Loading...
Cultural Salina- The Next Steps ~\U ~ 11..- L\ ~1~ O\~I~ M CLo\. .J...... 2. ~, I ~ q 2. Cultural Salina - The Next Steps November 1990 by Marc Goldring, Jane Culbert, Herb Sprouse and Dr. Thomas Wolf The Wolf Organization, Inc. 8 Francis A venue Cambrit{¥e, MA 02138 (617) 492-2167 (617) 492-7525 fax Executive Summary This report outlines research and recommendations that have grown out of a community cultural planning process in Salina, Kansas. It was prepared by consultants from The Wolf, Organization, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with a community-based steering committee during the spring, summer and fall of 1990. Salina is a community with a long tradition of support for and par- ticipation in cultural activities. Its cultural organizations and ac- tivities range from community theater, musical performances, and the visual arts to historical research and programs in the humanities. There is also a long-standing tradition of public and private financial support for culture. A strong participatory emphasis has assisted in the groWth of substantial institutions and a nationally-recognized local arts agency - the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission. As the decade of the 1990's begins, there are several areas that will provide a challenge for the cultural community. These include: . improving and utilizing existing cultural facilities reaching new audiences and broadening the appeal of cultural aCtivItIes increasing the level of administrative and programmatic exper- tise. locating new funding sources . . . The consultants have described these challenges and offered strategies and recommendations to meet them in this Report. ii Because the fates of the Fine Arts Theater at Marymount and the F ox Theatre are uncertain, the consultants provide alternatives based on the ultimate disposition of Marymount's theatre building. They strongly recommend that the first priority for a facility be the Fine Arts Building, because of its ability to offer a wide range of ac- tivities at a higher level of quality and for significantly less money. They recommend that the Fox Theatre be returned to active use, although the definition of its role should await a determination of the fate of the Marymount facility. The consultants found a great need to increase the awareness of cul- tural activities in Salina and the region by reaching out to a larger, more diverse audience. To accomplish this, they recommend develop- ing programs to assist cultural organizations in marketing and out- reach activities, as well as programs which will enhance the community's awareness of culture generally. Recommendations are also made to strengthen arts education programming. In order to assist arts and humanities organizations move to new levels of stability and professional management, the consultants recommend increased training opportunities for staff members, volun- teers, and board members. To assist smaller organizations, they call for programs which will encourage the sharing of resources among such organizations, as well as joint programming ventures. In the area of funding, the consultants suggest that, at the present time, the greatest groWth in funding is likely to come .from private, rather than public sources. They suggest programs to enhance earned income and provide alternatives to increase private giving through training programs, specialized campaigns for endowment, capital reserve, and deferred giving. In addition, they recommend mQre fre- quent applications to state, regional, and federal funding sources in- cluding an application for a National Endowment for the Arts' Local Government Incentive grant. The consultants believe this approach will help leverage additional public funding in the future. The consultants make recommendations about the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission, suggesting ways to clarify the role of Com- III missioners, to revise its committee structure, address the work over- load on Commission staff, consider new governance arrangements for the Museum, and other matters. Finally, the consultants recommend a procedure for beginning the process of reviewing the proposed cultural plan and implementing its recommendations. Following is a list of specific recommendations included in the body of the Report, with references to the page on which discussion begins. Recommendation 11.1: A facility for the presentation of touring drama, music, dance and popular entertainment should be available in Salina. (d. page 22) Recommendation II.2: The City should give highest priority to retaining the use of the Fine Arts Building at Marymount College for arts program- ming. (d. page 23) Recommendation II.3: If the Fine Arts Building is to be used for arts programming, management and programming of the theatres and arts facilities must be guided by professionals in the field. (d. page 25) Recommendation II.4: Investment should be made in upgrading the image of the Fine Arts Building in the community. (d. page 26) Recommendation II.S: Alternative uses for the Fox Theatre should studied and investment in any renovation should be conducted in phases and scaled to the identified uses. (d. page 27) Recommendation II.6: If the Fine Arts Building is secured for live perfor- mance use, then the Fox should be used as a facility for meetings, smaller performances, and community functions. Options for commercial and office usages should also be explored. (d. page 28) Recommendation II.?: If the Fine Arts Building cannot be secured for long term use, then the Fox Theatre should be upgraded to serve as a facility for touring and other performing arts events. (d. page 29) iv Recommendation II.8: The Arts and Humanities Commission should be responsible for presenting performances in any new or renovated theatre space in Salina. (d. page 30) Recommendation II.9: Additional research should be conducted into the feasibility of the Flywheels Museum as a cultural attraction for the Salina region. (d. page 31) Recommendation II.I0: Pending any decision on the use of Marymount College, the programming components of the proposal for the Marymount Cultural Center should be reviewed by the staff and Oversight Committee for the Smoky Hill Museum. (d. page 33) Recommendation II.ll: Consideration should be given to the use of non- traditional cultural facilities, such as schools and churches, to reach out to new segments of the community. (d. page 34) Recommendation II.12: Artists from Salina and the region should continue to work together to explore the possibility of developing a cooperative visual artists gallery space. (d. page 34) Recommendation III.l: A computerized "events" database should be developed to maintain information for a regional calendar publication and for an "events clearinghouse" service. (d. page 37) Recommendation II1.2: Consideration should be given to developing a regional cultural publication in order to disseminate information about cul- tural activities to the public more effectively. Material from local writers should be used whenever possible. (d. page 39) Recommendation III.3: Greater exposure to arts and humanities activities and programming should be provided through the electronic media. (d. page 40) Recommendation IlIA: Programs should be established to assist arts and humanities organizations in marketing and outreach to broaden their audien- ces. These organizations should also be encouraged to develop more popular program offerings. (d. page 42) v Recommendation III.S: Programs should be developed to address the cul- tural needs and concerns of individuals in the region surrounding Salina. (d. page 43) Recommendation III.6: A program to increase the awareness of the arts and humanities in Salina should be developed. (d. page 44) Recommendation III.?: Special efforts should be undertaken to increase the level of participation in arts and humanities activities of minority and multi- cultural groups as well as the elderly. (d. page 46) Recommendation III.8: Efforts should be made to expand the leadership group in support of cultural activities in Salina. (d. page 47) Recommendation III. 9: The Arts and Humanities Commission should con- tinue to work with USD 305 to develop specialized curricula that include the arts and humanities. In addition, cultural organizations should consider creating a comprehensive program of arts offerings in conjunction with that revised curriculum. (d. page 48) Recommendation III.I0: Links should be established with regional school districts through the Central Kansas Educational Services Center and school district personnel. (d. page 49) Recommendation IIl.ll: Cultural organizations should develop ancillary educational programming to enhance the audiences' appreciation. (d. page 50) Recommendation IV.l: Programs should be established to provide oppor- tunities in Salina for increased activities involving outside professional artists. Such activities should include community residencies. (d. page 53) Recommendation IV.2: Professional training should be provided for the staff of arts and humanities organizations. (d. page 54) Recommendation IV.3: A program of training and recognition of volunteer workers at cultural organizations should be developed. (d. page 56) Recommendation IV.4: Training should be provided for members of governing bodies of arts and humanities organizations. (d. page 58) vi Recommendation IV.S: The Arts Task Force structure developed for the cultural planning process should be made formal. (d. page 59) Recommendation IV.6: Consideration should be given to developing oppor- tunities for shared resources for arts and humanities organizations. (d. page 60) Recommendation IV.?: Opportunities for joint programming, particularly those using both public and private resources, should be continued and ex- panded. (c£ page 62) Recommendation IV.8: The Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts should be encouraged to locate its headquarters in Salina. (d. page 63) Recommendation V.l: Cultural organizations in Salina should explore ways to increase their earned income. (d. page 68) Recommendation V.2: Fund raising efforts in Salina generally should focus on ways to enhance individual and small business giving, including cor- porate sponsorships. (d. page 69) Recommendation V.3: Focussed training in fund raising should be provided to arts and humanities organizations in order to improve their ef- fectiveness in upgrading existing donors and locating new ones. (d. page 71) Recommendation VA: In future years, cultural organizations should develop specialized fund-raising programs. (d. page 72) Recommendation V.S: Arts and humanities organizations should be en- couraged to apply to state, regional, and national funding sources. (d. page 74) Recommendation V.6: The Arts and Humanities Commission should apply for a National Endowment for the Arts Local Government Incentive grant to significantly increase support for facilities, regional concerns, and/or out- reach/educational activities. (d. page 75) Recommendation VI.l: The role of Arts and Humanities Commissioners should be clarified and explicitly documented in an updated job description. (d. page 77) vii Recommendation VI.2: The Commission should review and if necessary revise its committee structure. (d. page 79) Recommendation VI.3: Consideration should be given to ways to even out the workload of Commission staff. (d. page 81) Recommendations VIA: During its long-range planning process, the Smoky Hill Museum should consider options for a new governance arrangement. (d. page 82) Recommendation VI.S: The Arts and Humanities Commission should be involved in all City policy decisions relating to cultural activities in Salina that may have funding implications. (d. page 85) Recommendation VI.6: City and County regulations and ordinances should be examined to determine whether changes can be made to make the com- munity more supportive of heritage and arts activities. (d. page 86) Recommendation VII.l: The Steering Committee should vote on accep- tance of the final Report. (d. page 88) Recommendation VI1.2: Even before other committees are created, the Arts and Humanities Commission should establish the Policy and Planning committee of the Commission. (d. page 89) Recommendation VII.3: Once the Steering Committee has accepted the Report and the final version of the Report has been submitted by the con- sultants, the plan should be presented to the City for acceptance. (d. page 90) Recommendation VIlA: Once the plan has been accepted by the City Com- mission, specific task forces should be set up. (d. page 91) Recommendation VII.S: The Policy and Planning Committee shotIld develop written materials, reviewed and approved by the Arts and Humanities Commission, to assist in summarizing the major points of the draft cultural plan. (d. page 92) In troduction In the spring and summer of 1990, The Wolf Organization, Inc. participated in a community cultural planning process for the City of Salina, Kansas. Oversight of the process was supervised by a community steering commit- tee. The consultants' role was to assist with fact finding and to develop op- tions and recommendations for future cultural development. As part of the process, the consultants: . Conducted interviews and small group meetings "..rith over one hundred and twenty-five individuals in Salina Conducted a series of six group meetings in selected communities in the region Developed and conducted a telephone survey of the general public to ascertain attitudes and opinions about the arts and humanities, as well as a survey of arts attenders to determine the market for specific types of arts events in Salina Reviewed arts and humanities education programs Conducted an open public forum for the community. . . . . The consultants' involvement lasted more than six months. It grew out of a community planning process that examined existing cultural activities and interests and determined the need for a cultural plan. The Cultural Plan- ning Steering Committee adopted a "Cultural Planning Vision Statement," which outlines the rationale behind the cultural plan. It states, in part: "... The crtltttral plan will allow ItS to continue: Page 2 The Wolf Organization, Inc. 0 to provide for the expression of the uniqueness and beauty of central Kansas, our love of the land, ottr rugged individualism, our deep commitment to neighborliness and mutztal support to provide vehicles for the expression of our faith and sense of perseverance as we continue to live through change to offer ample oppOTtlmities for people of all ages and situations to learn about arts and humanities and be offered ways to ex- press themselves artistically... " 0 0 How to Use This Report This Report summarizes the consultants' findings and makes specific recom- mendations relative to arts and humanities activities and programs in the City of Salina and the region. It should be seen as a series of proposed recommendations or alternatives. Since much of the work of the next few months will center on reaching consensus on these recommendations and set- ting priorities among them, a close reading of the Report is essential. This Report - "Cultural Salina - The Next Steps" - is divided into several sections, as follows: . This Introduction provides an overview of the current state of the arts and humanities in Salina Part I summarizes the results of a public opinion survey Part II addresses issues relating to facilities Part III evaluates issues relating to outreach (including multi-cultural issues), marketing, and education . Part IV offers recommendations for arts and humanities organizations Part V provides an evaluation of public and private support for the arts and humanities Part VI provides an organizational assessment of the Arts and Humanities Commission and its staff Part VII offers an overview of the necessary steps to review, revise, and begin implementation of this plan. . . . . . . . Other issues of great importance are also discussed in the Report. Three in particular should be mentioned: A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 3 . Regional issues Artists' needs Outreach to multi-cultural and ethnic groups. . . These three areas are so integral to an understanding of cultural activities in Salina that they are discussed in various sections when appropriate. Salina's community cultural planning process was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The local match came from the City of Salina and private sources, including the following businesses and in- dividuals: . Bank IV . Bennington State Bank . Evans Grain Company . First Bank and Trust . First National Bank . King, Adrain, King, and Brown, Chtd. . National Bank of America . Salina Area Chamber of Commerce . Nathan and Dorothy Butcher . Tex and Betty Fury . James T. and Karen M. Graves . Gary and Elizabeth Harbin . Dr. Merle A. and Nancy Hodges . Mrs. Ham Lynch The consultants would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has given so freely of their time to make this project successful. Without the assistance of the members of the Steering Committee, the Arts and Humanities Commission, its staff, and the many individuals who were inter- viewed in conjunction with the project, this task would have been impos- sible. A complete listing of all the individuals interviewed as part of this project is included as Appendix A at the end of this Report. Page 4 The Wolf Organization, Inc. Current State of Cultural Activities Salina is a unique community in Kansas. It is blessed with a strong tradi- tion of active interest and involvement in arts and humanities activities and has several strong cultural institutions which are involved in a wide range of programs in the community. Among the most well-established and im- portant institutions are the following: . The Salina Community Theatre, currently offering five major productions annually (with additional children's theater programming), is anticipating the opening of its expanded facility in January, 1991. This facility will allow for the expansion of youth and children's theater programming. Founded in 1960, the Community Theater has 3 full-time paid staff people, and draws on a volunteer pool of over 100. The Theater's building was constructed in 1973, and is owned by the City of Salina with the Theatre as primary tenant. . The Smoky Hill Museum is housed in a former U.S. Post Office building which is now owned jointly by the City of Salina and Saline County. The Smoky Hill Museum collects, preserves, researches and interprets the artifacts of Saline County. Opened to the public in 1986, the Museum presents as many as 14 different exhibits each year, some based on the museum's extensive collection and others rented from other institutions. Current paid staff consists of three full-time and three part-time people. . The Salina Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1955 and draws on a volunteer pool of between SS and 60 musicians from the region. It offers three concerts annually as well as a Youth Symphony which performs once a year and tours the region bi-annually. Periodically, one of the three concerts presented by the Symphony is an opera (in 1991, "La Traviata" will be presented). The Symphony has two paid staff people, a music director ~d a business manager. . The Arts and Humanities Commission, established in 1966, is a department of the City of Salina which serves as the local arts agency. It has four full-time and three part-time staff people. The programming of the Commission includes the "Horizons" Grants Program; the Smoky Hill River Festival; Arts in Education projects; community programs such as "Art a la Carte", Brown Bag Concerts, A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 5 . the Spring Poetry Series, and the Artist Series; and services such as a newsletter/calendar . The Salina Art Center presents six major visual arts exhibitions of work by local, regional, national and international artists annually, and offers a year-round schedule of visual arts workshops and classes for children and adults. Founded in 1978, the Center is housed in a facility which it owns in downtown Salina, half of which has been renovated for use as office and gallery space, and half of which will be renovated for use as workshop and class space in the future. The Center has two full-time and four part-time paid staff people. That these institutions have developed and thrived in Salina is cause for pride. Their vitality is due, in some measure, to the nature of Salina's relationship to the central Kansas region. In much the same way Salina serves as a commercial and economic "hub" for this region, it also has be- come the cultural "hub," serving communities from Lindsborg to Abilene to Concordia to Ellsworth. The ability to draw on the talents and interests of individuals throughout the region has been instrumental in the develop- ment of Salina's cultural institutions. This regional thrust in the cultural life of Salina is important to note be- cause it has an impact on the community in many ways. For example, ac- cording to one interviewee, more books are checked out of Salina's library by non-Salina residents than residents. As a model of the opportunities and risks inherent in a regional approach, this example raises some useful - if difficult - questions: . How well does Salina serve the cultural needs of the region? Is Salina covering the costs of serving non-residents? If so, can it continue to do so? What benefits can regional, non-Salina-based institutions offer to Salina? . . While the community must wrestle with these questions, the consultants will suggest specific techniques and approaches to regional issues which will point the way towards some of the answers. Several interviewees, notably representatives of the Association of Com- munity Arts Councils of Kansas (ACAAK), headquartered in Salina, point Page 6 17¡e Wolf Organization, Inc. out that regionalism has to be seen to operate in two directions with benefits both ways. As one person said, "There needs to be a synergy." Salina in context The consultants found the arts and humanities organizations in Salina to be strong, active, enthusiastic groups that can be compared favorably with similar entities in much larger communities. Local citizens displayed a great deal of support for and pride in these groups and the support came from a very broad spectrum of the community, ranging from business and com- munity leaders to educators and city officials. This is an important in- gredient for a strong and effective cultural community. The consultants did hear some concerns expressed by interviewees about cur- rent cultural activities or prospects for the future. Four significant ones are highlighted below: . Funding: There is concern about the availability of additional funding to support the arts, particularly in a tight economy. This takes several forms: - Several individual large donors to cultural activities indicated that they feel under increasing pressure to fund social services and this might limit their ability to support cultural activities. - Public officials - both City and County - reiterated their concern about budgetary constraints and the impact such constraints might have on continued funding for arts and humanities activities in Salina and Saline County. Outreach: There is concern that arts and humanities activities are not reaching the entire community, in particular that cultural activities benefit only a narrow spectrum of the community (mainly the wealthy and the educated). Programming: There is a sense that Salina lately has lost significant crtltltral programming with the closing of Marymount College and the loss of that institution's facilities and very substantial theatre program. Administration: There is a sense that twenty or thirty years of continuity, in particular artistic and administrative leadership, is likely to change soon, and that the demands placed on the new group of . . . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 7 individuals coming to replace them will require a greater level of professionalism than has been necessary in the past. Salina is at a turning point in part because of these issues. But it is in a strong position to deal with them. Many a larger community would envy the level of support and involvement of Salinans in their own culture. It is clear to the consultants that, in order to build most effectively on Salina's existing foundation of cultural activities, it is unnecessary at this time to recommend a wide range of new programming activities. Rather, they feel it is important for those with an interest in culture in Salina to focus on cer- tain key issues, which they formulate as follows: . How to enlarge the circle of people who are consistently involved in cultural activities How to develop education and appreciation activities in order to reach out into currently underserved segments of the community How to enhance the level of professionalism and quality of administration and programming of arts and humanities organizations in Salina. . . Addressing these issues will not only strengthen the cultural community and expand its reach, it will inevitably lead to a greater ability to identify and tap additional funding sources in the City and County. As more people of diverse backgrounds become involved in arts and humanities ac- tivities, additional community resources are much more likely to become available to fund such activities. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 8 P art I Results of Audience Survey In this Part of the Report, the consultants present the results of a statistical- ly based telephone survey of the general public in Saline County. The find- ings of this survey will be used to support many of the recommendations in subsequent sections of this Report. This survey of 428 residents of Saline County was conducted during the month of September, 1990; a draft of the questionnaire was reviewed and approved by a subcommittee of the Community Cultural Planning Steering Committee prior to its administra- tion. A copy of this questionnaire is included as Appendix B of this Report. The purpose of the survey was to inventory current attendance patterns of Saline County residents at performing arts events, museums, and arts gal- leries; to determine the opinions of the general public on a variety of arts-re- lated issues; and to develop data on possible future interests and behaviors of the arts and humanities audience. Among the most significant findings are the following: . Almost one-half (48%) of Saline County residents have attended a cultural event in the past year . Three-quarters of those who attended any cultural event attended the Smoky Hill River Festival, by far the most well-attended cultural activity in the County . Among arts attenders, 46 percent were "heavy attenders" . Fully 60 percent of arts attenders with children would increase their attendance if more events for children were available Page 9 The Wolf Organization, Inc. . There is strong demand for many types of cultural events that are not presently available, ranging from opera and modern dance to current Broadway musicals. Over 90 percent of the general public interviewed supported more initiatives in arts education programming. . Current Attendance and Participation Compared with data from similar surveys conducted in a wide range of com- munities by TheW olf Organization, Inc., attendance at performing arts events, museums and art galleries in Saline County is in the average range (although it is difficult to establish statistical norms for attendance). . Within the past year, 48 percent of Saline County residents had attended a live performing arts or entertainment event (with a paid admission) or had visited a museum or an art gallery, or had done both. Of the general population, 31 percent were performing arts and entertainment attenders and 38 percent visited a museum or gallery. (The strong showing for museums/galleries may be accounted for by the great popularity of the Smoky Hill Museum - d., Figure I.B below.) . Of the randomly selected survey group, a total of 254 Saline County per- forming arts attenders were interviewed about their attendance patterns. These attenders were divided into attendance frequency groups as shown below: . Light Attenders (1-3 events in the past 12. months) . Medium Attenders (4-6 events) . Heavy Attenders (7 or more events) 39% 16% 46% - Generally, the consultants have found that there tends to be an equal dis- tribution among these three groups, with roughly one-third of attenders in each. However, in Saline County there was a larger than average number of heavy attenders. The smaller percentage of moderate attenders may cause some difficulty for arts organizations' audience development efforts, since moderate attenders are most commonly targeted for such efforts. Having A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 10 fewer individuals to target suggests that efforts may need to focus on light at- tenders or non-attenders, groups that are harder - and more expensive - to reach. Children and Cultural Events Children are included in cultural events in Saline County in about the same percentage as other communities across the nation. About 46 percent of Saline County cultural events attenders reported that children accompanied them to these events on occasion. They estimated that children joined their parties 59 percent of the time, with an average of 2.3 children per party when children are in attendance. While this statistic is close to a national average, it may understate the inter- est in cultural events for children. Since the question asked about current behavior, it may be that there are simply not enough events oriented toward children to satisfy demand. There is some evidence to support this view. When survey respondents were asked if their attendance at events for families with children would increase, decrease, or remain the same if more events were available, many predicted a dramatic increase: . Among the general Saline County population (both attenders and non-attenders), 38 percent of those surveyed indicated that their attendance at children's events would increase. The average projected amount of increase was about 3.8 events annually. Among those County residents who qualified as performing arts attenders or museum attenders, the results were very similar to the population at large with 42.5 percent anticipating an increase in their attendance, averaging 3.7 events annually. Among households of arts attenders with children, fully 60 percent anticipated an increase of an average of 4.2 events annually. . . This finding reinforces the notion - heard in interviews and meetings time and again - of the importance of programming that is oriented toward families and children. Page 11 17le Wolf Organization, Illc. Barriers to Attendance Understanding why people don't attend more cultural events is critical to developing programs to build support and increased attendance for local or- ganizations. Thus, both attenders and non-attenders were asked to respond to a series of statements describing reasons why their attendance was not more frequent. Survey respondents indicated that the major reasons cited as limiting their attendance were: . A lack of additional free time (given by 76 percent of attenders and 68 percent of non-attenders as a major or minor reason). High ticket prices (given by 48 percent of both attenders and non-attenders ). Poor information about available events (45 percent of attenders and 49 percent of non-attenders). . . Those familiar with cultural events is Salina may dispute these opinions but it is important to see them as general perceptions which need to be ad- dressed. The complete responses relative to why people do not attend cul- tural events more frequently are summarized in Figure LA below, and should be examined carefully. One finding of particular interest is that 34 percent of attenders and 48 percent of non-attenders feel that they "don't un- derstand arts and humanities events." Such a finding suggests the impor- tance of outreach and education activities recommended in Part III of this Report. Figure LA: Reasons for not attending more Arts A ttenders Non-Arts Attenders "The performing arts groups in the area don't offer what I want to see." 38% 27% "The quality of the presentations in Salina is not high enough." 