Administrative Brief
February 2, 2012
ADMINISTRATIVE BRIEF FROM BRAD ANDERSON
ARTS AND HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
As the fourth quarter rolls into the New Year, the staff and civic leaders at Salina Arts & Humanities
has been busy with diverse and varied projects and planned outcomes. At the Smoky Hill Museum,
the successful Holiday Open House event as well as the annual Poinsettia Sale followed closely
on the heels of the fall Downtown Street Fair and Halloween Haunted House.
Despite the inclement weather, 226 children and families attended the December Holiday Open
House event, held in partnership with Salina Do wntown Inc. The Museum’s Curatorial and
Education departments are busy preparing for the mid-February opening of the next major exhibit,
“Then and Now,” showcasing how innovation has influenced and shaped culture from the late
1800s forward. An Opening Reception targeting key community leaders and new Friends-member
prospects will precede the exhibit Opening.
Most recently, more than 1,000 school-district and regional third-graders joined Museum staff and
volunteers for Kansas Day Week, with an additio nal 428 children, parent s, and other visitors
gathering at the Museum that Saturday for Public Kansas Day, to enjoy hands-on activities such as
corn shucking, butter churning, rag-rug making, and crafts.
Aside from Museum activities, the general Arts & Humanities office ramps up for the two busiest
months of River Festival donor solicitation, media and advertising planning, vendor and artist
applications and more. Key goals for 2012 include attracting $15,000 in new Festival underwriting
and donations and the rollout of a totally revamped River Festival website by mid-Spring, the latter
designed to be highly user-friend via computer, I-pad, and smart phone.
Staff, in concert with the Community Art & De sign Committee, worked intensively through the
winter months to produce two vibr ant publications to introduce local residents, travelers, and
regional visitors to Salina’s varied public art offerings. A tri-fold brochure and a multi-page, colorful
booklet will help the Division communicate the value and purpose of the City’s Public Art vision
easily and accurately. The public ations will be distributed to area businesses, professional
practices, hoteliers, arts agencies, and more.
Arts and Humanities staff continues to make posit ive contributions to Sc ulpture Tour Salina. A
collaborative effort with Arts & Humanities, Parks and Recreation, and Sculpture Tour officials
resulted in the recommendation of placing the first People's Choice selection in the formal garden
in Oakdale Park.
To recognize the Division’s Horizons Grant donor s, a reception is planned for February 11,
targeting current givers and featuring a new edition of the Horizons newsletter. A second donor
gathering will be held this fall to reach more new prospective Horizons givers and to provide an
opportunity for arts supporters, agencies, and Grant recipients to share how Horizons has
improved the cultural life of Salina over the last 27 years.
Two Arts Education projects played key roles in the community’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Celebration; these projects were supported by a grant from the Greater Salina Community
Foundation and facilitated by Sharon Benson, as follows:
Commission Information Memorandum
Page 2
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre, a company based in West Liberty, Iowa, with a long history of
performances at the Smoky Hill River Festival presented Freedom Star: Gertie’s Journey on the
th th
Underground Railroad to six elementary schools (4 and 5 grades) along with a public
performance. Based on regional history, this puppet play tells of a young slave girl who escapes
from a Missouri farm and journeys through Iowa on her way to freedom. The show includes live
music with topical songs; and features several large tabletop puppets along with rod puppets,
shadow puppets and hand-bu ilt scenery. The play uses we ll-researched regional history
references, including information about John Brown during the years he spent in Iowa and traveled
often to Kansas. This presentation served 685 children and 160 adults.
Actor Jernard Burks is in Salina rehearsing for an appearance in the Salina Community Theatre
production of Fences. Jernard is conducting workshops for Drama students at Salina Central and
Salina South High schools. Burks is a working actor, having appeared in movies (Devil in a Blue
Dress, The Hangover, Four Brothers) and television (Glee, ER, Law and Order SVU). He is a
graduate of Kansas Wesleyan University.
Salina A&H received a $5,900 grant from the Earl Bane Foundation to use for River Festival site
improvements. This monetary gift will make a significant impact on the availability of water to food
vendors in the park. Additionally, the improvements to the sound system will serve citizens at the
River Festival, the Smoky Hill Museum, Art a la Carte concerts, and other public outreach events
that the Division does throughout the year.
The Cultural Arts Roundtable members are providing Arts & Humanities with information about the
most important issues they are facing in the coming year. This information will help direct the
support provided to these agencies throughout the year.
Alongside seasonal and event-specific marketing, work continues to introduce and strategically
use the ‘Explore. Engage. Experience. The Soul of Salina’ awar eness campaign that accurately
positions A&H as the region’s agency of record for arts advocacy and funding since 1966.
Billboards, digital communiqué, and new corporate thank-you notes featuring elements of this
institutional branding/awareness campaign will continue throughout the spring and summer.
The entire staff at Salina Arts and Humanities is dedicated to providin g exciting programming,
outstanding customer service, and meaningful experiences for the citizens of Salina and visitors to
our city. We welcome any feedback regarding ho w we can improve what we do and those we
serve.
MONDAY’S MEETING
Enclosed are other items on the agenda. If any Commissioner has questions or cannot attend the
meeting, please contact me.
Jason A. Gage, City Manager