This was down a little last year due to the basement project. The school was largely out of commission from July - October while construction was underway. 2. The growth of students and classes in the school’s youth programs: While small in number the classes are growing with a number of instructors interested in developing youth classes. John Larson and Kirstin Lindstrom’s classes have been quite popular and have filled when held. The number of Youth members is steadily growing. 3. The expansion and growth of artist studios: Along with the framing, weaving and silver studios, the school is presently developing a carving studio. The studios continue to prosper, develop and attract students. The Open Carving Night studio was recently opened with plans to develop a ceramics studio in the future. 4. The development of a comprehensive updated website: This is still in progress. A new website is being developed on Squarespace. 5. The development of a student art store: In progress. 6. The development of improved marketing through a greater online presence and a Minneapolis satellite school: In progress. Classes will be trialed in the St. Paul school in 2016. 7. Greater revenue and a larger operating budget: The budget for 2014 is much larger than usual due to the funding raised for the basement and the consequent capital expenses. The overall budget will decrease, but is expected to be higher than previous years. The current Schedule year from October 1- September will be the best sales year the school has had with total sales around $40,000. 8. Increased staffing and human resources: Kirstin Lindstrom is assisting the coordinator and the board has grown to include 11 board members. We are actively investigating new positions and ways of funding them. For example, the ticket fee for the Spoon Gathering was increased from $10 to $20 in part to hire an event organizer.
Other, local or private