24% 29% "I don't hear about the events in the area." 45% 49% A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 12 Figure LA: Reasons for not attending more (continued): Arts Attenders Non-Arts Attenders "The events in the area are held in facilities which are not conveniently located for me to attend." 21% 31% "The ticket prices are too high for me to attend more events." 48% 48% 38% 35% 76% 68% 26% 36% 34% 48% 31% 34% "I only go to see well known performers." "Other activities use up all of my free time." "I don't have anyone to attend events with." "1 don't understand arts and humanities events." "I'm not interested in arts and humanities events." The findings for not attending museums and galleries more frequently were generally quite similar to those expressed above. Arts Events and Institutions Attended Since one of the key reasons for conducting this survey was, to assess cur- rent patterns of attendance, each individual who reported attending arts events of any kind was asked to report the types of events he or she had at- tended in Saline County during the past year and the number of times each type of event had been attended. Among the most interesting findings are the following: . The Smoky Hill River Festival was attended by 75 percent of all arts attenders, by far the most frequently attended event in Saline County Other local institutions have quite substantial audiences, notably the Smoky Hill Museum (53 percent), the Community Theater (41 . Page 13 The Wolf Organization, [IIC. percent), the Art Center (34 percent), the Chorale (22 percent), and the Symphony (21 percent) . Many kinds of events that are traditionally popular in other communities scored quite low in attendance rates (for example, Broadway musicals at 9 percent or comedy at 17 percent), which is undoubtedly due to the lack of availability of such events in Salina or Saline County. The consultants note that the figures shown below are unadjusted attendance figures. Since survey respondents often overstate attendance, these percent- ages are most useful as a way to compare attendance among the listed institu- tions, not as an absolute measure of attendance patterns. The unadjusted reported attendance is summarized in Figure I.B, shown on the following pages. Figure I.B: Reported attendance for the past 12 months (unadjusted attendance, as reported only by those who attend arts events, for events in Salina, Saline County or nearby regional events) Percent of Number of Arts Attenders Times 1. A concert by the Salina Symphony 21% 1.8 2. A chamber music concert or a recital 13% 2.0 3. A current Broadway musical, such as "Mame" or "Cats" 9% 1.5 4. A concert by the Salina Chorale or another community choral group 22% 2.3 5. A modern dance concert, such as Paul Taylor 6% 1.4 6. A current Broadway drama such as "Driving Miss Daisy" or "A Few Good Men" 22% 1.7 7. A play presented by the Salina Community Theatre 41% 2.8 8. The Salina Art Center 34% 2.S 9. The Smoky Hill River Festival 7S% 1.8 10. The Tri-Rivers Fair 58% 1.4 11. An opera performance 2% 2.0 12. A children's theatre performance 16% 1.6 13. An experimental or avant garde play 3% 1.9 14. The Smoky Hill Museum 53% 2.0 A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 14 Figure I.B: Reported attendance for the past 12 months (continued): 15. A performance at Presser Hall (Bethany College) 16. A performance in Sams Chapel at Kansas Wesleyan 17. A comedy act, such as Bob Hope or George Carlin 18. The Spring Poetry Series at the Smoky Hill Museum 19. A performance by a Popular Artist such as Frank. Sinatra or George Benson 20. A jazz concert 21. A rock concert 22. A Country and Western Concert 23. A concert of ethnic music or dance 24. A cultural event at the Bicentennial Center 25. A Lecture Series at Kansas Wesleyan Percent of Number of Arts Attenders Times 17% 1.9 17% 1.3 17% 1.5 2.4% 1.0 9% 14% 16% 17% IS% 30% 8% 1.7 2.S 1.8 1.8 1.5 1.9 1.2 Anticipating the Future: Interest in Program Offerings The audience survey provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the interests of the local audience in attending more cultural events in Salina, including those that are currently unavailable in the community. Respondents were presented with a list of events and asked to express their level of interest in such offerings in Salina. One of the most interesting analyses in this survey is the comparison of the respondents' stated interests in relation to- their ac- tual attendance patterns. The analysis indicates a range of potential program- ming options and suggests that there is interest in many types of events that presently are not offered in Salina. Chief among these opportunities are: . Opera performances: 18 percent of attenders report high interest while only two percent attended in the last year Page 15 The Wolf Organization, Inc. Current Broadway musicals: 52 percent of attenders report high interest while only nine percent attended in the last year. (This is the lowest rate of attendance for Broadway musicals ever measured by the consultants, and clearly an indicator of lack of programming.) Modern dance: 22 percent of attenders report high interest while only 6 percent attended in the last year Comedy: 47 percent of attenders report high interest while only 17 percent attended in the last year Popular music performances: 4S percent of attenders report high interest while only nine percent attended in the last year High levels of interest in professional theatre (47 percent), ballet (25 percent), and one-person shows (35 percent) which are completely unavailable in the County. . . . . . These expressions of interest do not necessarily indicate that sufficient audiences exist for each of these types of events. However, it is clear that potential exists to stimulate attendance and develop audiences through the presentation of events not now available in the County. These findings will prove valuable in the discussion of facilities in Part II of this Report. The complete findings are provided in Figure I.C below. Figure I.C: Reported interest in specific arts events (Percent who responded with Extremely Interested or Very Interested) 1. A concert by the Salina Symphony 2. A chamber music concert or a recital 3. A concert by a visiting symphony 4. A current Broadway musical, such as "Mame" or "Cats" 5. A performance by a touring opera company 6. A performance by a visiting ballet company 7. A modern dance concert, such as Paul Taylor 8. A current Broadway drama such as "Driving Miss Daisy" or "A Few Good Men" 9. A play by a professional theatre company 10. The Salina Art Center Arts Non-arts A ttenders Attenders 24% 15% IS% 10% 34% 19% S2% 39% 18% 12% 2S% 12% 22% 14% 5S% 41% 47% 28% 30% 14% A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 16 Figure I.C: Reported interest in specific arts events (continued): 11. A concert of ethnic music or dance 12. A children's theatre performance 13. An experimental or avant garde play 14. A One-man Show, such as Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain 35% IS. A comedy act, such as Bob Hope or George Carlin 47% 16. A performance by the Salina Community Theatre 45% 17. A concert by the Salina Chorale or another non-professional community choral group 18. A performance by a Popular Artist such as Frank Sinatra or George Benson 19. A jazz concert 20. A rock concert 21. A Country and Western Concert 22. A poetry reading 23. A lecture series Arts Attenders Non-arts Attenders 18% 29% 9% 10% 21% 4% 18% 36% 21% 25% 10% 44% 2S% 25% 33% 6% 10% 34% 18% 16% 36% 2% 3% Anticipating the Future: Future Facilities Projects The consultants were particularly interested in gauging the impact that new or renovated facilities would have on attendance patterns. A key question was whether attenders would merely shift their attendance from one facility to another or whether new facilities might have a positive impact on total at- tendance. The survey indicates that about one-half of the adult population of Saline County predicts that a new or renovated facility would have a positive impact on their performing arts attendance in the County. Specifi- cally: . Including both attenders and non-attenders, 39 percent indicated that their attendance will increase, while 59 percent predicted no change. The average increase is expected to be 3.8 events annually. . Among County performing arts attenders, SO percent anticipated an increase in their attendance, also by an average of 3.8 events. Page 17 17le Wolf Organization, Inc. This is an encouraging finding since it suggests that there is significant inter- est in additional events that might be made available in new or renovated facilities. The survey indicates that a new performance venue would result in only a modest shift of out-of-County attendance to in-County attendance. When asked if a new facility in Saline County would mean a change in their atten- dance outside the County, 82 percent of attenders felt that their total atten- dance at events outside of Saline County would remain about the same, while only 13 percent felt that their out-of-County attendance would decrease, by an average of 2.8 events. This finding confirms an important point about the nature of performing arts attendance observed by the consultants in similar studies. It is most likely that existing patterns of attendance at events outside of the County will see little disruption if a new facility is built, due to long standing habits of attendance and patron loyalty to specific cultural institutions. The Arts in Education Of particular interest to the consultants is the level of public support for potential program initiatives in the area of arts-in-education. All survey respondents were asked to indicate how important different forms of arts education were for Salina: Figure I.D: Arts education Very Important Somewhat Important Providing more classroom education in art, music, drama, dance and the humanities. 47% 40% Providing field trips to museums and arts and humanities events. 64% 28% Providing tickets to live arts and humanities programs at reduced cost to school children and their families. 59% 30% A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 18 Figure I.D: Arts education (continued): Very Important Somewhat Important Providing more extracurricular, participatory activities in art, music, drama, dance and the humanities. 48% 39% Providing artists to work with children for special in-school experiences. 52% 36% Clearly, the respondents feel that these types of educational programs and ex- periences are important for school children. Almost 90 percent supported each program initiative presented. Perhaps most important, there were no sig- nificant differences in the responses of attenders and non-attenders in the sample. Survey Methodology The telephone survey was conducted of adult heads of household residing within the political boundaries of Saline County. A total of 428 households were surveyed using a rigorous, probability sample telephone number generation process. This method assures distribution of the calls across the geographic survey area in a manner reflecting the distribution of population in the region. The size of the sample and the method of generat- ing the telephone numbers assure a high degree of reliability for the respon- ses. When evalttating the results of the survey, the responses should be viewed as being reliable pIttS or minus four percent. Qualifying the Respondents In addition to determining that the respondents were adult heads of household and residents of Saline County, a further screening process was added which is very important to the quality of the information collected. Each adult was asked: "During the past 12 months, have you attended any type of performing arts event, such as the symphony or other classical mttSic concert, a play, a Broadway show, a dance concert, an opera performance, or a popular con- cert for which you or someone else paid for the tickets?» Page 19 The Wolf Organization, Inc. If the respondent could not answer the question positively, a second ques- tion was asked: "Have you visited any type of museum or art gallery in the past 12 months?'" Failure to answer either question affirmatively resulted in the respondent being routed through a shortened version of the questionnaire which eliminates some questions most appropriately answered by those who have direct experience of local programs and institutions. It is important to evaluate the responses of non-attenders carefully when projecting the inter- ests and future participation of arts audiences for two reasons: . First, the experience of industry marketing professionals, the academic literature, and of the consultants indicates that adults who do not attend events or institutions of these types are extremely difficult to influence to attend in the future. This means that planning for new programs or facilities generally cannot rely on non-participants for audience support. Second, better, more accurate information is gathered by asking arts attenders questions about such subjects as the quality of events, frequency of attendance, and presence of children in the attending party. Non-attenders have no direct experience of these matters. . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 20 Part II Facilities This Part of the Report offers recommendations on cultural facilities in Salina and begins with a review of research on available facilities for cultural events and programs in Salina and Saline County. This research was compli- cated by the fact that of the cultural facilities already in existence, two of them - the Fine Arts Building at Marymount College and the Fox Theatre in downtown Salina - have an uncertain future. Thus, the consultants have also provided a detailed discussion of the Fine Arts Building and the Fox, including an evaluation of which facility should be considered the primary performance venue, given the uncertainty surrounding them. Inventory of Existing Facilities The most significant performing and visual arts facilities in Salina are the fol- lowing: . The Bicentennial Center is a multi-purpose facility designed to accommodate meetings, conventions, sports events, banquets, exhibits and trade shows. The Center contains two major public spaces: - Heritage Hall is a flat floor exhibit/trade show space of 18,000 square feet. Its 20 foot ceiling height allows for the accommodation of large-scale exhibitry and the use of amplified sound for entertainment events. Heritage Hall will accommodate up to 1,000 in banquet seating and 2,000 in formal auditorium style seating. Page 21 The Wolf Organization, Inc. - The Arena is a 21,000 sq. ft. sports and entertainment venue housing local and regional high school, college, and professional exhibition sports as well as a wide variety of commercial entertainment events. The Arena seats up to 7,000 for sports events and up to 8,000 for concerts in the round. In addition to entertainment events, the Arena has been used for touring arts presentatlOns. Arts use of the facility is limited by the lack of space built specifically for arts use, and most arts presentations are seriously compromised by the multi-purpose nature of the building. The Bicentennial Center has never reached the levels of use and financial performance originally anticipated, and management is currently studying ways to improve marketing of the facility. . Kansas Wesleyan University has two facilities regularly programmed with arts events and available for rent by outside users. Fitzpatrick Auditorium is a small, formal proscenium theatre which houses the college's drama courses and ensembles. It contains 208 seats, a 20 by 2S foot stage, with small apron, and minimal lobby and front-of-house amenities. Backstage and technical accommodations are rudimentary, and the facility is heavily used by the instructional programs in drama. Sams Chapel also has a proscenium theatre with apron and seats 1,200 with virtually no back stage facilities. It is used primarily for commencements, lectures and musical presentations. . The Community Theatre building was completed in 1973. Its construction was funded privately and ownership was then transferred to the City. The Community Theatre occupies the building as prime tenant, and a wide variety of other organizations also use the theatre for performances. The Theatre seats 300. It has a proscenium stage, 38 by 32 feet, with no fly loft. A major expansion of the building is now underway which will provide a scene shop, a costume shop, and other features. . Central High School, with its large formal theatre seating 1,371, has long been an important venue in Salina. The proscenium stage (35 by 50 feet with fly loft) is unusually complete and the dressing rooms and backstage facilities are unusually good for a school A Cultural Plall for Salilla Page 22 facility. As in most communities, however, the high school's extensive instructional programs require the greatest share of time on the stage, and access for other users is effectively limited by intensive school use. . The Art Center's facility, converted from commercial properties, is primarily a visual arts facility housing exhibits, education programs for adults and children, and a variety of other programs. The Center is occasionally available for performances and other uses by other organizations in the community. The Art Center includes 456 sq. ft. of classroom space and approximately 250 running feet of exhibit area. Its programs include the presentation of both locally curated and touring exhibits. Currently, the Center is planning to renovate another adjacent commercial building in order to expand its educational programs. . The Smoky Hill Museum is located in the former Post Office on West Iron Street in Salina. Its 13,S30 sq. ft. of exhibit space chronicle the cultural history of the County and the region. Exhibitry is primarily static, consisting of independent displays in a loosely sequenced viewing order. . Presser Hall is located at Bethany College in Lindsborg, and is the home of an extensive performing arts and lecture series which is patronized by audience members from throughout the region. Seating 1,900 and reminiscent of Victorian-era music halls, the facility is heavily used by the college for its own programming, but is available to other community users for a nominal rent. Alternatives for facilities Recommendation II.l A facility for the presentation of touring drama, music, dance and popular entertainment should be available in Salina. Currently, the only facility available and suitable for the presentation of touring arts and entertainment programming of any significant size in Salina Page 23 17le Wolf Organization, IJlc. is the Bicentennial Center. As discussed above, the Center is not a facility built for this purpose and the results of most arts presentations there are less than satisfactory. The audience survey conducted by the consultants as part of this planning process (and discussed in detail in Part I of this report) strongly indicates public interest in a variety of events and performances not now available in the local marketplace and this interest represents a sig- nificant untapped market for performing arts events. In addition, the development of local arts organizations and programs will be immeasurably stimulated by the presence of high quality performances and events. There- fore the consultants place the highest priority on securing a high quality per- formance space for Salina, one that will be available to the community on a regular basis. Two unique facilities in Salina represent important alternatives for considera- tion. Both the Fine Arts Building at Marymount and the Fox Theatre in downtown Salina are in transition and the fate of the Fine Art Theater in particular is unclear. But each offers special cost effective opportunities to address the need of quality cultural facility space as is discussed below. Marymount College Fine Arts Building The Fine Arts Building at Marymount College has been an important venue in Salina for performances and community events over many years. Follow- ing the closing of the college, a plan for reuse of the campus as a training facility by the Kansas Highway Patrol has gained initial support at the state level and is proceeding toward full funding. Recommendation II.2 The City should give highest priority to retaining the use of the Fine Arts Building at Marymount College for arts programming. Without question, the consultants believe that the Fine Arts Building repre- sents Salina's best opportunity to secure a high quality performance venue. Minimal investment will be required to return it to state-of-the-art capabilities, and the possibilities for joint use with the Highway Patrol should sharply reduce the operating costs of the building. Should the High- way Patrol fail in its bid to acquire the property, high priority should be given to acquiring the Fine Arts Building (together with required access ease- ments and parking space) for arts use. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 24 The Fine Arts Building at the college contains two high quality theatres: . The Fine Arts Theatre seats 1,000 and is a fully proportioned, professional-level theatre. The theatre has a 4S by 38 foot stage with a full stage house and a formal proscenium, a pit that will accommodate 30 musicians, ample wing space and excellent loading access. It is not air conditioned, but the required duct work is in place. Adjacent to the stage is a large shop area and there is a good complement of offstage technical areas and dressing rooms. The theatre has been used for musical and theatrical events, and the acoustic environment is reported to be good to excellent for these uses. The seating area and front of house are in good condition and attractive, although the design and finishes are clearly those of an academic building. Also located in the Fine Arts Building is the Little Theatre, a proscenium theatre seating 165. In the past this theatre has housed theatre, chamber music and solo recitals. The 30 by 27 foot stage also has a fly house and good wing space. The Little Theatre shares offstage facilities with the Fine Arts Theatre, and it is air conditioned. . Both theatres would require investment to upgrade the existing theatre sys- tems, lighting and sound equipment to provide a fully equipped professional quality environment. Architecturally, the building is not distinguished, and it is largely hidden from view of City streets. A strong feature, however, is that the building is well designed to accommodate the public while allowing classroom and other non-public areas to be secured. The Highway Patrol is particularly interested in the Fine Arts Building, with its two theatres, instructional spaces, and large reception area, for use in its programs. Current planning envisions use of the Fine Arts Theatre for lectures, events and presentations which would involve all of the trainees on site. Preliminary discussions with Highway Patrol repr-e- sentatives indicate that the Patrol would be very interested in making the facility available for cultural events serving County audiences, although the operational details remain to be decided. However, at the time of the writ- ing of this report, final acquisition of the campus by the Highway Patrol (and Department of Corrections) is not assured. The consultants believe that these high quality theatre spaces and the special- ized support spaces constitute a unique resource in Salina and the closing of Page 25 TIle Wolf Organization, Inc. the building has already been sorely felt in the community. It is important to note that the consultants conservatively estimate the current replacement cost of both theatres and their support spaces at between $7 and $9 million and the cost of replacing the entire building, with its classrooms, dance studios, practice rooms, and public spaces, to be at least $10 to $12 million. Further, according to Kansas Highway Patrol estimates dated June, 1990, about $2 million will be spent on upgrading the Fine Arts Building, includ- ing such things as asbestos abatement, installation of complete HV AC sys- tems (including air conditioning of the Fine Art Theatre), and other major improvements. With these renovations completed, the consultants estimate that only an additional $100,000 to $150,000 will be required to upgrade in- ternal theatre systems and design work for exterior site work and interior finishes. Clearly, retaining the facility is a good investment for the com- mumty. Recommendation II.3 If the Fine Arts Building is to be used for arts programming, manage- ment and programming of the theatres and arts facilities must be guided by professionals in the field. Of critical importance for arts use of any building is the proper scheduling, maintenance and operation of its highly specialized technical facilities and equipment. Because the Highway Patrol lacks this expertise, it is important that use agreements specify policies and procedures such as appropriate scheduling lead times, control of access to the facilities, control of noise generating activities and other potential problem areas. Although most of these issues can be easily dealt with, they must be anticipated to avoid dis- ruption of performances and Highway Patrol training. In addition, the use and maintenance of theatre systems and equipment, and the development of appropriate contracts with arts and entertainment users of the building are specialized areas of expertise which are of great impor- tance to the safety and image of the building for all of its users. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 26 Recommendation IIA Investment should be made in upgrading the image of the Fine Arts Building in the community. If the Fine Arts Building is to become the primary venue for larger scale performances in the community, then its image and appearance should be upgraded. This is particularly important given its location within a campus setting. Priority should be given to cost-effective treatments to the building façade, landscaping and lobby areas which will soften the "institutional" ap- pearance of the building and promote a higher quality image overall. In addition, careful evaluation should be made of the possibility of provid- ing an alternative entrance to the Fine Arts Building. Possibilities include creating access next to the Country Club parking lot or, should the Ad- ministration Building be demolished as current plans indicate, a portion of that site could be used to create a visible access to the building. This would eliminate the need to travel to the building through the campus and would effectively separate the Fine Arts Building from the other campus buildings in the public mind. Not only would these approaches improve the image and marketability of the building for arts use, it would also serve to minimize the disruptive impact of public access to the building on High- way Patrol activities. Any investment in the building will necessarily involve cooperative agree- ments with the owner of the property, and this implies that the relationship between the Highway Patrol (or other owner) must provide for this kind of involvement, and that contingencies for upgrading the building should be anticipated in any use agreement. The Fox Theatre The Fox-Watson Theatre Building is located on South Santa Fe in downtown Salina. It was constructed in 1931 of buff brick and terra cotta in an Art Deco-influenced style. Its technical design is typical of many theatres of its era, being intended to provide for cinema and relatively un- complicated stage presentations. The Fox Theatre remained in operation as a movie house until 1987 and was reasonably well maintained throughout its active life. In 1988, the owners of the building offered to donate it to the City of Salina and in February, 1989 the City took ownership of the Page 27 The Wolf Organization, Iflc. property with the intent of "mothballing" the building while evaluating proposals for its reuse. Its prominent downtown location and familiarity as a movie theatre contribute to considerable public sentiment for returning the Fox to active use as a theatre. The Fox Theatre seats 1,324 patrons on two levels in an air conditioned auditorium. The stage has a full stage house and an orchestra pit. However, the stage and wing areas are of insufficient size to accommodate many larger touring theatrical and entertainment productions which would typically be available to a house of this size. Dressing rooms and other backstage areas are also insufficient for most touring professional use and the theatre systems are antiquated. Loading access to the stage area is per- manently obstructed. (The current acoustics of the space have not been tech- nically evaluated.) The building also contains two stories of office/commercial space along the South Santa Fe frontage. All areas of the building require updating for code compliance and handicapped access. Recommendation II.S Alternative uses for the Fox Theatre should studied and investment in any renovation should be conducted in phases and scaled to the identified uses. The presence of an active Fox Theatre in the downtown has important potential benefits, and the community's enthusiasm for the building indi- cates that it can be valuable in its role as an auditorium, an office/ commer- cial space, or as an important landmark in the downtown. For these reasons, the consultants support its return to active use. Since the building has come into City ownership, its condition has- been evaluated and the roof has been repaired. The City has determined that further investment in renovation will await planning which specifies the na- ture of the long term financial commitment which would be required to return the Theatre to use. To date, no comprehensive plan describing use, management and funding has been developed for the building, but a non- profit group, the Fox Performing Arts Center, has taken a leadership posi- tion by soliciting public opinion and assisting in the evaluation of alternative futures for the building. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 28 Creative use of the office/commercial space could produce an active build- ing complex. One way this strategy might work is to move the offices of the Arts and Humanities Commission to the Fox building. This would free up critical space in the Smoky Hill Museum building and would create an anchor tenant at the Fox. Such a center of activity and general com- munity orientation is consistent with the lower-cost renovation strategy described in recommendation II.6 below, and might be accomplished in phases without consideration of renovations to the auditorium beyond basic cleaning and maintenance. The existing figures which have been developed for the renovation of the Fox have been assembled rather informally and without the benefit of the expert studies which are necessary to completely understand the current con- dition of the building, specify the quality of the resulting renovation, and ensure that the facility is properly equipped and useable for its new programs. It is the opinion of the consultants that the existing estimates ($3SS,000 in the Chamber of Commerce Report on the Fox which sug- gested a low-level renovation, and $850,000 in the Symphony's proposal to the City which proposed a renovation to allow for symphonic performan- ces) are most likely low. A more likely range (as discussed on the follow- ing pages) is between several hundred thousand dollars and over $1 million for the low end renovation and between $3 and $4.5 million for the more elaborate renovation. Recommendation II.6 If the Fine Arts Building is secured for live performance use, then the Fox should be used as a facility for meetings, smaller perfor- mances, and community functions. Options for commercial and of- fice usages should also be explored. Should the Fine Arts Building be available to the community, the consult- ants believe that a minimal renovation of the Fox should be considered. This less expensive approach entails rehabilitation of the existing stage and support areas, together with the auditorium and other areas of the building, returning the theatre more or less to its original configuration. Such a renovation can result in an attractive facility useable for: . Community meetings and celebrations, such as school graduations Page 29 The Wolf Organization, Inc. . Small scale musical events, such as recitals (although these events are not likely to generate audiences substantial enough to use the auditorium effectively) Smaller theatrical performances not requiring sophisticated staging or more than rudimentary lighting and sound systems, such as some one-person shows. . However, the facility would not be useable for most touring presentations, large musical ensembles, or commercial rental by promoters because of the limitations of the stage size and backstage facilities, as well as the problem of loading access to the stage. While it is impossible to present specific cost estimates without doing fur- ther technical studies, the consultants' experience suggests that the true cost of renovating the facility for this level of use is likely to be well over $1 million. Careful, professional planning should be conducted to properly scale the renovation cost to the building's use and to provide for an ade- quate and cost effective management scheme. The consultants believe that this may not be the only alternative for a "low- end" renovation, however. Consideration should be given to closing off the auditorium and improving the commercial and office areas only. These spaces could be rented, thus providing some income to off-set City main- tenance costs. As mentioned above, the offices of the Arts and Humanities Commission might be moved to the Fox as part of this approach. The costs for this alternative would be substantially less than the other low-end renovation described in this recommendation. Recommendation II.? If the Fine Arts Building cannot be secured for long term use, then the Fox Theatre should be upgraded to serve as a facility for touring and other performing arts events. Without access to the Fine Arts Building, the importance of the Fox is dramatically enhanced, and the necessity to consider more extensive renova- tions is clear. One possibility, which has been successfully accomplished throughout the United States, is to enlarge the stage and build new back- stage support spaces to meet modern requirements. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 30 Careful evaluation of the full impact of this approach must be made, as the sightlines, acoustics and building structure may all require adjustment to the larger stage. The cost of such an approach is considerable because, in fact, a new building is constructed to house the stage and new facilities. An exist- ing building abuts the back wall of the stage house, and this property would have to be acquired and the building removed. While detailed studies of the renovation requirements and costs have not been conducted, it is most likely that a full scale renovation of the Fox would greatly exceed the investment required to fully upgrade the Fine Arts Building. The cónsultants estimate that this level of renovation to the Fox might cost in the range of $3 to $4.S million, and the quality of a fully ex- panded Fox might not equal that of the Marymount College facilities when complete. It is also very important to note that the operating costs of the facility resulting from this approach would likely be considerably more than for the lesser renovation, since they are a direct function of the inten- sity of the building's use. For this reason, the consultants consider the full scale renovation of the Fox to be the second best option overall. However, it is important to note that such a radical renovation to the Fox could greatly improve the technical capabilities of the theatre and make it vastly more attractive for use by touring ensembles. It would also create a solution to the important question of creating access to the stage for load- ing. In the case that the Fine Arts Building is not available to the com- munity, it would present a viable option to provide a performance facility for Salina. Additional considerations Recommendation II.S: The Arts and Humanities Commission should be responsible for presenting performances in any new or renovated theatre space -in Salina. Salina has several organizations at various stages of development that will probably be capable of producing their own programs at either the Fine Arts Theater at Marymount or the Fox Theater. The Symphony, for ex- ample, has used Marymount effectively over the years, and is eager to con- Page 31 The Wolf Organization, Inc. tinue to do so. It is possible that there are other groups that might also take advantage of those facilities, and they should be encouraged to do so. However, it will still be important for the Arts and Humanities Commis- sion to present performances of other groups at these theatres. These programs should be designed to supplement the programming offered local- ly and should consist of performances that are not otherwise available in Salina and are desired by the general public (as described in Part I of this Report). The Arts and Humanities Commission has, for quite some time, been functioning in the role of performing arts presenter - taking responsibility for scheduling, booking, and other aspects of arranging for touring arts and entertainment events to perform in Salina. Its activities in this area include the Brown Bag Concerts, Art a la Carte, and the River Festival. In the past year, it co-sponsored the Artists' Series that had been presented by Marymount College. The level of Commission staff involvement would have to increase under the system being proposed and an additional staff per- son would have to begin even before a facility was opened to handle plan- ning and promotion. Nevertheless, the Commission would not be embarking on entirely new territory. The consultants believe that at the present time, there is no other group in Salina that is capable of bringing the necessary resources and expertise to bear on this important function of presenting performances other than the Commission. Over time, however, as producing organizations in Salina ma- ture and other groups develop an interest in presenting, the Arts and Humanities Commission can and should take less of a programming role in local facilities. As has occurred in other communities, the Commission will increasingly become a facilitator of programming rather than a programmer itself. However, this will take time and requires the groWth, development, and maturity of local arts and humanities organizations in Salina and the reglOn. Recommendation 11.9: Additional research should be conducted into the feasibility of the Flywheels Museum as a cultural attraction for the Salina region. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 32 Recently, a group of business people and community leaders has become in- volved in developing an ambitious "living historical museum" and tourist at- traction on a site near Interstate 70. While still in the early stages of development, the project is described as an attempt to "...fulfill a 'Goal for Salina' which is to . create tourist dollars for Salina and increase pride in Kansas heritage' [through] a Flywheel Museum [which will] preserve the past for the future..." This group is attempting to acquire land on which to build an historical vil- lage, using its collection of Kansas equipment, including such things as early tractors, an old print shop, blacksmith shop, barbershop, post office, service station, and the like. According to organizers, their site, near the intersec- tion of 1-70 and 1-35, will attract some of the millions of people who drive by each year, and revenue from the attraction could have a substantial im- pact on Salina's economy. Ultimately, they envision a major tourist attrac- tion with rebuilt homes and businesses, displays of old farm equipment, a petting zoo, and other components. The consultants believe that insufficient research has been conducted to make a judgement on whether this project should be undertaken. They cau- tion that such market research on specific components of the attraction is crucial to the success of the venture. Of critical import will be the ques- tion of whether the museum as proposed will capture the necessary tourist traffic to make the project financially viable. Careful research should be conducted early in the design phase of the project, to assure that changes to the concept can be made to reflect the results of the research. In addition, the consultants suggest the following points be considered carefully: . This project, if implemented, must be developed slowly, with its various components phased in, to assure that the management does not overextend itself Since the success of this project will depend in some part on the portrayal of historic and cultural information, the involven:ent of Salina residents with an interest and background in those areas is critical As part of the feasibility research conducted for this project, the impact of this facility on existing Salina institutions, such as the Smoky Hill Museum, should be considered In order to assure that this attraction generates dollars for Salina and does not represent a drain on local contributed funds, a careful . . . Page 33 The Wolf Organization, Illc. analysis of the funding implications on existing Salina institutions should be conducted. Recommendation II.I0: Pending any decision on the use of Marymount College, the programming components of the proposal for the Marymount Cul- tural Center should be reviewed by the staff and Oversight Commit- tee for the Smoky Hill Museum. A recent proposal for a new cultural center utilizing the Administration Building at Marymount College has been reviewed by the consultants. Ac- cording to the proposal, the Center will "serve as an educational museum...emphasizing culture in the broadest sense to include exhibitions and displays of art, emphasizing sacred arts, architecture, ethnography, agriculture, and the history of the people of the Diocese of Salina, though inclusive to feature other faith communities." Given the uncertainty of the ownership of Marymount, as well as the fate of the Administration Building itself, it is difficult to assess that proposal with any degree of confidence. The consultants note, however, that as a conceptual document, the proposal makes some important suggestions for programming thrusts, particularly in the humanities. They feel strongly that these ideas are too good to be lost if the particular configuration of facilities envisioned in the proposal is not feasible. Therefore, while it is still early in the process, the consultants recommend that advocates of the cultural center proposal meet with members of the Smoky Hill Museum Committee and Museum staff to determine whether any of the programming thrusts can be carried out jointly by the two groups. In addition, if the Flywheels Museum project moves forward, op- portunities for collaboration with that group should also be explored. This is not to suggest that the plan for a Marymount Cultural Center should not continue to be refined and pursued. There appears to be strong interest, according to the organizer, among certain religious and educational institutions around the state. If funding sources are identified, and if the new ownership of the College will allow, these plans might warrant addi- tional research to determine their feasibility. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 34 Recommendation II.ll: Consideration should be given to the use of non-traditional cultural facilities, such as schools and churches, to reach out to new segments of the community. While the importance of the facilities discussed in this section cannot be min- imized, it is necessary to acknowledge the role that non-traditional facilities can play in outreach activities. Such locations as churches, community centers, retirement homes, factories, the YWCA, and schools should be con- sidered prime candidates for small scale events which will be able to reach underserved audiences. The consultants point out that in any community there will always be a large segment of the population that does not feel comfortable and will not attend events in formal, traditional performance and exhibition spaces. If Salina is truly interested in reaching out to these individuals, more cultural attractions need to be scheduled in non-traditional spaces. It will be important to keep in mind several caveats if these locations are used with any regularity: . Make sure that programs are designed to work within the constraints of the performance spaces. This means that smaller ensembles, doing short, uncomplicated presentations should probably be favored. It will be important for artists to understand well in advance the specific circumstances in which they will be performing. In that way, they may be able to design more appropriate presentations. . Recommendation II.12: Artists from Salina and the region should continue to work together to explore the possibility of developing a cooperative visual artists gallery space. Recently, a group of 30 visual artists and craftspeople, including several from outside Salina, have begun working on the option of developing a Page 35 The Wolf Organization, Inc. sales gallery, ideally in a space in downtown Salina. Working with a lawyer, the group has developed a set of by-laws and a fee schedule to create a pool of working capital. They have met with representatives of Salina Downtown to identify suitable space. In addition, representatives of the Arts and Humanities Foundation have indicated that they were willing to assist as a nonprofit "umbrella" for fund-raising activities that might be re- quired to raise money for renovating the gallery space. The consultants support these efforts and recommend that the City, corpora- tions, other nonprofit organizations, and other groups be supportive when- ever possible. In particular, the Arts and Humanities Commission might be able to provide assistance to this group or others with acquiring any neces- sary City approvals for building modifications or other building code or zonIng Issues. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 36 Part III Outreach and Education In this section of the Report, the consultants address ways to increase the awareness of the cultural life of Salina and to expand the audience for cul- tural events. While most arts and cultural organizations are reaching in- dividuals with a strong arts interest, the consultants believe it is now necessary to reJ.ch out to a larger audience, one that is more diverse and less experienced in support of and attendance at arts and cultural activities. The recommendations of this section can build on the effective outreach work already being done. For example, the Art Center has a strong children's program that also brings adults into the Center who might other- wise not attend. Similarly, the Silver Needles Quilter's Club has been in- volved in providing access for students and others in the community to quilting experts from the region J.nd across Kansas. And the Arts and Humanities Commission, through the guidelines for its "Horizons" grants program, encourages and fosters outreach by the cultural community. Reaching new audiences in Salina may be complicated by several factors that are worthy of note: . Salina's very impressive range of cultural offerings has historically been made available to the public at little or no cost. This means that individuals are not always comfortable paying what would be considered moderate ticket prices in many other communities. Indeed, one of the most commonly expressed reasons for not attending more events, according to the telephone survey, was the perceived high price of tickets. Page 37 TIle Wolf Organization, Illc. . While there is much support for culture in Salina, many people do not feel engaged by cultural activities. For example, according to the telephone survey, 34 percent of attenders and almost half of the non-attenders said they "don't understand arts and humanities events." The following recommendations are divided into several categories: . Disseminating information about cultural events Providing mechanisms to improve the audience development, outreach, and educational activities of individual organizations Developing programs on a community-wide basis to enhance the awareness of cultural activities generally Other education issues. . . . Getting the information out Recommendation III.l: A computerized "events" database should be developed to maintain information for a regional calendar publication and for an "events clearinghouse" service. One of the comments the consultants heard with some frequency was how difficult it was to get information on what is going on in Salina and the region. Indeed, 45 percent of attenders and 49 percent of non-attenders sur- veyed said that they "don't hear about events in the area." While several calendar listings already exist (there are calendars maintained by the Arts and Humanities Commission, the Salina Journal, and the Chamber of Com- merce), according to the consultants' interviews, none is considered_com- plete or timely. As part of the necessary systems to improve the dissemination of informa- tion about arts and humanities activities, many communities have found that an effective and comprehensive events calendar can play an important role in addressing this problem (d, recommendation m.2). As part of delivering this service, it is important to set up proper systems to gather and store the information. A simple computerized database should be A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 38 created which would store important information about arts and humanities events, including: It Description of the event and performers Name and address of sponsoring organization Dates, time, and location of performances Ticket prices and availability. . . . At the same time as information about crtrrent activities is being gathered, a system to track fittttre events (including performances, but also meetings, par- ties, fund-raising galas, and other such activities), should also be set up. The purpose of this system is to avoid scheduling conflicts among cultural organizations in the region. For example, if the board of the Art Center were planning a fund-raising event six months or a year in the future, the "events clearinghouse" would provide an easy way to determine whether other events were to take place at the same time period under considera- tion. Combining these two systems is logical, since the same database struc- ture can be used and the same types of information will be gathered. The consultants believe that the Arts and Humanities Commission is well- suited to undertake the development of such a database system for the com- munity, since it has access to the necessary computer software and hardware and because it is already gathering much of the information. Once the database is created and systems to gather and input the data are es- tablished, the Commission would be able to distribute its list of events to media outlets on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, which is an important way to improve their listings of activities. However, the Commission must estab- lish an active system to make sure that the information it is collecting is comprehensive. During the initial stages of this project, rather than wait for arts and humanities organizations to call with listings, Commission staff must aggressively solicit information, making sure that activities in the Salina region are represented as well, particularly church and schoof-based events. (Events in areas outside of Salina are frequently overlooked by newspapers, according to some interviewees.) Page 39 17le Wolf Organization, Inc. Recommendation II1.2: Consideration should be given to developing a regional cultural publi- cation in order to disseminate information about cultural activities to the public more effectively. Material from local writers should be used whenever possible. The consultants believe that a publication devoted to coverage of cultural events in Salina and the region is an important device to increase the level of interest in such events. This publication would include a calendar, includ- ing complete listings of lectures, films, performing arts presentations, exhibi- tions, and other arts and humanities events (obtained from the Commission or other organization maintaining the events database). In addition, the pub- lication might include: . interviews and articles about arts and cultural in the Salina region, including information about individuals involved in cultural activities either as artists, scholars, historians, or staff members of cultural organizations discussions and critical reviews of recent exhibitions and performances advertisements from local businesses and supporters. . . This dual-purpose publication - calendar listings combined with a "Journal of Cultural Activities" - should have an easy-to-read, lively format that ap- peals to a broad spectrum of the public. The precise configuration of the publication would depend on the amount of information to be disseminated and the budget available to do so. Initially, it might make sense to split its functions, and publish the calendar on a monthly basis and the reviews and articles quarterly. As interest increases - and as underwriting and advertis- ing revenues allow - the full publication could be expanded to a monthly schedule. - Based on experiences in other communities, the consultants believe it is wise to distribute the calendar widely. The four to six page quarterly cultural review might be available initially at selected locations in the region without charge, while also being available by mail for a modest subscription fee. Assuming a commitment to good design and inexpensive reproduction and that Commission staff time would be available without charge (if the A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 40 Commission were responsible for the events database), an approximate ini- tial budget for producing a monthly calendar with a quarterly journal would be between $20,000 and $35,000 annually. This cost would be offset by advertising, underwriting, and, eventually, by subscription sales. The consultants believe that this publication should be produced through a partnership between the public and private sectors. As described above, the staff of the Arts and Humanities Commission would be responsible for gathering information for the calendar section and for providing monthly, camera-ready layouts of cultural events (using a laser printer and appropriate software). Individuals with a background in publishing or media produc- tion would be responsible for all editorial functions, as well as advertising, sponsorships, financial record keeping and the like. Finally, the consultants suggest that articles and other writing be solicited from local writers. While only a minimal honorarium could be offered, it would provide an opportunity for writers to reach a wider local audience, something it is presently difficult for them to do. Recommendation III.3: Greater exposure to arts and humanities activities and programming should be provided through the electronic media. As important as printed information about cultural activities is, the electronic media represent an even more important avenue to reach a wide and diverse spectrum of the community. Particularly in a community like Salina, where cable television has a 93% penetration rate, using this and other local media resources can provide important additional access for arts and humanities groups. . Cable TV local access: The renewal of the local cable television franchise is currently being negotiated between the City of Salina and TCI, the cable owner. One of the requirements for renewal is provision of public access to three cable channels, one of which would be available to the general public, a second for education, and a third for government. Since provision of this community access by TCI would include access to studio space, local arts and humanities organizations should develop their own programming and outreach information for airing on the public cable channel Page 41 The Wolf Organization, Illc. when this becomes available. Among the tYpes of programming that should be considered are: - Panel discussions that relate to particular exhibitions or performances - Taped excerpts of performances (these would have to be edited at the local access studio) - Interviews with visiting performers, local artists, arts patrons, and others involved in arts and humanities activities. . Public TV (KOOD) and radio programming: While cable television currently serves only Salinans, public television and radio offer an opportunity for reaching more regional audiences. Radio stations currently provide some programming about local arts and humanities activities, but organizations should approach the stations with interesting ideas for more coverage. KOOD, on the other hand, offers no on-going coverage of local arts and humanities activities. The station should be approached about initially providing one-half hour of monthly coverage about local arts and humanities activities in the region, to be increased to weekly. ACAAK or the Arts Task Force could serve as the coordinating or scheduling entity for this programming. Among the types of programming that should be considered are: - Interviews with guest artists - Features on significant historic landmarks, including such facilities as the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia or the Opera House in Wilson - Tours of the work spaces of local and regional visual and performing artists - Reviews and discussions of current exhibitions and performances. In addition, it is important to emphasize that programming for the electronic media - and indeed, programming throughout the entire spectrum of cultural activities - should highlight children and family. Children and family activities are one of the best and easiest ways to in- clude adults in cultural events, and as a way to attract new audiences, par- ticularly among non-arts people, they are almost uniquely effective. The Wolf Organization's telephone survey strongly supports this thrust. For ex- A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 42 ample, 30 percent of the general public felt that if more events for families and children were available, their attendance would increase. Arts and humanities organizations Recommendation III.4: Programs should be established to assist arts and humanities organiza- tions in marketing and outreach to broaden their audiences. These organizations should also be encouraged to develop more popular program offerings. Arts and humanities organizations in Salina will require assistance in reach- ing beyond their traditional audiences and specific programs and techniques to assist them will be necessary. The consultants suggest the following programs be considered by cultural organizations as effective - and relative- ly inexpensive - methods to begin to address the problem. . A mechanism should be created whereby free or discounted tickets to arts and humanities events can be provided to the public. This might be in the form of increased levels of corporate sponsorship linked with free tickets for employees or special groups such as the elderly. It might involve working with civic groups, such as the North Salina Business Association to provide free tickets to member businesses or community residents. Develop a "group sales program" with an emphasis on fund-raising opportunities for area nonprofit organizations. Many nonprofit organizations and other groups and clubs are looking for simple ways to raise money from their constituents. The cultural organization would make available a block of tickets at a slightly discounted price and the nonprofit group or club would sell those tickets to its members. - Develop an "arts buddy-system" through which individuals are encouraged to bring a new person to a performance or exhibit. This might be done by mailing special discount coupons to existing members or subscribers offering them a "bring a friend" opportunity for one event. They may purchase two tickets for the price of one for a particular event or give the coupon to a friend. Instructions on how to redeem the coupon by mail should be . . Page 43 The Wolf Organization, Inc. . included to provide a greater likelihood of use by those outside Salina. A widely advertised special evening called "Jeans Night" might be scheduled by cultural organizations to attract individuals who are concerned about the formality of arts events. The consultants believe that these programs are an effective start to increas- ing and diversifying the cultural audience. It is important to remember that this important goal can have an additional benefit - new audience members are likely candidates to become volunteers for the organization and ultimate- ly donors, thus increasing the base of financial support for cultural activities. Finally, while it is true that various devices can be developed to encourage attendance through special ticket offers and similar incentives, the best way to increase attendance is to offer the kinds of programs people want to ex- perience. People in Salina enjoy more popular events of the sort presented at the River Festival and want to see more of them according to the telephone survey. Cultural organizations need to take this into considera- tion as they plan their programs for the future. Recommendation IlLS: Programs should be developed to address the cultural needs and con- cerns of individuals in the region surrounding Salina. Time and again, the consultants heard interviewees - particularly at the regional meetings - talk about the importance of bringing events closer to those who live outside of Salina. Already the region accounts for a sig- nificant part of the audience for such institutions as the Community Theater and there is reason to assume that there is room for additional groWth. However, cultural organizations cannot always expect individuals living outside Salina to come to them; there are times when the cultural or- ganizations must go to the region. Part of the logic for this approach is the consultants' firm belief that organizations that serve the region are con- siderably more likely to be sustained financially by individuals throughout the region. Based on their experiences in other communities, the consultants suggest the following programs to bring cultural activities to locations outside Salina: A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 44 . Special performing arts programs developed by Salina arts groups to present in a variety of locations, (referred to as "run outs") might be brought to such facilities as Presser Hall at Bethany College in Lindsborg or the Brown Grand Theater in Concordia or others. Some programs using professional performers, such as the Artists' Series, have performed in locations outside Salina which is to be encouraged. . Training programming for the staff of cultural organizations (d., recommendation IV.2) should be made available to groups throughout the region, perhaps co-sponsored with ACAAK. . J oint programming, such as a humanities lecture series with regional appeal, cosponsored by several organizations, including perhaps Kansas Wesleyan University and the Land Institute. Various venues in the region might be employed during the series. Community-wide programs Recommendation III.6: A program to increase the awareness of the arts and humanities in Salina should be developed. While the previous set of recommendations in this section makes specific suggestions to improve the outreach activities of arts and humanities or- ganizations in Salina, it is important to note that without a stronger aware- ness of culture and cultural activities among people in Salina, any increase in cultural activities will be limited. For that reason, the cònsultants feel that it is important to engage in an active program to heighten the community's awareness of cultural activities. This Report has already cited an important statistic that approximately one third of those surveyed said they are "not interested in arts and humanities activities. n This suggests that arts and humanities are not as integral a part of daily life in Salina as supporters might have hoped. The consultants believe that this is partly an image problem. For many residents, "cultural activities" are seen as "elitist" or of interest only to the "wealthy" or "edu- cated." It is necessary to create an image of culture that suggests a broader definition, including, for example, the River Festival, heritage and historical activities, and children's events. A comprehensive program to change the Page 45 The Wolf Organization, Inc. image of culture and to enhance the public's awareness of the range of arts and culture in Salina should be developed. Among the key components of such a program are the following: . "Business roundtable" breakfast meetings for community and business leaders with regional and national arts administrators and artists discussing the overall role of arts and culture in the life of a community. Such topics as the economic impact of culture or the role of cultural activities in business relocation decisions might be effective. . A strengthened relationship with the Chamber of Commerce so that information about cultural organizations is available at all functions attended by the Chamber. In addition, the Chamber should be encouraged to promote and publicize local attractions and cultural activities (and perhaps underwrite the cost of promotional brochures), based on an understanding of the central importance of cultural activities in the appeal that Salina has throughout the state and region. Continue to explore ways to integrate arts and cultural components into existing community events - the recent "Santa Fe Days" celebration is an excellent example of this type of endeavor. Develop a series of public service announcements and public service advertisements to promote the cultural wealth of Salina. Create an annual award for business or community leaders who have shown the greatest commitment to support of cultural activities. This award should be given at a public ceremony with as much media coverage as possible. . . . . It is important to note that this program is not designed to highlight any one specific organization or activity. Rather, in order to be effective, its focus should be on all of the culture of all the community. Because of this approach, the program must be coordinated by a community group that rep- resents all of the organizations in Salina. Coordination of these activities by a community-based steering committee (similar to that used in this plan- ning project) would be the most logical arrangement. In addition, however, the newly formalized Arts Task Force (d., recommendation IV.S) should be called upon to assist in an advisory role, with logistical support as necessary from the staff of the Arts and Humanities Commission. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 46 Recommendation III.?: Special efforts should be undertaken to increase the level of participa- tion in arts and humanities activities of minority and multi-cultural groups as well as the elderly. One of the recurring themes of this Report is the importance of cultural or- ganizations reaching out to all segments of the community in order to in- clude more people in their activities. It may come as a surprise to many individuals actively involved in cultural pursuits that their organizations and activities are perceived as being "elitist" or made up of "cliques." The con- sultants, who worked hard to talk with an accurate cross-section of com- munity members, however, heard that message quite frequently. It is their assessment that this perception is held broadly in the community and partly explains the large number of survey respondents that felt that arts and humanities activities were not of interest to them. In order to broaden the appeal of cultural organizations, it will be necessary to make a conscious effort to be inclusive. Some specific suggestions in- clude: . Invite representatives of multi-cultural, ethnic, minority, elderly, and handicapped communities to volunteer for various committees and eventually to serve on boards of directors of cultural organizations. Bringing individuals of various backgrounds into the planning and governance discussions of cultural organizations will make it more likely that the concerns of those groups get heard and addressed. Program performing or visual arts events with relevant content to be of interest to special constituent groups. Schedule an "open house" or a pre-performance pot-luck lecture for new-comers or for special groups, such as senior citizens. The goal is to identify new attenders (including minorities and elderly) and make them feel welcome at all programming. Since word of mouth is the best way to get new people to come to events, it is important to identify opportunities for spreading this information. Making presentations at churches, senior centers, civic groups, ethnic organizations (such as the NAACP, LULAC, the German-American club, and others) should be considered to increase awareness of cultural opportunities. . . . Page 47 The Wolf Organization, Inc. . Special programs can be developed and performed in sites away from the usual downtown venues to bring cultural programming to places that people feel comfortable (d., recommendation II.ll). Cultural organizations should provide volunteer-operated free transportation services to events and performances for elderly, handicapped, and other people who might otherwise have difficulty attending. . Recommendation II1.8: Efforts should be m:lde to expand the leadership group in support of cultural activities in Salina. There is a need for a larger and more diverse group of individuals to take a leadership role in support of cultural activities in Salina. The same in- dividuals cannot be expected to carry the burden of leadership continuously and efforts should be made to recruit more individuals to that effort. There are several ways that this might be accomplished: . Create a committee of business people who are supporters of cultural activities to encourage businesses to increase their levels of financial support or to develop programs which offer incentives for employee involvement in cultural organizations, either as contributors, attenders, volunteers, or board members. Develop a program to match corporate volunteers to cultural organizations that need assistance. For example, an organization that needed help in developing a budgeting system might be paired with an accountant interested in volunteering for a nonprofit organlzatlOn. Create a Junior Leadership Group of individuals under the age of 40 who would attend events together, have special receptions and each agree to volunteer for a particular organization no less than three hours a month. . . Programs such as these accomplish two distinct goals. First, of course, there are benefits to the specific cultural organizations in the form of addi- tional contributed revenues or volunteer hours that they are able to acquire. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 48 But, perhaps more important, for each business person or community mem- ber who becomes involved with a cultural organization, there is the pos- sibility of adding another voice in support of cultural activities in general. As the individual's involvement in an organization grows, he or she can evolve into a more active leadership role and ultimately get involved on a community-wide basis. These activities will require coordination and the consultants suggest that the same arrangements be employed as were suggested for the awareness cam- paign described in the recommendation above. Arts in education Throughout this Part of the Report, the consultants have emphasized the im- portance of broadening interest in cultural activities. One important way to do so is to reach young people. Thus this section is primarily devoted to school-oriented cultural programming. Recommendation III.9: The Arts and Humanities Commission should continue to work with USD 305 to develop specialized curricula that include the arts and humanities. In addition, cultural organizations should consider creating a comprehensive program of arts offerings in conjunction with that revised curriculum. During the past year, the Arts and Humanities Commission has been engaged in an innovative joint program with USD 305. The purpose of the project is "to help teachers strengthen their development and utilization of the arts in regular classrooms...[through] a year-long project to infuse the arts into fifth-grade social studies curriculum." The consultants applaud this initiative, since it is supported by much recent research. - In particular, the College Board, the Council on Basic Education, and other educational groups have pointed out that the arts and humanities make dis- tinctive contributions to what students know and can do. Good school programs can offer: Page 49 The Wolf Organization, Inc. . The study of cultures - they pass on the richness of the human record and have the power to portray the contributions and unique visions of many times and peoples Encounters with the deeply human matters of perspective, values, and empathy Experience in the many phases involved in crafting a worthwhile piece of work Powerful conversations between key processes in learning such as production (making one's own work); perception (encountering and entering the works of others); and reflection (stepping back to think about the values and the qualities of the work at hand). . . . There is no substitute for strong school-based programs, such as the one presently under way, to achieve these lofty goals. However, arts and humanities organizations based in the community can augment these programs with offerings of their own. It is recommended that Salina's cul- tural organizations continue their initial efforts to develop supplementary arts and humanities programs for schools which: . have a clear link to the curriculum are designed with the assistance of teachers and other educators consist of developmentally appropriate activities which contribute to a sequential program of offerings are designed to develop critical thinking skills in young people. . . . Such a program of offerings will require a great deal of planning, coordina- tion, and resources which no single producing or exhibiting organization can provide. It is recommended that the Arts and Humanities Commission playa convening and coordinating role. Recommendation III.I0: Links should be established with regional school districts through the Central Kansas Educational Services Center and school district personnel. If local organizations are going to go to the expense and effort to develop programming for schools, these resources should be made available A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 50 throughout the region. Salina is in many respects a regional hub for cul- tural resources and students in many outlying schools will only have the op- portunity of enjoying in-school arts experiences by cultural organizations (or field trips to arts facilities) if they make the link with Salina-based or- ganizations. A key strategy for regionalizing arts education opportunities is to involve regional representatives in a planning and coordinating body. The Arts and Humanities Commission should reach out and invite individuals from regional schools into Salina to work with cultural organizations and local school officials and to discuss curricular offerings and special programming. The resources of the Central Kansas Educational Service Center should be used to assist in this effort. This newly-formed organization, a cooperative of 13 regional school districts with USD 305 as the sponsoring district, was created in emulation of the Central Kansas Cooperative, which addresses issues relating to special education. Commission staff has already met with the Service Center's director and mechanisms to use artists on a regional basis are currently being explored. Recommendation III.ll: Cultural organizations should develop ancillary educational program- ming to enhance the audiences' appreciation. As is clear from the Wolf Organization survey, there is a demand and an in- terest in programs for children and families. If cultural organizations are to grow and flourish in the 1990's, this is one area where expansion is logical and should produce positive results in terms of audience, earned revenue, visibility, and community service. Evidence nationally indicates that those people who have never attended cultural programs are most likely to do so in the company of their children. Thus, the proposed program de!elop- ment can be seen not only as a way to encourage young people but as a way to expand adult attendance at cultural events as well. The need is enhanced particularly since the recent loss of Marymount College's programs which brought almost 8,000 students to the theatre each year. That gap needs to be filled and Kansas Wesleyan's theatre program has begun to address that issue. There is also interest in special performan- ces and exhibitions, lecture/demonstrations, docent-led or self guiding tours Page 51 TIle Wolf Organization, Inc. of exhibitions, and a variety of other offerings for young people and their families. It is important to note that the development of programming for young people is a specialty requiring expertise and experience. It is strongly ad- vised that funds be set aside to continue to bring in nationally recognized resource people to assist organizations develop such programs. At the same time, the consultants point out that ancillary educational programming should be designed for adults as well as children. The notion of lift-long learning, particularly in the arts and humanities, is of great im- portance, and activities to continue and enhance the opportunities for adults to gain greater insight into the various cultural disciplines should be fostered. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 52 P art IV Arts and Humanities Organizations In this section of the Report, the consultants address general issues relating to the continued development of arts and humanities organizations. In doing so, it is important to recognize that there has been significant groWth in cultural organizations over the past three to five years. Three impor- tant milestones must be mentioned: . The opening of the Smoky Hill Museum in the old Post Office building . The move of the Art Center to its present location . The current expansion of the Community Theater. More than many other accomplishments, these three facilities-oriented achieve- ments, the consultants feel, point to the groWth and maturation of cultural activities in Salina. Many organizations are ready to participate in this groWth and to move to new levels of stability and professional management. For some organiza- tions, this may mean establishing a permanent office with paid staff; for others, it may mean sharpening the skills of existing staff people to develop more sophisticated programs or administrative procedures; for yet others, it may mean developing endowment or cash reserve funds. It is clear to the consultants, however, that whether or not cultural organizations are eager for this groWth, it is inevitable. Given the demands on public and private resources in Salina, organizations must change their view of earning income and of identifying contributed income. This alone will push many organiza- Page 53 17le Wolf Organization, Inc. tions toward change they might otherwise not embrace. The recommenda- tions that follow are designed to offer guidance that will assist cultural or- ganizations in taking the next steps toward institutionalization. Recommendation IV.l: Programs should be established to provide opportunities in Salina for increased activities involving outside professional artists. Such ac- tivities should include community residencies. The consultants believe that an important ingredient for the continued groWth in cultural activities is on-going communication between artists in Salina (both professional and avocational) and nationally and regionally recognized professional artists. Because Salina is relatively far removed from the communities with traditionally large concentrations of artists, it is impor- tant to develop opportunities for outside professional artists to work in Salina. This is important for several reasons: . Artists coming into Salina will provide Salina-based professional artists with the additional stimulation and challenge of on-going contact with their regional and national peers. To the extent that is available while living in Salina, it is more likely that a community of artists will thrive there. In much the same way, Salina's avocational artists need to have their standards of artistic excellence challenged in order to raise their own artistic aspirations. . Clearly, an important side benefit of such activities will be to improve the community's awareness and expectation of quality within community perfor- mances by using professionals as models. Artists need not be from very far away - some might come from Manhattan, Wichita, or Kansas City - but they would bring fresh perspectives and insights to local artists and- the broader community. In previous years, the Arts and Humanities Commission has offered an "artists' residency" program in conjunction with USD 30S. It was discon- tinued after the 1988-89 school year in order to focus on a joint arts cur- riculum development project. While the consultants support that decision, they continue to see the value of a residency program which brings profes- A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 54 sional artists to Salina and recommend its reestablishment, particularly if ac- cess to better artist resources becomes available. Apart from reinstituting that program, it is also important to provide more opportunities for Salina residents to take advantage of those occasions when artists are in the community. Ways to accomplish this include: . Developing more effective communication among arts and humanities organizations to assure that when outside artists or scholars are scheduled to be in Salina, other groups have an opportunity to take advantage of that individual's presence Devising methods of using visiting artists, scholars, administrators, educators, and others as resource people for arts and humanities organizations during their trips to Salina. One way to do this is to circulate an informal quarterly listing of consultants and others coming to Salina among staff of arts and cultural organizations Creating liaisons with groups in other communities in the region and throughout the state to arrange "block booking" of nationally and regionally renown artists who are appearing locally Making sure that more events are planned through which community members can meet artists and that the monthly calendar (d., recommendations III.l and III.2) includes information about those events. . . . Recommendation IV.2: Professional training should be provided for the staff of arts and humanities organizations. As the tasks facing the cultural organizations in Salina become increasingly complex, the skills needed by administrators become more complex_as well. While many administrators have learned their jobs well by working with an organization over the course of many years, much time can be saved by providing them with training opportunities in specific areas. Among the most important areas for training is the following: . fiend raising (including such topics as membership, annual giving, corporate sponsorships, proposal writing, public sector and foundation fund raising) Page 55 The Wolf Organization, Inc. . marketing (including such topics as designing a simple audience survey, structuring ticket prices, defining program audiences) . computers (including such topics as assessing the need for computers, choosing hardware and software, using computers effectively, understanding databases) . financial management (including such topics as preparing financial reports, setting up basic accounting systems, establishing appropriate financial control systems) . board/staff relationships (including such topics as working with volunteers, the roles and responsibilities of trustees, writing job descriptions) . long-range planning (including such topics as developing a mission statement, understanding the importance of planning, designing a simple action plan format) . ettltttral diversity (including such topics as the history of African-American cultural forms, racism awareness, programming for a diverse community) A program of workshops for administrators of cultural organizations in the region could easily be designed to address these and other areas. Organiza- tions like the Arts and Humanities Commission, the Association of Com- munity Arts Agencies of Kansas, the Kansas Arts Commission, and the Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) might be involved in the identification of workshop leaders and other aspects of planning this program. Alterna- tively, since many of these issues are of interest to nonprofit administrators generally, it may be possible to work jointly with non-cultural nonprofits in the fields of education, health, social service, etc., to design a series that would have a broad appeal. If the demand was strong enough, it might be possible to devise a "block booking" arrangement for workshop leaders, thus minimizing the costs. In addition to workshops, many national service organizations offer: profes- sional training opportunities, either at annual national conferences or at other occasions. The following organizations might be contacted for addi- tional information: . National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies Association of Performing Arts Presenters American Symphony Orchestra League . . A Cultural Pla11 for Sali11a Page 56 . American Association of Museums Mid-America Arts Alliance in connection with the Midwest Booking Conference . While conferences sponsored by organizations such as these are often very valuable, they are also costly. Membership in the organization, conference registration fees, and travel and living expenses can amount to $500 to $1,000 or more. The Arts and Humanities Commission should continue to allow individuals to apply for grants through the "Horizons" program to support attendance at national conferences or other training opportunities. In specific cases, funding may be available from other sources. For ex- ample, M-AAA offers assistance to presenting groups, including both the visual and performing arts, to attend training sessions at national conferences. Many of the national service organizations, including the Association of Per- forming Arts Presenters, also provide scholarship assistance for individuals to attend training events they offer. Finally, the consultants believe that training opportunities to provide assis- tance to cultural groups in developing five-year plans should be considered. More than any other tool, a long-range plan, developed with the active in- volvement of volunteers, staff, and board members, can provide a strong boost in an organization's efforts to become a more stable, effective, and professional operation. While some organizations in Salina have five-year plans (the Art Center was mentioned as one that did), others do not. The Arts and Humanities Commission should consider developing a program to provide consultant assistance to organizations willing to undertake or con- tinue a comprehensive pbnning process. M-AAA's Consultant Bank, which provides small grants to visual and performing arts presenting organizations, might be of assistance in this area as well. . Recommendation IV.3 A program of training and recognition of volunteer workers at-cul- tural organizations should be developed. Volunteers are the backbone of cultural organizations in Salina. They have served many organizations not only in the role of trustees but also as un- paid staff members. While the number of paid professional staff members may increase, the need for volunteers will always be present. But, if volun- Page 57 TIle Wolf Organization, Inc. teers are not treated properly - both trained for the tasks that they are ex- pected to accomplish and recognized for their efforts - it will become dif- ficult to keep them active. Therefore, it is very important to make sure volunteers' needs are being met. There are a variety of ways in which this can be accomplished. . Devise systems to make sure that volunteers are properly recognized by cultural organizations for their very important contributions. Organizations should consider establishing an annual award, given at some important event or performance to the volunteer. who has provided the most significant assistance either during that year or over a lifetime of service. In addition, the Arts and Humanities Commission might coordinate a program to identify the "Cultural Volunteer of the Year" in Salina, perhaps in conjunction with the annual award to a business person who is a cultural supporter (d., recommendation ill.6). Make sure that volunteers are used effectively within organizations. One way to accomplish this is to make sure that the tasks that are given to volunteers are clearly understood and are manageable. In addition, an agency like the Volunteer Center or the Arts and Humanities Commission should consider the establishment of a "talent and interest bank" that provides a computerized inventory of volunteers and areas of expertise that are needed by various cultural organizations in Salina and the region. In this way, individuals with a particular interest or skill can more readily be paired with an organization looking for that expertise. Develop systems to recruit and train volunteers. Someone should be identified within each organization who would promote volunteer opportunities at local and regional civic groups and other clubs, the media, corporations and others. Developing benefits for volunteers, including such things as free or low-cost tickets, can be very helpful. Training programs should be designed, to clarify all the details of the particular tasks that are required of the volunteer, and written job descriptions should be considered as well. - Create mechanisms for organizations to share their expertise about volunteers. Several organizations have very effective programs for working with volunteers. It would be quite worthwhile, for example, for the Smoky Hill Museum to offer a training program for other organizations on how best to work with volunteers, an area of great strength for them. . . . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 58 Some of the larger organizations in Salina have already identified a current volunteer or a staff person as "volunteer coordinator." The consultants ap- plaud this and suggest other organizations consider doing likewise. Such a person is responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive policies relating to volunteer procedures, responsibilities, supervision, placement, restrictions, recognition, and other important matters. Recommendation IV.4: Training should be provided for members of governing bodies of arts and humanities organizations. When cultural organizations in Salina were simpler to run, it was possible to be relatively unconcerned about issues relating to governance and over- sight. However, as these organizations have grown, it has become increasing- ly important that those charged with the responsibility for their operations understand all the aspects of their job. Members of boards of trustees have a wide range of responsibilities. They generally include: . Determining the organization's mission and setting policies for its operation ensuring that the provisions of the organization's charter and the law are being followed Setting the organization's overall program from year to year and engaging in longer range planning to establish its general course for the future Establishing fiscal policy and boundaries, with budgets and financial controls Providing adequate resources for the activities of the organization through direct financial contributions and a commitment to fund raIsIng Selecting, evaluating, and, if necessary, terminating the appointment of the chief executive Developing and maintaining a communication link to the community, promoting the work of the organization. . . . . . The consultants recognize that many of Salina's cultural organizations are run completely by volunteers with no paid staff. However, they believe that as these organizations continue to respond to current conditions, more Page 59 The Wolf Organization, Inc. and more will employ paid staff, and the role of the volunteer board will in- evitably shift from dealing with the more familiar "nuts and bolts" issues, such as setting up special events, sending out mailings, and the like to ac- tivities such as long-range planning, policy setting, and fund raising. In the long run, this will be a positive development for cultural organiza- tions. However, the transition may be difficult, since many of the present members of boards of trustees are not familiar or comfortable with the new range of activities in which they will be involved. Therefore, the Arts and Humanities Commission, perhaps in conjunction with the Volunteer Center or ACAAK, should develop a workshop series for trustees, in order to assist them. In addition, cultural organizations should be encouraged to develop trustee "job descriptions" that outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of trustees in their organization. Recommendation IV.S: The Arts Task Force structure developed for the cultural planning process should be made formal. The Arts Task Force was set up as part of the structure for pre-planning for the community cultural plan. It is made up of arts administrators and professional artists, and represents an important body of skill and ex- perience. While much of the benefit of access to this expertise would be available with or without a formal organization, the consultants believe that creating a formal structure for this group would be of assistance in at least four areas: . Marketing and awareness campaigns: The campaign to heighten the community's awareness of cultural activities (d. recommendation ill.6) will require a group of individuals who are familiar with the cultural landscape in Salina to serve in an advisory capacity: The group that grows out of the Arts Task Force could assist in making decisions about such issues as whether to target one geographic area over another for a particular appeal, or whether supporters of cultural activities should address particular civic groups and clubs. Training and technical assistance: Since this group would be made up of administrators and artists, it would be well equipped to identify important topics for any workshop program that is designed. While it would be beyond the scope of this group's . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 60 . responsibility to actually handle the logistics of offering workshops, it could easily work with ACAAK, the Arts and Humanities Commission, the Kansas Arts Commission, and others in an advisory role to assist in developing programming to address the needs of the administrators, artists, volunteers, and others within the organizations. Networking: The consultants have found in communities across the nation that administrators learn almost as much from each other as from most training opportunities. Thus, it is important to create opportunities for networking. Quarterly meetings on specific topics, perhaps using outside speakers, is an important mechanism to bring together administrators and artists for networking. Cooperation and coordination: Finally, this group can serve as a forum to foster cooperation among arts and humanities organizations. No specific programs may result. However, knowing that a structured mechanism exists for open communication among administrators can go a long way to developing the necessary background of trust for collaboration and cooperatlOn. . While making formal its existence is important, frequent meetings and com- plicated structures should be avoided. Quarterly sessions, perhaps over din- ner, would be more in keeping with the collegial atmosphere that will be most effective for such a group. It must be emphasized that there is little reason to limit the membership of this group. Membership should be open to all arts and humanities organization staff, including representatives of regional organizations and projèssional artists. Furthermore, membership should be open to other cultural programming organizations in Salina and the region, including such organizations as the Parks & Recreation Depart- ment and the YWCA. Recommendation IV.6: Consideration should be given to developing opportunities for shared resources for arts and humanities organizations. As many of the smaller cultural organizations in Salina become larger and more stable, their needs for additional resources will increase. Among the resources that will be of greatest importance for such organizations are: Page 61 . TIle Wolf Organization, Illc. . Office space outside of a volunteer's home Complex office equipment (for example, computers, photocopiers, or fax machines) Support staff to handle routine office requirements (for example, telephone answering, photocopying, typing, filing, or bookkeeping) . . While it would likely prove too costly for a small organization to have ac- cess to all these resources on its own, there may be ways to establish programs to share such resources among several organizations. This might be done through ad hoc agreements among or between organizations to ad- dress shared space, staff, or equipment. One interesting possibility is for a consortium of arts and humanities organizations to work with Salina Downtown to develop low cost or no cost office space in the downtown area. Such an arrangement could benefit both parties - providing office space for organizations and developing active uses for vacant downtown storefronts. In addition, depending on the final configuration of space at the Fox Theatre, office areas might be available for cultural organizations within that facility as well. If shared or adjacent office space is acquired by cultural organizations, it will be very important to make sure that all parties to the arrangement un- derstand the agreement and are willing to work within the limitations and compromises it may represent. Several points should be kept in mind: . Each organization is likely to have a particular time when its schedule is unusually hectic. Work arrangements and use schedules must be developed to make sure that no bottlenecks develop in terms of using the office space for meetings, collating programs or reports, or other matters. If support staff is being shared among several organizations, not only will it be important to schedule the individual's work time carefully, but it will be critical to make sure that the employee understands what the priorities are for specific tasks. A carefully written and jointly reviewed job description is imperative. Much of the equipment that might be shared is complex and requires careful maintenance. Organizations should consider getting service contracts to cover the maintenance costs of these machines. . . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 62 Recommendation IV.?: Opportunities for joint programming, particularly those using both public and private resources, should be continued and expanded. Salina is a community that has historically called upon a mixture of public and private resources to further cultural activities. At a time when public funding is likely to be stretched considerably (see the following section on public and private funding), it is increasingly important to design programs in ways that allow for the most efficient use of existing resources. One approach that has been successful in the past has been joint program- ming between several organizations. For example, Salina's Parks and Recrea- tion Department, which has won awards for its programs for special populations, has worked with the Art Center to jointly develop a summer art program for children, and there have also been joint programs between the Parks and Recreation Department and the Nature Center. Such links be- tween private cultural organizations and City agencies enhances the effective- ness of programs by bringing the specific resources of each party to the project in a cost-effective manner. In addition, events like Santa Fe Days, where cultural organizations work with downtown businesses, can accomplish the same thing. One organization that might be open to this sort of collaboration is the Library. Among the opportunities that might be considered are: . A series of lectures co-sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Friends of the Smoky Hill Museum . J oint exhibitions using artifacts from the collections of the Smoky Hill Museum and the Library's Kansas Room. As these sorts of programming efforts become even more common; it will be increasingly important to make sure that there is effective coordination between and among various organizations in Salina. For example, as the Community Theatre develops summer programs for children, consideration should be given to coordination with programs offered in that area by the Parks and Recreation Department. Page 63 TI,e Wolf Organization, Inc. Recommendation IV.8: The Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts should be encouraged to locate its headquarters in Salina. The Lovewell Institute was created several years ago to offer workshops and training sessions to provide children and adults with techniques to enhance their creativity, particularly in the area of musical theater. The program has been offered in several communities across the nation, and last summer a very successful three-week program was offered in Salina. The director of the Institute, a native of the Salina region, has expressed in- terest in establishing the headquarters of the Institute in Salina. He expects that programs would continue to be offered nationally, but he believes that administrative offices could logically be placed in this community. There are several reasons why the consultants believe that Salina should be supportive of this operation: . First, it represents an opportunity to provide young people in Salina with an important and enjoyable cultural experience, as well as an extraordinary opportunity to work with youngsters from across the state and nation Second, since the Institute will offer activities nationally as well as in Salina, it is likely that the interplay between the national and local component of the Institute will enhance the cultural life of Salina By housing the national headquarters of an important performing arts education institution, Salina will gain recognition nationally and regionally for its active cultural life Finally, there is likely to be little cost to the community. Since Lovewell is developing a national presence, it will have accešs to funding sources outside of Salina and Kansas. Therefore, it is not likely to make heavy demands on the local funding community. . . . The consultants believe that the necessary support for the inception of Lovewell Institute in Salina will be minimal; however, frequent communica- tion about plans and developments would undoubtedly be wise. This is al- ready being done - the director of the Arts and Humanities Commission A Cllitural Plan for Salina Page 64 sits on the board of trustees of the Lovewell Institute. In addition, Lovewell has worked jointly with the Community Theatre and USD 305. If this level of interaction continues, the consultants foresee excellent prospects for future developments. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 65 Part V Public and Private Support In this Part of the Report, the consultants assess the present condition of public and private support for cultural activities in Salina. Public sources Government in Salina and Saline County has been supportive of cultural ac- tivities to an extent uncommon in communities of its size. For example: . The Community Theater building is owned by City, which covers about $15,000 a year of Theatre maintenance costs . The Art Center has a City contract that covers maintenance of about $30,000 annually . Both the City and the County support the Smoky Hill Museum in a complex interlocal agreement, jointly expending about $185,000 a year . The budget of the Arts and Humanities Commission, in the net amount of $120,000, is derived from City funds. This is quite high on a per capita basis compared to other agencies in comparably-sized communities around the country. According to those interviewed, the level of City support is not likely to in- crease substantially over the next several years. Many City officials talk in terms of "the wall" - the point at which expenses will catch up with revenues and additional increases in funding, even for basic services, will be impossible. To address this problem there will be an issue on the ballot in April, 1992 to continue the half cent sales tax, with implementation on July Page 66 TIle Wolf Organization, I/lc. 1, when a county levy is eliminated. If it is passed, the revenue impact will probably begin to be felt in January, 1993. Unless or until that increase is approved, it will be critical for the City to budget very conservatively and these individuals stress increased support for cultural activities is unlikely. Much the same issue exists for the county. According to interviewees, the County has more mandates (federal regulations, environmental issues, etc.) and less dollars to address them than ever before. The County Commis- sioners are finding it difficult to fund current operations given the lid on taxes. And, while the County's major responsibilities - the Sheriff's Department, Roads and Bridges, Health Department - have funding avail- able, that funding is encumbered for the delivery of services. The key question for city officials and others is, "Do cultural activities reach enough of the community to warrant additional public support?" If cultural of- ferings continue to reach only the same audience, they will, according to in- terviewees, present additional stumbling blocks to increased funding. Even under the best of scenarios, increased funding will be difficult to ob- tain from City and County sources over the next several years. In fact, depending on the future health of the local economy, it is not out of the question that some cuts to existing funding might occur. In this context, the identification of new audiences (discussed in Part ill of this Report) can be seen as an important strategy to enhance public funding. With the suc- cess of such activities, and with quantitative data to document success, the cul- tural community can make a strong case to City and County government about the importance of enhanced funding to cultural organizations which serve the entire community. Private sources Private support for the arts, both corporate and individual, is somewhat har- der to assess. According to interviewees, Salina ranks in the top 10 percent for cities of its size for per capita giving to the United Way. The;e has been a small increase in corporate gifts (about 4 percent between 1988 and 1989), but the major groWth (about 11 percent in the same period) comes from employees of the corporations. The United Way in Salina is con- sidered very effective and business oriented. In general, there are few major gifts from individuals although there are about a dozen families that have been strong supporters of the community, A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 67 including the arts. Concern has been expressed to the consultants about the level of support that mayor may not be forthcoming from the next genera- tion of these families and whether the commitment to support the com- munity will continue as the next generation gains control of family assets. While the community has shown strong support for the United Way and other community fund-raising efforts, the consultants believe that there is not a deep-seated financial commitment to the arts and culture among the broad range of citizens in Salina. As one community supporter com- mented, "The arts are nice if we can afford them, but other things come first. " The consultants suspect that this comment may reveal a lack of under- standing of the funding requirements of cultural institutions, rather than an unwillingness to support them. Simply put, many people may not be well informed about the needs of cultural organizations for additional funds. For example, as one interviewee said, "1 bought a season ticket to the Theatre. That was my contribution - why should I give them any more?" It is safe to say that many residents of Salina are supportive - and indeed quite proud - of their cultural institutions. Therefore, in many cases com- munity education may be what is necessary to get people to appreciate the real needs of a vibrant and maturing cultural community (d, recommenda- tion ill.6). Additional educational efforts must also address current cultural supporters who must understand the importance of supporting, to the ex- tent of their ability, all cultural institutions rather than just one or two favorites. Summary The consultants believe that private sector philanthropy in Salina is strong and the success of the United Way appeal is notable. However, the level of support for cultural activities could be increased and a program of com- munity education and increased professionalism among cultural organiza- tions will assist in accomplishing that. Public support, which the - consultants believe will not substantially increase in the near term, is more likely to grow if the cultural community can show that it will leverage in- creased private funding. The following recommendations provide details on how this can be accomplished. Page 68 The Wolf Organization, Inc. Addressing the issues Recommendation V.l: Cultural organizations in Salina should explore ways to increase their earned income. There are a variety of ways in which earned income might be increased. Among the most significant are the following: . Increased ancillary sales. Some organizations may be able to generate income through enhanced gift shops, or by developing gift products, such as calendars, greeting cards, or recipe books featuring objects from their collection. Marketing these items requires specialized skills and organizations should consider working with marketing agents to obtain the necessary expertise. Increased programming. With careful research to determine whether the market will sustain it, some organizations may be able to offer more performances, perhaps in various locations in the region. For example, the recent foreign film series was sold out even before individual tickets were sold. Consideration to additional performances or a larger facility might be warranted in that case. Increased ticket prices. Many organizations charge little (or, in some cases, nothing) for their events. The consultants believe that ticket prices in Salina are generally low compared with other communities with which they are familiar. However, it is true that there will be resistance to the idea of higher prices, and indeed, the telephone survey indicated that ticket prices were a barrier to attendance. Therefore ticket prices should be raised carefully and programs should be designed to provide discounted tickets as part of outreach programs. - Increased facility rentals. Opportunities may exist to rent cultural facilities for special occasions. For example, it might be possible to rent theater facilities to corporations wishing to host large meetings or galleries might be rented to individuals for social gatherings. Rental schedules for these uses should include all costs of operation during the event, as well as a contribution to the organization. . . . A Cultural Plan for Salilla Page 69 (Facility rental to other nonprofit organizations is also possible and is currently done, and lower rates should be developed for that usage.) Finally, the consultants support cultural organizations working with entities such as USD 30S or the Parks and Recreation Department to develop programming (d. recommendation IV.6). However, they are concerned that cultural groups do not budget their costs realistically. As a result, when the programs are conducted, the cultural group may end up losing money on the services that were provided. Although the consultants recognize the desire on the part of cultural organizations to provide programming in such situations, every effort must be made to assure that the costs organizations incur in the course of implementing the programming are accounted for in the budget, including such things as administrative costs and overhead. Recommendation V.2: Fund raising efforts in Salina generally should focus on ways to en- hance individual and small business giving, including corporate spon- sorships. While it is obviously necessary to explore all available avenues for funding, the consultants believe that given the present mix of funding sources and the state of the economy, individuals and small businesses represent one of the more likely areas for cultural organizations to focus their fund-raising ef- forts. As has been discussed in earlier sections of this Report, it is neces- sary to reach out into the community for a greater degree of support for a variety of reasons - and one of them is clearly that it represents an area for fund raising that has not been fully tapped yet. In addition, the consultants believe that the trustees of cultural organizations must be in the forefront of support for their organizations. All cultural or- ganizations should receive donations from all trustees (regardless of the size of contribution) and programs of increasing the size of those donations (per- haps by increasing the total amount of board-donated funds each year by 10%) should be considered. It is important to acknowledge that increasing the level of support from in- dividuals will not be an easy task. For one thing, it will be necessary to educate people to the importance of making an annual gift to an organiza- Page 70 The Wolf Organization, Inc. tion, even after having purchased tickets to its events. Given this situation, it may be wise to design annual giving programs with promotions and marketing tie-ins, so that potential donors feel that they are "getting some- thing" for their gift. What is most important is that the number of small, on-going, annual, and unrestricted gifts to cultural organizations increase. Therefore organization's strategies might be to request small amounts ($2S and up) from a large num- ber of new donors, while working to get existing donors to upgrade to slightly higher dollar amounts. There are two distinct reasons why this strategy is important: . First, it represents a potential new source of revenue for cultural orgamzatlOns Second, to the extent that cultural organizations can domment increased support from residents of Salina, it will strengthen the case for increased public support as well. . This is not to suggest that these activities should supplant efforts to get sup- port at higher levels, as is done through the Horizons 50 program, for ex- ample. Such efforts are important and must continue. However, it is worth noting that other forms of corporate sponsorship might be even more effective at this time. Organizations should consider developing giving opportunities that appeal to business people and the marketing problems they face. For example, one business person said, "I don't want to be one of ten or twelve donors listed for supporting an event, I want my firm to get the sole recognition of sponsoring an event." Thus, attention should be paid to high visibility sponsorship opportunities. Events like the River Festival and "Santa Fe Days" appeal to businesses for their sponsorship opportunities and other programming might be packaged in an appealing way as well. It has also been suggested that doctors and other medical professionals in Salina are supportive of cultural activities and might be targeted for business fund-raising appeals. Finally, the consultants note that many business donors are not knowledge- able about the organizations they fund. For example, some corporate funders do not look at organizational budgets or even know how many paid staff the organization has. As cultural organizations' requests become more sophisticated, it is likely that they will be subjected to more thorough A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 71 reviews from funders. A dialogue between funders and cultural organiza- tions might be useful to provide a clearer understanding of each side's con- cerns. Recommendation V.3: Focussed training in fund raising should be provided to arts and humanities organizations in order to improve their effectiveness in upgrading existing donors and locating new ones. The consultants have found that the level of expertise in fund raising is dis- tinctly low among many cultural organizations in Salina. Many organiza- tions conduct no corporate fund raising and those that do have reported mixed results. In addition, there is little knowledge or experience with an- nual appeals. Clearly, the first order of business must be to provide the necessary background and training to deal with these issues. Among the types of training that are likely to be the most effective are the following: . Workshops devoted to specific issues in fund raising, such as developing an annual appeal, writing grant applications, conducting a telethon, running a fund-raising event (d. recommendation IV.2 for a discussion of a workshop series). These workshops might use fund-raising specialists from local hospitals, universities, or other large nonprofit organizations that are likely to have staff with the . . approprIate expertIse. "Mini-consultancies" using specialist consultants to work with individual cultural organizations for a half day to provide guidance on a specific fund-raising issue or problem. One consultant might be hired for several days of his or her time, which could be devoted to work with many organizations. Such brief opportunities have proven very effective in addressing specific problem ;u-eas. Longer-term consultancies designed to assist the more well-established organizations in developing fund-raising plans. These might be designed to incorporate a two-day initial consultancy with follow-up work over a period of months conducted through a review of written materials, thus minimizing the amount of consultant travel required. . . Page 72 The Wolf Organization, Inc. The costs of these programs should be underwritten by a local funder so that workshops can be offered at little or no charge to the organizations. Packaging this program as technical assistance for cultural organizations might make it attractive to a corporate funder. The costs of longer-term consultancies, however, should be split 2:1 between the funder and the or- ganization. Recommendation VA: In future years, cultural organizations should develop specialized fund-raising programs. While it is important that organizations begin fund-raising activities with an annual appeal for unrestricted support, there are other types of fund raising that will be increasingly important for organizations to consider in the fu- ture. Two in particular are of importance to organizations in Salina. Restricted Gifts, Endowment and Capital Reserve Larger gifts are more likely to be given to organizations for specific, restricted purposes, such as capital additions, special projects or endow- ments. The consultants believe that the established cultural organizations in Salina should consider developing strategies for securing larger gifts. In the case of endowment fund-raising, named gift opportunities for recurring spe- cial programs, awards, or events should be packaged and offered to prospects. Generally a large endowment gift is invested by the organization and some portion of the annual interest is expended while the principal is al- lowed to continue to grow. Such funds are restricted by the donor or by the board of trustees to be used for specific purposes, such as building main- tenance, scholarships, programmatic activities, or prizes. Unrestricted re- serves are also useful and can be designated simply as a contingency fund, to be used only if the need arises. But such funds are more difficult to raise. In order for organizations to conduct an effective campaign for endowment or reserve funds, much work must be done before a request is made. Poten- tial donors - individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agen- cies - need to be identified, researched, and rated (a rating indicates the potential dollar range for a gift). The consultants suggest that great care be employed in developing a "case for support." This is a statement used by those soliciting funds and has three elements: A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 73 . An identification of the problem or need that the organization intends to address with the help of the contribution A demonstration of the organization's capability to address the need A match of the organization's proposed areas of use for the funds with the potential funder's areas of interest. . . In connection with endowment fund drives, the consultants note that there are frequently several major fund drives being conducted in Salina simul- taneously. It may be worthwhile for some agency, perhaps the Volunteer Center or the Arts and Humanities Commission, to develop a list of or- ganizations planning major campaigns to assist groups in avoiding overlap- ping efforts which might work to everyone's detriment. Deferred (or planned) giving programs Deferred giving involves arrangements whereby a donor makes a sizable commitment of funds to an organization, but defers the actual transfer of cash, securities, property, or other assets for a period of time. Generally, such gifts are made in part because of specific financial benefits that may ac- crue to the donor. There are a variety of deferred giving instruments which are designed to accomplish different goals. Among the most com- mon are: . Bequests, gifts made through an individual's will, provide the bulk of endowment funds to nonprofit organizations. Among the disadvantages of such devices are that they are not irrevocable and that the amount of the gift is ultimately dependent on the financial condition of the individual at the time of death. Gifts of life insurance, generally "whole life" policies, allow an individual to make payments on a policy and to designate the organization as beneficiary. Such an arrangement is not revocable and allows a young donor to create a substantial fund. (For example, a nonsmoking 40 year old man could create a $225,000 gift by purchasing a policy that required contributions of $4,000 a year for seven years.) Charitable remainder trusts allow a donor to make a substantial gift for a period of time - either a fixed number of years or the balance of a lifetime - by creating a trust with specified assets. The trust is managed by a trustee and the donor can choose among a variety of forms of pay-out of the interest earned on the asset . . Page 74 17ze Wolf Organization, Inc. during the period of the trust. When the specified time period of the trust is over, the asset goes to the organization. These sorts of instruments can be very beneficial both to the donor and to the institution. Many organizations will require assistance in setting up deferred giving programs. However, some, for example gifts of life insurance, are relatively straight-forward vehicles and most established organizations can begin with simple programs in those areas. Frequently one or two trustees are ap- pointed to conduct research on the feasibility for their organization. To make sure that cultural groups are aware of all the options in this area, the consultants suggest that deferred giving be among the fund-raising workshop topics offered as part of any training program (d. recommendation V.3). Recommendation V.S: Arts and humanities organizations should be encouraged to apply to state, regional, and national funding sources. There are important sources of funding on a state, regional, and national level for which cultural organizations should apply. These include such sources as: . The National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities The Institute for Museum Services . . Mid-America Arts Alliance . Kansas Arts Commission Kansas Committee for the Humanities . It is clear to the consultants that not all organizations in Salina are ready to apply for grants at a national or even state level. Nevertheless, more. are ready than are actually applying and consortium applications would make even more organizations eligible and attractive to funders. And for those or- ganizations not in a position to apply presently, awareness of the applica- tion procedures, the various categories in which grants are awarded, and the sorts of questions they would be expected to answer would be very helpful. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 75 Recommendation V.6: The Arts and Humanities Commission should apply for a National Endowment for the Arts Local Government Incentive grant to sig- nificantly increase support for facilities, regional concerns, and/or out- reach/ educational activities. The consultants believe that the Arts and Humanities Commission should apply to the National Endowment for the Arts for a Local Government In- centive grant. These grants require a 2:1 match of new city or county ap- propriations over a three-year period. The grants are usually awarded for $lS0,OOO. According to the program guidelines, applicants may request funds for such things as "...regranting; technical assistance and services; presentation of performances; audience development; making the arts a basic education K-12; development of capital resources and renovation of facilities..." The guidelines also indicate the importance of having under- gone a broad-based community cultural planning process. Salina is particularly well-positioned to apply for this grant, based on the de- gree of community involvement in the planning process and the types of recommendations that are reflected in this Report. There are many ap- proaches that an application might take and careful planning will be re- quired to determine which is the most appropriate. However, the consultants feel that the most promising is a focus on facilities, regional con- cerns, and/or outreach/educational activities. The National Endowment for the Arts grant could offer City of Salina and the County of Saline an opportunity to focus their interest and support of cultural activities in a way that would leverage a significant amount of federal dollars in support of programming which will have a significant im- pact on the community. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 76 P art VI Arts and Humanities Commission Issues In this Part of the Report, the consultants provide an evaluation of Salina's designated local arts agency, the Arts and Humanities Commission, and its staff, and make recommendations for improving its functioning. . The staff of the Commission is an excellent work force of experienced and dedicated individuals, working beyond the normal workday when necessary to complete tasks. They are as skilled, knowledgeable, and committed as the staff of any local arts agency with which these consultants have worked. . Because of the nature of the workload at the Commission, there are specific times during the year when the amount of work is unreasonably large. If this situation is not addressed, significant problems with staff "burnout" may result. . The Arts and Humanities Commissioners are a thoughtful and dedicated group of people. There appears, however, to be little clarity on the range of their roles and responsibilities, particularly as these have expanded over the years. . The Commission is viewed by some individuals in the community as a "clique" that is not representative of the community. . While most interviewees seemed generally satisfied with the work of the Commission, many were not aware of all of the activities in which it is involved. Page 77 The Wolf Organization, l/1e. In summary, the consultants feel that Salina has much to be proud of in the functioning of its local arts agency. Because of the growth in the community's involvement in cultural activities over the past five years, however, there are some aspects of the Commission's operations which might be improved. They are addressed in the following recommendations. Recommendation VI.l: The role of Arts and Humanities Commissioners should be clarified and explicitly documented in an updated job description. The Arts and Humanities Commission, whose members are appointed by the City Commission, is advisory to the Commission staff. Thus, it is not directly comparable to a board of trustees of a nonprofit organization, which has a legally mandated governance responsibility, and there are several board functions which the Commissioners do not perform, including the hiring or firing of the chief executive officer and the final oversight of financial operations. Nevertheless, the consultants believe that Commissioners must take an ac- tive leadership role in cultural matters in Salina. Even though there are some limitations on the powers of Commissioners, there remain many ways in which they can and should work to foster a greater awareness of cultural activities in Salina, and of the Commission in particular. They should also take a greater policy and planning role in the business of the Commission. For example, Commissioners should be involved in: . Policy and planning. Perhaps more than any other role, that of reviewing, evaluating, and assisting in setting policy and planning for the Commission is central. The task is more complex, however, since the Commissioners are also responsible for considering matters which relate to the cultural life of the entire community. An active role in the review and implementation of this cultural plan, -for example, is an instance of the type of involvement Commissioners should expect to have. (The consultants discuss this issue in more detail in the following recommendation.) Develop and maintain communication link to the community. It is important for Commissioners to serve as an active connection between the activities of the Commission and the general p'ublic. The consultants found that although many people knew about the . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 78 . Commission, many were unable to name more than a few of the activities in which it is involved. Commissioners must make sure that whenever possible they talk about the activities and plans of the Commission. There are several ways in which this can be done: - setting up a "speaker's bureau" of Commissioners who are willing to speak about cultural activities to community groups in Salina and the region - making sure that Commissioners take a more active role in writing letters to editors of publications on cultur¡Ù issues when they arise - serving on various boards or other groups to act as a liaison between those groups and the Commission. Fund raising and financial review. With the creation of the Arts and Humanities Foundation, which incorporates the Commissioners as trustees, there comes a responsibility for fund raising as well as an involvement in the review of financial matters. This responsibility may involve Commissioners in such tasks as: - doing research on potential donors - reviewing proposals or grant applications - soliciting contributions - reviewing budgets Feedback on the performance of the chief executive officer. The City Manager has the authority to hire, evaluate, and fire the director of the Arts and Humanities Commission. However, it would be helpful to create a partnership between the Commissioners and the director by creating an opportunity for a dialogue on the director's performance to provide that individual with an assessment of his or her performance as well as suggestions for improvements. Such an process might have the following steps: - each Commissioner would be given a sheet with a series of questions about areas of the director's work responsibilities to fill out - the comments from these sheets would be collated by the Executive committee of the Commission - this group would meet with the director to review the. comments and listen to the director's responses, if any - the committee would report any of the director's relevant comments b:J.ck to the full Commission. . Page 79 17le Wolf Organization, Illc. In these and other ways, Commissioners must assume a more active role, even if they view their task as advisory. They must take seriously their responsibility to initiate discussions with the Director when they feel it necessary. They must actively solicit community members' opinions on im- portant issues that the Commission is considering. They must search out and recruit individuals to serve on task forces and committees. Without the active and visible involvement of this group of committed supporters of arts and humanities activities, it will be very difficult to build a broader base of support for such activities in the community. In the coming months, Commissioners should be charged with reviewing their roles and responsibilities and developing an updated job description based on this changing view of their roles. Recommendation V1.2: The Commission should review and if necessary revise its committee structure. At the present time, the Commission has committees which review matters in certain specific programmatic areas. They include, in addition to an Ex- ecutive committee, the "Horizons," Museum, and Festival committees (the Festival committee is quite elaborate and involves many more individuals be- sides Commissioners). According to those interviewed, these committees function quite effectively. However the consultants believe that it will be important for the Commission to develop several other committees to allow it to conduct its business in the most efficient way possible. Perhaps the most important addition to the Commission's committee struc- ture should be a Policy and Planning committee. This group would evolve out of the community cultural planning process, incorporating some of the members of the Steering Committee as well as Commissioners and others. Its primary initial responsibility will be to review the final-report submitted by the consultants, to oversee the process by which additional re- search is conducted and decisions reached about the actual shape of the final cultural plan, and to work on the implementation of the plan. It will also have an on-going role of addressing policy and planning issues re~ating to the cultural life of Salina beyond the confines of this cultural plan. More details on this body will be provided in the discussion following recommen- dation VIT.2 below. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 80 Among the other committees that Commissioners should consider making formal are the following: . A Nominating committee should be responsible for identifying qualified individuals who would be interested in serving on the Commission and assuring that they fill out and file the required interest form. While the City Commission will of course make the final decision about whom to appoint, the consultants believe that being presented with a list that includes many qualified and interested individuals will assure a high quality of appointments. This committee should be made up of three Commission members, and should also be responsible for nominating Commission officers. . A Minority/ethnic and Elderly Affairs committee should be responsible for monitoring matters relating to these particular communities. It should serve as liaison between the various ethnic, multi-cultural, and elderly communities to assist in improving communications between those groups and the Commission. In addition, it should work to develop a list of individuals who are interested in serving on committees or task forces of the Commission or as volunteers for other cultural organizations. This committee should be made up of 10 to 12 individuals (who are . representative of the various communities) of whom at least two should be Commissioners (one of whom will serve as chair). . Government Relations committee should be responsible for meeting with City and County elected officials and staff as necessary to make sure that those individuals are aware of importallt issues facing the Commission or the cultural community generally. This committee should be made up of five people, two of whom should be Commissioners (one of whom serves as committee chair). Please note that several of the committees should include non-Co~mission members. This is important to assure that a wide range of community members are involved in these activities. Since in all cases the committees will be chaired by a Commissioner, and since all the actions of these com- mittees must be reviewed by the full Commission, this arrangement should allow ample liaison with the Commission as a whole. Page 81 17le Wolf Organization, Inc. Recommendation VI.3: Consideration should be given to ways to even out the workload of Commission staff. The consultants heard from many sources that Commission staff members are hardworking and efficient and are willing to put in long hours around such events as the River Festival or the grants program. There is some con- cern about "burn-out" of staff because of overwork and stressful conditions. There is a feeling on the part of the staff that "...we are always behind..." This feeling used to be limited to the time of the River Festival, but now it happens at other times of year, particularly around grant application dead- lines. One way to address this problem is to reorganize the workload where it is possible. For example, it might be possible to: . Review job descriptions to determine whether reallocating tasks would allow individuals to work more efficiently Shift grants deadlines so that there is one each year for artists and arts organizations, rather than the current twice-yearly arrangement. (This action has recently been taken.) Consider the use of contract personnel to assist during peak work times. . . Finally, the consultants have recommended tasks throughout this ,Report that could logically be handled by the Commission staff (e.g., responsibility for presenting performing arts events at a facility in Salina, arts education program coordination, etc.). While it is true that some responsibilities may be eliminated, it is important to emphasize that where new tasks are under- take~ by the Commission, it is likely that additional staff people will be re- quired. In the case of the performance presentation, for example, the consultants expect that a half-time position will be required; after the program has evolved that position might well go to full time. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 82 Recommendation VI.4: During its long-range pbnning process, the Smoky Hill Museum should consider options for a new governance arrangement. When the Smoky Hill Museum was created in the mid-1980's, much thought was given to its administrative structure. At that time, a powerful case was made for the Museum to be part of the Arts and Humanities Com- mission. Having access to a strong administrative entity like the Commis- sion made a great deal of sense during those early years. But as the Museum continues to grow, the consultants can see two key reasons why this arrangement may no longer be so effective and why a separate structure may have advantages. They suggest that these be considered during the long- range planning process the Museum will undertake early in 1991. Community mandate of the Arts and Humanities Commission. While it has been convenient and cost-effective to house the Museum within the ad- ministrative structure of the Commission, there is an inherent conflict in having one major cultural institution that is a part of an entity d~signed to serve the entire community of cultural organizations. And while this arran- gement is appropriate during the formative years of a new project, ultimate- ly the organization must continue its development independently. This role of the Arts and Humanities Commission as an "incubator" of new programming and institutions is an important one and the consultants believe that Salina is fortunate in having a body which can serve in that manner. Indeed, another important reason to "spin off" the Museum to a sep.u-ate commission is to free up Commission staff time to devote to other projects. While the Museum demands on staff time are not extensive presently, they are only likely to grow over time, making it more difficult for the Commission to undertake new programming (such as the expanded presenting role defined by the consultants in recommendation II.8).- Fund raising. Based on the demands of the City and County for increased private funding for the Museum, it will need to spend increasingly more time on fund-raising activities. While the present structure allows for such through the nonprofit Friends of the Museum organization, it will be much easier for the Museum to be successful if it does not have a strong and ob- vious administrative connection to City government. In addition, since the Museum's director and board of trustees will conduct the fund-raising work, Page 83 The Wolf Organization, ¡IIC. it will be easier for them if it is clear that they represent the Museum's final decision-making group, rather than being subordinate to some other body. In addition, since effective fund raising will entail that the Museum must define a role that addresses the heritage and historic interests of the entire community, it needs to be perceived as more open and less elitist. To the extent that this may be easier to accomplish without the connection to the Arts and Humanities Commission, it will be useful to be a separate entity. There are two options which should be considered to address this problem: . Separate commission. The current Museum Committee of the Arts and Humanities Commission might be "spun off" as a separate City commission, with commissioners appointed by the City, but with budget and fiscal oversight continuing to come from the Arts and Humanities Commission. In this scenario, staff would re~ain City employees, but the director would report to a Museum Commission that was not directly connected to the Arts and Humanities Commission. Fund-raising activities would continue within the existing Friends of the Museum structure. The advantage of this option is that it keeps the Museum within the City structure, which has been an important consideration for City and County officials. However, it is less likely to address the fund raising and outreach concerns discussed above. . Private nonprofit organization. The current Museum Committee might be expanded and reconstituted as the board of trustees of a new private nonprofit organization. However, two slots on the board could be reserved, one for appointment by the City and one by the County, to assure continued governmental involvement. In this scenario, after careful review by all the appropriate bodies (Arts and Humanities Commission, the Museum Committee, representatives of City and County government, and others), plans would be developed to create a separate nonprofit entity. T-he advantage of this option is that it creates a simple, understandable administrative arrangement, one that is most likely to be effective for fund raising. However, it does require a great deal of work to make sure the necessary structures are acceptable to all parties. . The consultants suggest that either of these options will be more effective than the present arrangement. While they prefer the option that creates a A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 84 private nonprofit organization, they believe that a decision must be reached by a thorough weighing of the issues by the appropriate individuals in Salina. There will be many complicated issues that must be addressed for either of these alternatives to be accomplished. Among the most important to con- sider are the following: . Continued public funding. Nothing in either alternativ~ will change the need for city and county funding for the Musèum. Indeed, it ,is only with that continued commitment that there will be the solid base necessary for this transition to take place. The consultants recommend that the public sector funding for the Museum continue to coine through the Arts and Humanities Commission as a "pass through" arrangement. This will assure appropriate fiscal oversight no matter which option is chosen and continue the Commission's role as the major re-granter of government funds. Revisions to the interlocal agreement. It may be necessary to alter the original interlocal agreement in order to accommodate either new arrangement for Museum governance. According to interviewees, some consideration is being given to the possibility of the City and County "trading off" some commitments so that all Museum funding comes from the City, in exchange for all Health Department funding coming from the County. The consultants would support such an arrangement if it did not affect the dollar amount available to the Museum and if it would offer some assurance to the Museum that stable funding would be available without requiring undue time to address the arrangements. Change in the director's position. With the Museum functioning as a separate entity, the job responsibilities of the director will be significantly changed, although they would change more if the nonprofit structure were employed. In either case, they will include a great deal more in the areas of fund raising, public relatioñs, budgeting, and long-range planning. It is important that these distinctions be made explicit, so that there is no confusion about the changes. A new job description should be written and agreement on the changes should be reached with the individual presently in the position. If the nonprofit structure is chosen, the director would report and be fully accountable to the Museum Board of Trustees. . . Page 85 The Wolf Organization, I/lc. . Changes in governance. As discussed above, the role of the Museum Committee will be shifted to that of either a City commission or a full-fledged board of trustees. That will entail the addition of a range of new tasks for the governing body. There is no reason to assume that the particular individuals who are on the current Museum Committee have the skills, desire, or ti~e available to fulfill those responsibilities. Therefore it will be important to offer current Committee members the opportunity to withdraw once the new body is created, and to search out other individuals who might fill those positions. The consultants emphasize that this transition must be accomplished slowly and carefully. Once agreement is reached on the appropriate course of ac- tion, the Museum Committee should begin to define its new role and iden- tify individuals who can augment that group. Work should also begin to define the new scope of the director's position, and other issues. Once these issues have been addressed satisfactorily, negotiations can begin with various City and County bodies to address the governmental issues. The consultants envision this process being accomplished over the course of two years. Recommendation VI.S: The Arts and Humanities Commission should be involved in all City policy decisions relating to cultural activities in Salina that may have funding implications. While most of the City funding for cultural organizations comes through the Arts and Humanities Commission as part of its regranting program, there are some situations where City funding goes directly to an organiza- tion without passing through the Commission as an intermediary step. This can cause problems for the City in a number of ways: . Duplication is possible, with arts and humanities organizations receiving funding for the same purpose through the Commission and directly from the City It provides an incentive to organizations to make direct requests for City funding after having been turned down by the Commission through its grants programs. . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 86 Rather than allow this sort of arrangement to develop, the consultants recommend that the Arts and Humanities Commission be actively involved whenever there is a funding issue before the City Commission that relates to cultural activities. In this way, any potential conflict will be avoided in advance. It is important to emphasize that it is not necessary to pass all cul- tural funding through the Arts and Humanities Commission as long as senior staff at the Commission is aware of all City funding. Recommendation VI.6 City and County regulations and ordinances should be examined to determine whether changes can be made to make the community more supportive of heritage and arts activities. By reviewing existing regulations and ordinances, the community can fre- quently find ways to be supportive of cultural activities without substantial expenditures of money. Through a review of zoning ordinances, for ex- ample, it might be determined that minor changes would allow artists or arts and humanities organizations to more readily use downtown office space or under-utilized warehouse or storage spaces. In some instances, fees might be waived or review processes streamlined; in most cases, the arrange- ment will be as beneficial to the community as it will be to the individual or organizatIon. Another important area that should be examined is that of zoning policy in relation to historic buildings, both commercial and residential. Since enhanc- ing the sense of heritage is an important component in supporting the groWth of cultural awareness in Salina, efforts should be made to consider issues of historic preservation in relation to any future land use plans developed by the City. In addition, the Heritage Commission, created by ordinance in 1979, has been active in addressing conservation issues, particularly relating to histori- cally significant residences in Salina. The consultants believe that this body, while serving in an advisory capacity to the City Commission, can play an important role in helping individuals and groups to work together retain the visual heritage of Salina. A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 87 Part VII Implemen tation The first three steps in SJ.lina's community cultural pbnning process were completed with the delivery of this Report. These steps include: . initial community involvement J.nd definition of the planning process extensive research and ÍJ.ct finding, in this case using the consultants receipt of the consultants' Report. . . Subsequent steps include: . review, analysis, and consensus-building based on the Report development of the community's cultural plan, based on the consultJ.nts' Report approval of the pbn by the J.ppropriate bodies implementation of the plan. . . . There are several key objectives to be accomplished during the initial phase following the delivery of the consultants' Report, including the following: . review of the plan by those individuals who have been active in the planning process establishment of a consensus among community representatives that the plan represents a fair and accurate vision of the options before the community . Page 88 17le Wolf Organization, ¡IlC. . consideration by the City Commission of the importance of continuing research and discussion on specific aspects of the plan and acceptance of the Steering Committee's approach to doing so agreement on a structure of task forces to review the plan, including lists of prospective members (many of whom have not previously been involved in the cultural planning process). . It is important to have considered organizational structures before this final Report is received, so th:lt the process of review and comment C:ln move for- ward in a timely and comprehensive m:lnner. The recommend:ltions th:lt follow are designed to le:ld the community steering committee through th:lt process. Recommendation VII.l: The Steering Committee should vote on acceptance of the final Report. The Steering Committee (as well as Commissioners and others who will at- tend) met with a Wolf Organization consultant in mid-November to review :l draft of this Report. The session had several purposes: . to review the dr:lft Report to identify :lreas where consensus on various recommendations exists, as well as areas where more discussion may be necessary to reach consensus to discuss issues of initial implementation of the cultural plan. . . At that session, the group voted to accept the draft Report :lnd vote on ac- ceptance of the final Report after it was received. The consultants want to emphasize that it is unlikely that anyone in- dividual will agree with every recommendation in the Report and that what is required at this stage is consensus that the Report reflects a positive and appropriate direction for cultural development in S:llina and that it repre- sents the body of information and expertise needed by the community to reach its conclusions about its plan. A Cultural Plan for Salilla Page 89 At the retreat in mid-November, aside from approving the preliminary Report as the basis of further lction, other lctions were taken: 1. Agreement was relched on the establishment of the Policy and Planning Committee, a sub-committee of the Arts and Humanities Commission (d, recommendation VTI.2) which will coordinate the work of review- ing, revising, lnd implementing the cultural plan. 2. Information was glthered from all participants on what type and degree of involvement he or she would like to have in the future. Recommendation VII.2: Even before other committees lre created, the Arts and Humanities Commission should establish the Policy lnd Planning committee of the Commission. With the advent of the next step of the cultural planning process - assess- ing specific golls lnd beginning to implement them - there will continue to be a need for a group of individuals in the community to coordinate and oversee the process, in much the way the Steering Committee has done to this point. The purpose of this body will be: . to conduct a detailed review of the consultlnts' Report and undertake additioml research if necesslry to choose among options or set pnorltles to formulate specific objectives, timelines, lnd budgets to make recommendations as appropriate in specifiè areas to the Arts and Humanities Commission. . . The consultants believe that the best way to accomplish this is by estlb- lishing a sub-committee of the Arts and Humanities Commission for this purpose. The consultants recommend thlt the Policy lnd Planning Committee mem- bers be appointed by the Chair of the Commission and be made up of nine people. Of these, three should be members of the Commission (including the Chair serving ex officio) and six should be at-large representatives of the community. Since the critical initial tasks of this group will all relate to Page 90 The Wolf Organization. fllc. the cultural plan, it is important to assure that there is excellent repre- sentation of the existing Steering Committee. For this reason, the six at- large members should be chosen in the following way: . two should be members of the Steering Committee one should be a community member not previously involved in cultural planning activities three should be community members who are willing to chair a task force (d, recommendation VIIA) and, ideally, one of these people will be new to the cultural planning process. . . The recommendations that this group brings to the full Commission will be discussed and final action on them will be determined by the Commission. In some cases, this will require sessions with representatives of cultural or- ganiz:ltions, business le:lders, or others. How these are handled will be decided by the Arts and Humanities Commission. Recommendation VI1.3: Once the Steering Committee hJ.S accepted the Report and the final version of the Report hJ.S been submitted by the consultants, the plan should be presented to the City for acceptance. The City has been supportive of the community cultural planning process throughout the year-long pre-planning, as well J.S during the fact-finding component just completed. It is important that efforts be made to keep the City Commission and others well informed about the findings and status of the plan. Therefore, once the Steering Committee has accepted the Report and the final version has been received, an agenda item should be put before the City Commission for an informational session about the consultants' Report. The purposes of this session are: . to inform the City Commission of the key findings of the consultants' Report to describe the plans that the Steering Committee has developed to move forward with the assessment and initial implementation of the . A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 91 . Report, in particular the creation of the Policy and Planning Committee to request acceptance of the Report by the City Commission as the basis for future discussions on specific aspects of cultural issues in Salina. Acceptance by the City Commission of the Report is an important step be- cause it is likely that during the process of working on implementation, there will be specific recommendations which must have approval from the City Commission or other elements of City government. Making sure that communication links are established and working well will create the proper atmosphere when those discussions are required. Recommendation VII.4: Once the plan has been accepted by the City Commission, specific task forces should be set up. Many of the issues addressed in the cultural plan are complex and the nine members of the Policy and Planning committee will not have the time or expertise to deal with all of them withoUt considerable additional assistance. Therefore, it will be import:mt to establish task forces which will have specific areas of responsibility. Each t:J.sk force will address questions in its area of focus (e.g., facilities, arts education, etc.). These questions might in- clude: . Should a particular recommendation be implemented? Should it be altered? eliminated? If it is to be implemented, what are the necessary steps? What is its level of priority within this area? within the whole plan? What are the next steps necessary for implementation? . . . Task forces should be made up of at least one member of the Policy and Planning committee (serving as Chair), with no less than four nor more than six additional members. T ask forces should be considered in the fol- lowing areas: Page 92 17le Wolf Organization, Illc. . Facilities . Arts organiz:1.tion issues . Arts education . Outre:1ch and m:1rketing Some of these areas may prove to be too large for a single task force and the Policy and Planning committee may choose to divide some topics into sub-groups to assure that no one is overloaded. Two areas where this is most likely to occur are facilities and outre:1ch and marketing. It is also pos- sible that the Policy and Planning committee will decide to begin with only two task forces, based on decisions about the priority of various aspects of the plan, with other task forces being mobilized at a future date. While it is difficult to assess how long the task forces will require to com- plete their work, the consultants expect that it will range from between six months to a year. As e:1ch task force finishes a component of its work, it should report back to the Policy and Pbnning Committee, which will m:1ke periodic reports to the full Commission. Presentations to the City Commis- sion should be scheduled as necessary. At times, using task forces may seem like an unwieldy process, but they bring many more people into the decision-making process. Other com- munities have found this an important step in building acceptance for a cul- tural plan on the part of the public. Individuals are able to add input to the process :1t a st:1ge where the ideas are well formubted but not cast in stone. Recommendation VII.S: The Policy and Planning Committee should develop written materials, reviewed and approved by the Arts and Humanities Com- mission, to assist in summarizing the major points of the draft cul- tural plan. In order for the pbn to be implemented, a broad base of support for its proposals must be built within Salina among active cultural supporters and the general public. The Commission must project a clear picture of what the cultural environment will look like after the plan is implemented. In A Cultural Plan for Salina Page 93 order to assist in that process, it will be useful to have several different kinds of printed material: . An overall "vision statement" that briefly summarizes the key points of the plan and details specific recommendations, emph:lSizing, for example, the importance of Salina serving the region and of cultural organizations reaching out to new audiences. This statement might be included in a special mailing of the Commission's newsletter or otherwise given wide distribution. Several one-page summaries of the Report (including revisions by the Commission if necessary) that highlight key points. For example, a sample topic for such a summary might be "How can Salina serve the culture of the region?" or "Bringing arts and humanities activities to more people." A speci:1l, somewhat longer piece might be developed to provide :1n overview of the issues surrounding the Fox The:1tre and the Fine Arts Building. . These documents :1re necessary to :1ssist the general public in understanding the details of the cultural pbn. Most import:1nt, they will explain in non- technic:11 hnguage particuhr elements of the pbn, so that cultural sup- porters :1nd the general public will better underst:1nd why suPPOrt of the cultural phn is in their best interests. Appendices The Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page A.l Appendix A LIst of Participants The consultants have interviewed, either individually or in small groups the following individuals. They would like to express their appreciation for the time these people devoted to this process. Please note that titles, listed for purposes of identification only, were current J.S of the date of the interview. Roy Allen Saline County Commissioner Becky Anderson Director of Summer ProgrJ.ms and Special Events, Bethany College, Lindsborg Brad Anderson Potter; Art TeJ.cher; Member, Cultural Planning Steer- ing Committee Leah Ann Anderson Facilitator for Gifted Programs; former Chair of Lindsborg Arts Council J.nd Kansas Arts Commission, Lindsborg Janet Andrews Community Volunteer, Kanopolis Kris Anschutz Theatre teacher, USD 305 Allen Bachelor Training Center Director, Kansas Highway Patrol Georgina Bates Director, Ellsworth-KJ.nopolis Area Chamber of Com- merce, Ellsworth Appendix Page A.2 List of I/lterlliewees Jm-y Baxa Lee Becker William Becker Carol Beggs i'rlarilyn Benyshek Mike Berkley Jim Berglund Earl Bess, Jr. Sandy Beverly John Black De Vere Blomberg Doris Bogart Linda Borden Lori Brach Joanne Broten Peter Brown Principll, Meadowbrk Ridge Elementary School Painter; Sculptor; Art T elcher, Lindsborg Elementary School Administrator, Bennington; Board Member, Ottawa County Arts Council Member, City Commission, City of Sllina Vocli Music Telcher, USD 305; Member, Board of Directors, Sllina Symphony President, Bennington Stlte Bank President, First N atioml Blnk and Trust Salesmln, School Specialty Supply, Inc. Multi-Cultural Advisor, KlnslS Wesleyan University; Rell Estlte Broker Attorney; Member, Cultural Pbnning Steering Commit- tee Retired T elcher; Member, Museum Committee of the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Former Administrltor of Ottawa County Hospitll; Retired Nurse, T escott Community Volunteer Writer; Salinl Art Center programs/publications Minister, United Church of Christ City Public Information Officer TIle Wolf Organization, Illc. Appendix Page A.3 William Brown Connie Burket Norma Burnett Steve Burr Nate Bmcher Cynthia Campbell Dennis Carlson Janet Carswell Gerald Cook Robert D. Crangle Elizabeth Criger- Palmer Joseph Criger- Palmer Susan Cunningham Lloyd Davidson Wilbur Davis Director, Humanities Program, Kansas Wesleyan University Arts Program Coordinator, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Social Worker, USD 305 Broker, Knowles Kountry Real Estate; Member, Cul- tural Planning Steering Committee Retired Engineer, Wilson and Company Minister, First Presbyterian Church Saline County Commissioner; Member, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Treasurer, Ellsworth Area Arts Council, Ellsworth Executive Director, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Attorney, Lincoln Painter Painter Director, Ellsworth County Economic Develppment; Vice President, Ellsworth Area Arts Council, Ellsworth President, First Bank and Trust Community Activist Appendix Page A.4 List of Illterviewees Karma DeForest Dennis Denning Dan Diederich Deborah Divine John Devine Gary Duff Sara Duffield Lou Ann Dunn Fred Elliott Harley Elliott Paul Elwood Sam E~lans Terry E~'ans Judy Ewalt Karen Fecteau Joyce Fen! English Teacher, USD 305 Retired Director, Theatre Program, Marymount College Attorney; Vice-chair, Salina Arts & Humanities Com- mISSIon Transportation Planner; Volunteer Coordinator, Salina Art Center; Member, Museum Committee of the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Member, City Commission, City of Salina Branch Manager, Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. Painter; Art Teacher Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Community Volunteer Neon Artist; Owner, Neon Stuff Writer; Multi-media Artist Composer Partner, Evans Grain Co.; Member, Board of Direc- tors, Salina Arts Center Artist; Photographer; Photo Instructor, Betha..ny College Coordinator, Salina Downtown, Inc. Events Coordinator/Office Manager, Bicentential Center Painter; Community Volunteer The Wolf Organization, Illc. Appendix Page A.5 Bob Frank Ben Frick Paula Fried Betty Fury Pennington Geis Jim Gile Jennifer Gordon Randy Graham Karen Graves Kaæ Griffin Rev. James Hake Saralyn Hardy Elaine Hassler Susie Haver Susan Higbee Jerry Hinrikus Mayor, City of Sllinl Community Activist Chlir, Bolrd of Directors, Sllina Arts Center Community Volunteer Saline County Commissioner Plumber; Member, North Sllina Business Associltion Program Coordinator, YWCA; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Steering Committee Senior Vice President, Security Slvings and Loan Associltion; Commissioner, Sllina Arts lnd Humanities Commission Chlir, Sllina Arts and Humanities Commission; Mem- ber, Culturll Planning Steering Committee Member, Culturll Planning Steering Committee Acting President, Mlrymount College; ChlI1cellor, Catholic Dioceses ExecUtive Director, Sllinl Art Center; Member, Cul- tural Planning Arts T lsk Force State Representative; County Commissioner, l\.bilene Bolrd Member, Brown Grand Theltre, Concordia Strings and Orchestra Teacher, USD 305 Vice President lI1d General Manager, KSAL Radio Appendix Page A.6 List of Imerviewees Nancy Hodges Merle Hodges Chris Hoffman Lorraine Horner Jim Hutchcraft Jim Jackson Wes Jackson Shirley Jacques Colleen Jewell Gwyn Johnson Don Jolley Lana Jordan Janet Juhnke Charles Kephart Ingrid Kidd Secretary-Tre:tSurer, SJ.1ina Arts & HumJ.nities Commission Physician Vice President, NationJ.1 Bank of America Library Trustee, Minne:lpolis Supervisor, Exide Corp.; City Council Member, Brook- vi lIe; First Vice President, Ell-Salina Lions Community Development Director, City of Abilene Director :lnd Founder, The LJ.nd Institute S:lline County Clerk; Co-ChJ.ir, CulturJ.l Planning Steering Committee V oc:l1 Music T eJ.cher, USD 305 Board Member, Arts Council of Dickinson County, Abilene President, National Recre:ltion & P:lrk Association Festival and Speci:ll Projects Coordin:ltor, SJ.linJ. Arts and HumJ.nities Commission Professor, Kansas Wesleyan University; Member, Cul- tural Planning Steering Committee Managing Director, S;¡lina Community Theatre; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Arts Task Force President, .Mainstage Management International 17le Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page A.7 Jeanie Kingston Dennis Kissinger Director, "House of Memories" Museum; Board Mem- ber, Opera House, Wilson Salina City Manager Nancy Klostermeyer Director, Retired Senior Volunteer Program Barbara Knight Carla Kuhn Gene Larson Marilyn Larson Diane Thomas Lincoln Judy Lilly Carl E. Lindquist Dorothy Lynch Donnie Marrs Eric Marshall Mark Martin Administrator and Volunteer Coordinator, St. John's Hospital Theatre Resource Person; Community Volunteer, Courtland Retired banker; Board Member, Sandzen Gallery and Foundation; Board Member, Lindsborg Arts Council, Lindsborg Farm Wife; Volunteer Worker with youth, T escott Adjunct Professor of Art; Director Clayton Staples Gal- lery, School of Art and Design, Wichita State Univer- sity, Wichita Campbell Room Librarian, Salina Public Library; Mem- ber, Cultural PLuming Steering Committee Retired Farmer, Brookville Chair, Board of Trustees, Salina Community Theatre Architect; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Member, Board of Directors, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Director, Theater Program, Kansas Wesleyan University Restaurant Owner, Brookville Hotel Appendix Page A.8 List of Interviewees Stan Martin Pat McKee Ellen Morgan Ruth Moritz Wendy Moshier Tom Mulhern Ann Nettleton Debbie Neustrom Patrik NettStrom Linda Newfield Wenckll Nickell Bev Olson Margarette Parker A. John Pearson Tom Pfannenstiel Attorney, Abilene Director, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, Abilene Executive Director, Association of Community Arts Agencies of Kansas Commercial Artist; Signpainter; Writer President, Board of Directors, Salina Symphony; Mem- ber, Fox Performing Arts Board; Member, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Director of Development, The Lmd Institute Art Teacher, USD 305 Community Volunteer Attorney; former Chair, Salina Arts & Humanities Commission Pianist; teacher, Bethany Music Department; former President, Lindsborg Arts Council, Lindsborg Physician; Member and Director, Salina Symphony President, Symphony Guild Retired Military Officer, Brookville Director of College Relations, Bethany College, Lindsborg Director, Smoky Hill Museum; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Arts Task Force T7le Wolf Organization, Illc. Appendix Page A.9 Machelle Raleigh Keith Rawlings Harris Rayl Marynell Reece Ralph Reitz Dick Renfro Martha Rhea Charlene Roesner Tim Rogers Marsha Ro/ander Ned Rose Gary Rumsey Steve Ryan Ed Scheele Twila Schneiders Treasurer, Smokey V:llley Fiber Guild Risk Manager, City of Salina Publisher, S:llina Journal Arts P:ltron; Community Activist, Scandia Retired P:lrtner, Kennedy & Coe President, National B:lnk of America Executive Director, S:llina Arts and Humanities Com- mission; Member, Cultural Planning Arts Task Force English T e:lcher, Kansas WesleY:ln :lnd Kansas St:lte U niversi ties Director, Salina Airport Authority Real estate :lgent; Director, Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers, Lindsborg Chair, Museum Committee of the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission; Commissioner, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission President, Bank IV Member, City Commission, City of Salina Director, Greyhound H:lll of Fame, Abilene English Teacher, USD 30S; Member, Board of Direc- tors, Salina Community Theater Appendix Page A. 10 List of 1I1terviewees Sandy Shields Steve Snyder David Spangler Marshall Stanton Eric Stein Marlene Stine Jane Struble Brad Stttewe Fern Tague Don Timmel Richard Todd Andy Tompkins Ai Hanh Tran Patricia Traxler Rev. Greg Urbas Ottawa County Extension Agent; Board Member, Ottawa County Arts Council, Minneapolis Director, Department of Community Services, City of Salina Writer and Composer; Director, Lovewell Institute President, Kansas Wesleyan University Conductor, Salina Symphony Administrative Aide, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Director of Marketing, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Physician; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board Tague's Auto Service Partner, Wright-Lorenz Grain Co.; Member, Board of Directors, Salina Community Theatre Associate Executive, Presbytery of Northern Kansas; Co-Chair, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Superintendent, USD 305 Community Representative Poet; Member, Cultural Planning Arts Task Force Artist; Pastor, Lutheran Church, Concordia The Wolf Organization. Illc. Appendix Page A.ii Kay Vanderbilt Eva Velharticky Debbie Vignaœlli Joe Warner Marsha Weaver Carolyn Wedel Don Wedel Carla Welsh Tom Wilson Rolland Zíer Business Office, Kmsas College of Technology; Mayor, Brookville Retired Principal, USD 30S; Community Volunteer Public Relations, Southwestern Bell Telephone Assistant Administrator of Communications and Marketing, St. John's Hospital; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Steering Committee; Member, City Commission, City of Salina; Commissioner, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Director, Extension Service; Board Member, Abilene Arts Council. Abilene Board Member, Ottawa County Arts Council, Min- neapolis Vice President, Raymer Society; Board Member, Lindsborg Arts Council, Lindsborg Reference Librarian, Salina Public Library Dentist; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Director, Elementary Education, USD 305 Facilities Workshop Participants Dave Antrim Ann Knowles Real Estate Broker; Chair, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Chair, Community Committee to Review Bicentienial Center Appendix Page A.12 List of Interviewees Joe Warner Tom Wilson Bard Stuewe Wendy Moshier Roy Dudark Gerald Cook Don Marrs Karen Graves Lou Ann Dunn E Tic Marshall Assistant Administrator of Communications and Marketing, St. John's Hospital; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Steering Committee; Member, City Commission, City of Salina; Commissioner, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Dentist; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Physician; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board President, Board of Directors, Salina Symphony; Mem- ber, Fox Performing Arts Board; Member, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Director of Planning and Community Development, City of Salina Executive Director, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Architect; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Mem- ber, Board of Directors, Salina Area Chamber of Com- merce Chair, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Community Volunteer Director, Theater Program, Kansas Wesleyan yniversity 17ze Wolf Orgallization, fllc. Appendix Page A. 13 Open Forum Participants Brad Anderson J ames Andrews A. K. Bader Mildred Bader Anne 1. Behnke Elsa Boston Connie Burket Saralyn Hardy Lois Hackler Lana Jordan Janet Juhnke Judy Lilly Charles Livingston Richae Morrow Martha Rhea Marlene Stine Dick Todd Joe Warner John Werling Mike White Tom Wilson Community Cultural Planning Steering Committee Brad Anderson John Black Steve Burr Jennifer Gordon Karen Graves Kate Griffin Shirley Jacques Janet Juhnke Judy Lilly Wendy Moshier Gloria Rumsey Dick Tilgner Appendix Page A. 14 List of Interviewees Dick Todd Joe Warner Tom Wilson Community Cultural Planning Arts Task Force Saralyn Hardy Charles Kephart Joe McKenzie. Tom Pfannenstiel Martha Rhea Patricia Traxler Peter von den Honert TIle Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page E.] Ãppendix B Survey Instrument The consultants provide a copy of the survey insttUment developed for the telephone survey of residents of Saline County. This insttUment was reviewed by members of the Community Cultural Planning Steering Committee and was implemented in Sep- tember, 1990. For a full discussion of the findings of the survey, as well as details on the methodology employed by the consultants, refer to Part I of this Report:. Appendix Page B.2 Survey Instrument SALINE COUNTY ARTS AND HUMANITIES SURVEY QUESTIONNi\IRE (ASK TO SPEAK TO HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD.) T lIne S tarred: Hello, fm (interviewer's name) from . We are conducring a survey for the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission ro investigate interest in the arts and humanities in Saline County. We would like to ask you a few questions about the cultural acrivities in Salina and. in Saline County. L For this survey we are only talking to people in certain age categories. What is your age please? LUnder 18 2. 18-24 3. 25-34 4.35-44 5. 45-54 6. 55-64 ï. 65 AND OVER ( ) - TERMINATE () () ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) la. Are you a resident of Saline County? L No () - TERMINATE 2. Yes () -- ( go to Q. 2) 2. During the past 12 months, have you anended any type of performing ans event. such as the symphony or other classical music concert, a play, a Broadway show, a dance concert, an opera performance, or a popular concen for which you or someone else paid for the tickers? L No () -- ( go to Q. 2a) 2. Yes ( ) - ( go to Q. 3) 2a. Have you visited any type of museum or an gallery in the past 12 months? L No () - (go to Q. 10) 2. Yes () - ( go to Q. 4) 3. Have you visited any type of museum or art gallery in the past 12 months? L No () 2. Yes () Saline Counry QU£SrÚ]nnaire page 1 The Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page B.3 4. I am now going to read a list of cultural eventS. For each type of event, please tell me if. within the last 12 months, you have attended such an event in Salina, Saline County or the nearby region, and if you have, about how many rimes you attended in the past year. If attended. # of Tunes 1. A concert by the Salina Symphony 2. A chamber music concCI1 or a reciral 3. A cun-ent Broadway musical, such as "Mame" or "CatS" 4. A concen by the Salina Chorale or another community choral group 5. A modern dance concert, such as Paul Taylor 6. A current Broadway drama such as "Driving Miss Daisy" or "A Few Good Men" 7. A play presented by the Salina Community Theatre 8. The Salina An Center 9. The Smoky Hill River Festival 10. The Tri-Rivers Fair 11. .A.n opera performance 12. A children's theatre periormance 13. .A.n experimental or avant game play 14. The Smoky Hill Museum 15. A performance at Presser Hall (Bethany College) 16. A performance in Sams Chapel at Kansas Wesleyan 17. A comedy act, such as Bob Hope or George Carlin 18. The Spring Poetry Series at the Smoky Hill Museum 19. A performance by a Popular Artist such as Frank Sinatta or George Benson 20. A jazz concCI1 21. A rock concert 22 A Country and Western Concert Attended No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Salin£Counry Quesrionnaire page 2 Appendix Page SA Survey Instnunent 23. A concert of ethnic music or dance No Yes 24. A cultural event at the Bicentennial Center No Yes 25. A LectUre Series at Kansas Wesleyan No Yes 26. Other No Yes 5. When you attend artS eventS, how many people are usually in your parry, including yourself! 1. Number in parry 6. When you attend an artS event. are there ever children under age 18 in your parry? 1. No ()- ( go to Q. 7) 2. Yes ()- ( go to Q, 6a) 6a. What percentage of the rime would you say that children accompany you to am and humanities eventS? 10%- 20% 30% 40%- 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%- 6b. When children attend with yo~ how many attend? 7. AIe you a season ticket holder, or a subscriber, to any periorming am group in the Saline County area? No Yes ( )- ( go to Q. 8) ( )- ( go to Q. 7a) 7a. Which ones? (DON'T READ) 1. () Salina Symphony 2. () Salina Community Theatre 3. () Salina Artists Series 4. () Foreign Film Series (at Dickinson Theatre) 5. () Salina Jazz Series (at the Country Gub) 6. () Other Saline Counry Quesrionnaire page 3 The Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page B.5 8. Within the past three years. have you made a tax deductible monetary contribution to a cultma1 group in the Saline County area? L No () 2. Yes () 9. Within the past three years, have you volunteered your time to a cultural group in the Saline Co un ty area? 1. No () 2. Yes () ID. I am going to read some reasons people give for not anencting more performing am and humanities eventS in Salina and Saline County. For each reason that I read, please tell me whether it is a major reason. a minor reason, or not a factor at all for you, yourself. not attending more performing am and humanities eventS in the area. L "The periorming artS groups in the area don't offer what I want to see." Major 1 Minor Not a Factor .., 3 2. "The quality of the presentations in Salina is not high enough." 1 2 .., :J 3. "I don't hear aboUt the eventS in the area." 1 2 3 4. 'The eventS in the area are held in 1 facilities which are not conveniendy located for me to anencL" 2 3 5. 'The ticket prices are tOO high for me to attend more eventS." 1 ., 3 6. "I only go to see well known performers." 7. "Other activities use up all of my free rime." 1 1 2 3 ., .., :J 8. "I don't have anyone to attend eventS with." 1 2 3 9. "I don't understand am and humanities eventS." 1 2 .., :J IDo"I'm not interested in am and humanities eventS."I 2 3 Saline Counry QU£Srionn.aire page 4 Appendix Page B.6 Swvey Instrument 11. Now I am going to read some reasons people give for not visiting museums and galleries in Salina and Saline County more often. For each reason that I read, please tell me whether it is a major reason. a minor reason, or nOt a factor at all for you, yourself, nOt visiting museums and galleries in the area.. Major 1. "The local an galleries don't offer shows and exhibitS that intereSt me." 1 2. "The quality of the art in the shows and exhibitS is not high enough." 1 3. "I don't hear aboUt exhibitions and shows in Salina or the County ." 1 4. "I only go to shows of well-known artistS." 1 5. "Local shows and exhibitS are nOt very exciring." 1 6. "Other activities use up all of my fre~ rime." 1 Minor Not a FactOr 2 "'" .:J 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 .., .:J 2 3 12. Now I am going to read another list of eventS. For each one, please tell me whether you would be exrremely interested., very interested. a little interested., or not at all interested in attending, if a top quality offering were available at a high quality facility in Salina. (RECORD BELOW) 12b. FORE~CH "EXTREMELY INTERESTED" AND "\TER.YINTERESTED," ASK What is the most that you would expect to pay in SaliTZll for a single ticket to attend ŒVE~"T)? (RECORD BELOW) E:aremely Very A Little Not At All Q.12b Interested Interested Interested Interested J. 1. A concen by the Salina Symphony 1 2 3 4 2. A chamber music concen or a recital 1 2 3 4 3. A concen by a visiting symphony 1 2 3 4 4. A CUlTent Broadway musical, such as "Marne" or "Cars" 1 2 3 4 5. A performance by a tOuring opera company 1 2 3 4 6. A perÏormance by a visiting ballet company 1 2 .., 4 .:J 7. A modem dance concert, such as Paul Taylor 1 2 3 4 Saline Counry Questionnaire page 5 The Wolf Organization, Inc. 8. A current Broadway drama such as "Driving Miss Daisy" or "A Few Good Men" 9. A play by a professional theatre company 10. The Salina An Center 1 L A concen of ethnic music or dance 12. A children's theatre performance 13. An experimental or avant garde play 14. A One-man Show, such as Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain 15. A comedy aCt. such as Bob Hope or George Carlin 16. A performance by the Salina Community Theatre 17. A concen by the Salina Chorale or another non-professional community choral group 18. A performance by a Popular Artist such as Frank: Sinatra or George Benson 19. A jazz concen 20. A rock concen 21. A Country and Western Coneen 22. A poetry reaåing 23. A lectUre series 1 2 2 Appendix Page B.7 3 3 4 1 1 2 4 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 1 2 4 4 1 2 3 3 1 .., 4 1 .., 3 4 1 2 ,., ,j 4 1 1 2 2 ,., ,j 4 1 2 3 4 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 1 2 4 ,., ,j 4 ,., ,j 4 3 3 4 4 13. If a new, high quality am facility were built in Saline County, or it an existing facility such as the Fox Theatre or the Performing Arts Building at Marymount College were :renovated. do you think that your total annual attendance at cultural eventS in the County would increase, Temain aboUt tþe same, or decrease? L ( ) Increase (GO TO 13a) 2. ( ) Remain about the same (GO TO 14) 3. ( ) Decrease (Go TO 14b) Saline CountY Quesrionnaire page 6 Appendix Page B.B Survey Instrument l3a. By how much do you think yom attendance would increase? L ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 rimes a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year GO TOO. 14 l3b. By how much do you think yom attendance would decrease? L ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year 14. If such a high quality, new or renovated am facility were built at a convenient location in Saline County do you think that your tOtal annual attendance at culrural eventS outside of the County would increase, remain aboUt the same, or decrease? L ( ) Increase (GO TO 14a) 2. ( ) Remam aboUt the same (GO TO 15) 3. ( ) Decrease (Go TO 14b) 14a. By how much do you think your attendance would increase? L ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more rimes a year GO TOO. 15 l4b. By how much do you think your attendance would decrease? L ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more rimes a year Saline Counry Questionnaire page 7 TIle Wolf Organizotion, Inc. Appendix Page B.9 15. There may be ways in which ecinçaJion in ~d humanities may be improved. for school children in the County. For each of the programs I will read. to YOll, please tell me if you think it is Very Imponant. Somewhat Important. or Not Imponant to include them in the school curriculum. Very Somewhat Not .. Important Important Important 1. Providing more classroom education in an, music, drama and dance, and the humanities. 1 2 3 2. Providing field trips to museums and am and humanities eventS. 1 2 3 3. Providing tickers to live am and humanities programs at reduced COSt to school children and their families. 1 2 3 4. Providing more eXtracurricular, participatory 1 activities in an, music, drama. dance and the humanities. 2 '" .:J 5. Proviàin!1: artisrs to work with children for special in-school experiences. . 1 2 3 16. If more high quality am and humanities programs for families with children were available in Saline County, do you think your annual attendance at children's eventS in the County would increase, remain aboUt the same. or decrease? 1. ( ) Increase (GO TO 16a) 2. ( ) Remain aboUt the same (GO TO 17) 3. ( ) Decrease (Go TO 16b) 16a. By how much do you think your attendance would increase? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year GO TOO. 17 16b. By how much do you think your attendance would decrease? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year SaiW Counry Quesrion.n.aire page 8 Appendix Page B.lO Survey Instrument 17. What is your primary source of information about artS eventS? (DONT READ) 1. () Local newspspers 2. () Local television STations 3. () Local radio stations 4. () National Public Radio 5. () National Public Television 6. () Direct mail from Arts Groups 7. () Word of mouth 8. () Other CLASSIFICATION Now, I have a few more questions for statistical purposes only. The answers will, of course. be kept: in striCtest: confidence. 18. How iong have you lived in the Saline County ? 1. () one year or less 2. () 2 years 3. () 3 years 4. () 4-6 years 5. () 7-10 years 6. () More than 10 years 19. Was the highest: level of education you complet:ed... 1. () Grade school 2. () Some high school 3. () High school graduate 4. () Some college 5. () College graduate 6. () Post: graduate work: 7. () Technical school 20. "Which of the following best describes your cmrent living simarion? (READ LIST) 1. () I am married and living with my spouse 2. () I am living with my parentS or other adult family members 3. () I am living alone 4. () I am living with other adults, not family members 5. () I am the only adult in my household 21. How many children under age 18 live in your household? 22. Is the chief wage-eamer self -employ~ or employed by a company or the government? 1. () Self-employed 2. () Has employer 3. () Retired 4. () Other Saline Counry Qræsrionnaire page 9 Appendix Page A.6 List of /nterviewees Nancy Hodges Merle Hodges Chris Hoffman Lorraine Horner Jim Hmchcraft Jim J(l(;kson Wes J(l(;kson Shirley Jacques Colleen Jewell Gwyn Johnson Don Jolley Lana Jordan Janet Juhnke Charles Kephart Ingrid Kidd Secretary- T re:lSurer, SJ.lina Arts & Humanities Commission Physician Vice President, NationJ.l BJ.nk of America Library Trustee, MinneJ.polis Supervisor, Exide Corp.; City Council Member, Brook- vilIe; First Vice President, Ell-Salina Lions Community Development Director, City of Abilene Director and Founder, The Land Institute SJ.line County Clerk; Co-Chair, CulturJ.I Planning Steering Committee VocJ.l Music Teacher, USD 305 BoJ.rd Member, Arts Council of Dickinson County, Abilene President, National Recreation & Park Association Festival and Special Projects Coordinator, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Professor, Kansas Wesleyan University; Mem~er, Cul- tural Planning Steering Committee ManJ.ging Director, Salina Community Theatre; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Arts Task Force President, Mainstage MJ.nagement International 17le Wolf Organization. Illc. Appendix Page A. 7 Jeanie Kingston Dennis Kissinger Director, "House of Memories" Museum; Board Mem- ber, Opera House, Wilson Salina City Manager Nancy Klostermeyer Director, Retired Senior Volunteer Program Barbara Knight Carla Kuhn Gene Larson Marilyn Larson Diane Thomas Lincoln Judy Lilly Carl E. Lindquist Dorothy Lynch Donnie Marrs Eric Marshall Mark Martin Administrator and Volunteer Coordinator, St. John's Hospital Theatre Resource Person; Community Volunteer, Courtland Retired banker; Board Member, Sandzen Gallery and Foundation; Board Member, Lindsborg Arts Council, Lindsborg Farm Wife; Volunteer Worker with youth, T escott Adjunct Professor of Art; Director Clayton Staples Gal- lery, School of Art and Design, Wichita State Univer- sity, Wichita Campbell Room Librarian, Salina Public Library; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Retired Farmer, Brookville Chair, Board of Trustees, Salina Community Theatre Architect; Member, Fox Performing Arts ;Boa1"d; Member, Board of Directors, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Director, Theater Program, Kansas Wesleyan University Restaurant Owner, Brookville Hotel Appendix Page A.8 List of lllterviewees Stan Martin Pat McKee Ellen Morgan Ruth Moritz Wendy Moshier Tom Mulhern Ann Nettleton Debbie Neustrom Patrik Neustrom Linda Newfield Wendell Nickell Be1-' Olson Margarette Parker A. John Pearson Tom Pfannenstiel Attorney, Abilene Director, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, Abilene ExecUtive Director, Association of Community Arts Agencies of Kansas Commercial Artist; Signpainter; Writer President, Board of Directors, Salina Symphony; Mem- ber, Fox Performing Arts Board; Member, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Director of Development, The Land InstitUte Art Teacher, USD 305 Community Volunteer Attorney; former Chair, Salina Arts & Humanities Commission Pi::mist; teacher, Bethany Music Department; former President, Lindsborg Arts Council, Lindsborg Physician; Member and Director, Salina Symphony President, Symphony Guild Retired Military Officer, Brookville Director of College Relations, Bethany College, Lindsborg Director, Smoky Hill Museum; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Arts Task Force 17le Wolf Organization, fllc. Appendix Page A. 9 Machelle Raleigh Keith Rawlings Harris Rayl Marynell Reece Ralph Reitz Dick Renfro Martha Rhea Charlene Roesner Tim Rogers Marsha Ro/ander Ned Rose Gary Rumsey Steve Ryan Ed Scheele Twi/a Schneiders Treasurer, Smokey Valley Fiber Guild Risk Manager, City of Salina Pu blisher, Salim. Journal Arts Patron; Community Activist, Scandia Retired Partner, Kennedy & Coe President, National Bank of America Executive Director, Salina Arts and Humanities Com- mission; Member, Cultural Planning Arts Task Force English Teacher, Kansas Wesleyan and Kahsas State Universities Director, Salina Airport Authority Real estate agent; Director, Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers, Lindsborg Chair, Museum Committee of the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission; Commissioner, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission President, Bank N Member, City Commission, City of Salina Director, Greyhound Hall of F:lme, Abilene English Teacher, USD 305; Member, Board of Direc- tors, Salina Community Theater Appendix Page A.lO List of Interviewees Sandy Shields Steve Snyder David Spangler Marshall St4nton Eric Stein Marlene Stine Jane Struble Brad Swewe Fern Tague Don Timmel Richard Todd Andy Tompkins Ai Hanh Tran Patricia Traxler Rev. Greg Uthus Ottawa County Extension Agent; Board Member, Ottawa County Arts Council, Minneapolis Director, Department of Community Services, City of Salina Writer and Composer; Director, Lovewell Institute President, Kansas Wesleyan University Conductor, Salina Symphony Administrative Aide, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Director of Marketing, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Physician; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board Tague's Auto Service Partner, Wright-Lorenz Grain Co.; Member, Board of Directors, Salina Community Theatre Associate Executive, Presbytery of Northern Kansas; Co-Chair, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Superintendent, USD 30S Community Representative Poet; Member, Cultural Planning Arts Task Force Artist; Pastor, Luther:m Church, Concordia 77le Wolf Organization. fnc. Appendix Page A.ll Kay Vanderbilt Eva Velharticky Debbie Vignaœ/li Joe Warner Marsha Weaver Carolyn Wedel Don Wedel Carla Welsh Tom Wilson Rolland Zíer Business Office, K1nsas College of Technology; Mayor, Brookville Retired Principal, USD 30S; Community Volunteer Public Relations, Southwestern Bell Telephone Assistant Administrator of Communications and Marketing, St. John's Hospital; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Steering Committee; Member, City Commission, City of Salina; Commissioner, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Director, Extension Service; Board Member, Abilene Arts Council, Abilene Board Member, Ottawa County Arts Council, Min- neapolis Vice President, Raymer Society; Board Member, Lindsborg Arts Council, Lindsborg Reference Librarian, Salina Public Library Dentist; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Director, Elementary Education, USD 30S Facilities Workshop Participants Dave Antrim Ann Knowles Real Estate Broker; Chair, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Chair, Community Committee to Review Bicentienial Center Appendix Page A.12 List of blterviewees Joe Warner Tom Wilson Bard Smewe Wendy Moshier Roy Dttdark Gerald Cook Don Marrs Karen Graves Lou Ann Dunn Eric Marshall Assistant Administrator of Communications and Marketing, St. John's Hospital; Member, Cultural Plan- ning Steering Committee; Member, City Commission, City of Salina; Commissioner, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Dentist; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Physician; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board President, Board of Directors, Salina Symphony; Mem- ber, Fox Performing Arts Board; Member, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Director of Planning and Community Development, City of Salina Executive Director, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Architect; Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Mem- ber, Board of Directors, Salina Area Chamber of Com- merce Chair, Salina Arts and Humanities Commission; Mem- ber, Cultural Planning Steering Committee Member, Fox Performing Arts Board; Community Volunteer Director, Theater Program, Kansas Wesleyan 1!niversity The Wolf Organization, fnc. Appendix Page A. 13 Open Forum Participants Brad Anderson J ames Andrews A. K. Bader Mildred Bader Anne 1. Behnke Elsa Boston Connie Burket Saralyn Hardy Lois Hackler Lana Jordan Janet Juhnke Judy Lilly Charles Livingston Richae Morrow Martha Rhea Marlene Stine Dick Todd Joe Warner John Werling Mike White Tom Wilson Community Cultural Planning Steering Committee Brad Anderson John Black Steve Burr Jennifer Gordon Karen Graves Kate Griffin Shirley Jacques Janet Juhnke Judy Lilly Wendy Moshier Gloria Rumsey Dick Tilgner Appendix Page A. 14 List of Interviewees Dick Todd Joe Warner Tom Wilson Community Cultural Planning Arts Task Force Saralyn Hardy Charles Kephart Joe McKenzie. T om Pfannenstiel Martha Rhea Patricia Traxler Peter von den Honert 17le Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page B.] Appendix B Survey Instrument The consultantS provide a copy of the survey instrllIIlent developed. for the telephone survey of residentS of Saline County. This instrument was reviewed by members of the Community CultUral Planning Steering Committee and was implemented in Sep- tember, 1990. For a full discussion of the findings of the survey, as well as details on the methodology employed by the consultantS, refer to Part I of this Report. Appendix Page B.2 Survey Instrument SALINE COUNTY ARTS AND HUMANITIES SURVEY QUESTIONNi\IRE (ASK TO SPEAK TO HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD.) T lIne S tarred: Hello, rm (interviewer's name) from . We are conducring a survey for the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission to investigate interest in the artS and humanities in Saline County. We would like to ask you a few questions about the cultural activities in Salina and in Saline County. 1. For this survey we are only talking to people in cenain age categories. What is your age please? 1. Under 18 2. 18-24 3. 25-34 4.35-44 5. 45-54 6. 55-64 7.65 AND OVER ( ) - TERMINATE () () () () () ( ) la. Are you a resident of Saline County? 1. No () - TERlvfINATE 2. Yes () -- ( go to Q. 2) 2. During the past 12 months, have you attended any type of performing artS event. such as the symphony or other classical music concert, a play, a Broadway show, a dance concert, an opera performance, or a popular concen for which you or someone else paid for the ticketS? 1. No () -- ( go to Q. 2a) 2. Yes () - ( go to Q. 3) 2a. Have you visited any type of museum or an gallery in the past 12months? 1. No () - ( go to Q. 10) 2. Yes () - ( go to Q. 4) 3. Have you visited any type of museum or an gallery in the past 12 months~ 1. No () 2. Yes () Saline Cowuy Qu.esrionnaire page 1 T7le Wolf Organization, Inc. Appendix Page B.3 4. I am now going to read a list of cultural eventS. For each type of event. please tell me ~ within the last 12 months, you have attended such an event in Salina, Saline County or the nearby region, and if you have, about how many times you attended in the past year. If attended. # of Tunes 1. A concen by the Salina Symphony 2. A chamber music concCI1: or a recital 3. A current Broadwav musical, such as "Mame" or "CatS" . 4. A concen by the Salina Chorale or another community choral group 5. A modern dance concen, such as Paul Taylor 6. A current Broadway drama such as "Driving Miss Daisy" or "A Few Good Men" 7. A play presented by the Salina Community Theatre 8. The Salina An Center 9. The Smoky Hill River Festival 10. The Tri-Rivers Fair 11. An opera performance 12. A children's theatre performance 13. An experimental or avant game play 14. The Smoky Hill Museum 15. A performance at Presser Hall (Bethany College) 16. A performance in Sams Chapel at Kansas Wesleyan 17. A comedy act, such as Bob Hope or George Carlin 18. The Spring Poetry Series at the Smoky Hill Museum 19. A performance by a Popular Artist such as Frank Sinatra or George Benson 20. A jazz concCI1: 21. A rock concen 22 A Country and Western Conccn Attended No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Saline Counry Quesrionnaire page 2 Appendix Page BA Swvey Instrument 23. A concert of ethnic music or dance No Yes 24. A cultural event at the Bicentennial Center No Yes 25. A Lecrurc Series at Kansas Wesleyan No Yes: 26. Other No Yes 5. When you attend artS eventS, how many people are usually in your p<Íny, including yourself? 1. Number in parry 6. When you attend an ~ event, are there ever children under age 18 in your parry? 1. No ()- ( go to Q. 7) 2. Yes ()- ( go to Q, 6a) 6a. What percentage or the rime would you say that children accompany you to am and humanities evenrs? 10%- 20%- 30%- 40%- 50%- 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%- 6b. When children attend with yo~ how many attend? 7. Are you a season ticket holder, or a subscriber, to any performing am group in the Saline County area? No Yes ()- ( go to Q. 8) ( )- ( go to Q. 7a) 7a. Which ones? (DON'T READ) 1. () Salina Symphony 2. () Salina Community Theatre 3. () Salina ArtistS Series 4. () Foreign Film Series (at Dickinson Theatre) 5. () Salina Jazz Series (at the Country Club) 6. () Other Saline Counry Qræsrionnaire page 3 The Wolf Organization, Illc. Appendix Page B.5 8. Within the past three years. have you made a tax deductible monetary contribution to a culmra1 group in the Saline County area? L No () 2. Yes () 9. Within the past three years. have you volunteered. your time to a cultural group in the Saline County area? 1. No () 2. Yes () 10. I am going to read some reasons people give for not attending more performing am and humanities eventS in Salina and Saline County. For each reason that I read. please tell me whether it is a major reason. a minor reason, or nOt a factor at all for you, yourself. not attending more performing am and humanities eventS in the area. 1: "The performing am groups in the area don't offer what I want to see." Major 1 Minor Not a Factor 2. "The quality of the presentations in Salina is not high enough." 1 2 3. "I don't hear about the eventS in the area." 1 2 4. "The eventS in the area are held in 1 facilities which are not conveniently locared for me to attend." 2 5. "The ticket prices are too high for me to attend more eventS." 1 2 6. "I only go to see well known performers." 1 1 2 7. "Other activities use up all of my free time. " 8. "I don't have anyone to attend eventS with.." 2 2 1 9. "I don't understand am and humanities eventS." 1 2 2 lO.'Tm nOt interested in am and humanities eventS."l 2 " " 3 3 3 " " 3 3 3 3 3 Saline Counry Quesrionnaire page 4 Appendix Page B.6 : Swvey Instrument 11. Now I am going to read some reasons people give for not visiting museums and galleries in Salina and Saline County more often. For each reason that I read. please tell me whether it is a major reason. a minor reason, or not a factor ar all for you, yourself, nor visiting museums and galleries in the area.. 1. "The local an galleries don't offer shows and exhibitS that intereSt me." Major 1 Minor Not a Facror 2 3 2. "The quality of the an in the shows and exhibitS is not high enough." 1 2 3 3. "I don't hear about exhibitions and shows in Salina or the County ." 1 2 3 4. "I only go to shows of well-known artiStS." 1 2 3 5. "Local shows and exhibitS are not very exciting." 1 6. "Other activities use up all of my free rime." 1 2 2 ..., :J ..., :J 12. Now I am going to read another liSt of eventS. For each one, please tell me whether you would be eXtremely interested, very imc:rested. a little interested, or not at all interested. in attending, if a top quality offering were available at a high quality facility in Salina. (RECORD BELOW) 12b. FOR EACH "EXTREMELY INTERESTED" AND "VERY mTERESTED," ASK; Whar is the most thar you would expect to pay in Salina for a single ticker to attend ŒVENTI? (RECORD BELOW) Extremely Very A Little Not At All Q.12b Interested Interested Interested Interested .1 1. A concen by the Salina Symphony 1 2 3 4 2. A chamber music concen or a recital 1 2 3 4 3. A concen by a visiting symphony 1 2 3 4 4. A CUITenr Broadway musical, such as "Mame" or "Cars" 1 2 3 4 5. A performance by a touring opera company 1 2 3 4 6. A performance by a visiting ballet company 1 2 ... 4 :J 7. A modern dance concert, such as Paul Taylor 1 2 3 4 Saline County Quesrionnaire page 5 The Wolf Organization. Inc. Appendix Page B.7 8. A cmrent Broadway drama such as "Driving Miss Daisy" or "A Few Good Men" 9. A play by a professional theatre company 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 10. The Salina An Center 11. A concen of ethnic music or dance 1 1 2 12. A children's theatre performance 13. An experimental or avant garde play 14. A One-man Show, such as Hal Holbrook as Mark T w am 1 2 1 2 15. A comedy aCt. such as Bob Hope or George Carlin 1 2 16. A performance by the Salina Community Theatre 1 2 17. A concert by the Salina Chorale or another non-professional community choral group 1 2 18. A performance by a Popular Artist such as Frank Sinatra or George Benson 1 1 2 2 19. A jazz concen 20. A rock COllcen 1 1 2 21. A Country and Western Concert 2 22. A poetry reading 1 1 2 2 23. A lectUre series 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 .... 4 -' 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 13. If anew, high quality am facility were built in Saline County, or if an existing facility such as the Fox Theatre or the Performing Arts Building at Marymount College were renovated. do you think that your total annual attendance at cultural eventS in the County would increase, remain about the same., or decrease? 1. ( ) Increase (GO TO 13a) 2. ( ) RcmaÏn about the same (GO TO 14) 3. ( ) Decrease (Go TO 14b) Saline Counry Quesricnn/lire page 6 Appendix Page B.8 Survey Instrument 13a.. By how much do you think your anendance would increase? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 rimes a year 4. ( ) 6-8 rimes a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year GO TOO. 14 l3b. By how much do you think: your arrendance would decrease? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 rimes a year 4. ( ) 6-8 rimes a year 5. ( ) 9 or more rimes a year 14. If such a high quality, new or renovated. artS facility were built at a convenient location in Saline County do you think that your toral annual attendance at cultural eventS outside of the County would increase, remain about the same, or decrease? 1. ( ) Increase (GO TO 14a) 2. () Remain about the same (GO TO 15) 3. () Decrease (Go TO 14b) , 14a.. By how much do you think your attendance would increase? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more rimes a year GO TO O. 15 14b. By how much do you think your attendance would decrease? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 rimes a year 4. ( ) 6-8 rimes a year 5. ( ) 9 or more rimes a year Saline COWlIJ Quesrionnaire page 7 TIle Wolf Organi.za!ion. Inc. Appendix Page B.9 15. There may be ways in which educarion in ~ humanities may be improved for school children in the County. For each of the programs I will read to you, please tell me if you think it is Very Imponanr.. Somewhat Imponanr.. or Not Important to include them in the school curriculum. Very Somewhat Not Imponam ImpOIW1I !mporrant 1. Providing more classroom education in an, music, drama and dance, and the humanities. 1 2 3 2. Providing field trips to museums and am and humanities events. 1 2 3 3. Providing tickets to live artS and humanities programs at reduced coSt to school children and their families. 1 2 4. Providing more extracurricular, participatory 1 activities in an, music, drama., dance and the humanities. 2 3 3 5. Proviåing artists to work with children for speCÏ3.l in-school experiences. 1 2 3 16. If more high quality arts and humanities programs for families with children were available in Saline County, do you think your annual attendance at children's events in the County would increase, remain aboUt the same, or decrease? 1. ( ) Increase (GO TO 16a) 2. ( ) Remain aboUt the same (GO TO 17) 3. ( ) Decrease (Go TO 16b) 16a. By how much do you think your attendance would increase? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year GO TOO. 17 16b. By how much do you think your attendance would decrease? 1. ( ) once a year 2. ( ) twice a year 3. ( ) 3-5 times a year 4. ( ) 6-8 times a year 5. ( ) 9 or more times a year SalilU! Counry QuesrioMllire page 8 Appendix Page B.lO Survey Instrument 17. What is your primary source of information about artS eventS? (DONT READ) 1. () Local newspspers 2. () Local television stations 3. () Local radio stations 4. () National Public R3dio 5. () National Public Television 6. () Direct mail from Arts Groups 7. () Word of mouth 8. () Other Œ.ASS1FICA. TION Now, I have a few more questions for statistical purposes only. The answers will., of course. be kept in striCtest confidence. 18. How long have you lived in the Saline County ? 1. () one year or less 2. () 2 years 3. () 3 years 4. () 4-6 years 5. () 7-10 years 6. () More than 10 years 19. Wa£ the highest level of education you completed... 1. () Grade school 2. () Some high school 3. () High school graduate 4. () Some college 5. () College gradwue 6. () Post graduate work 7. () Technical school 20. Which of the following beSt describes your current living simarion? (READ LIST) L () I am married and living with my spouse 2. () I am living with my parentS or other adult family members 3. () I am living alone . 4. () I am living with other adults. not family members 5. () I am the only adult in my household 21. How many children under age 18 live in your household? 22. Is the chief wage-eamer self-employed. or employed by a company or the gove:rmnent? L () Self-employed 2. () Has employer 3. () Rctired 4. () Other Saline Coumy Quesrionnaire page 9 !.¡~ .