From the 2016 Annual Meeting

Artlink’s 2016 Annual meeting was held on Wednesday, June 1, and hosted nearly 100 attendees, including artists and arts advocates, and many representatives of galleries, performing arts, and other arts organizations.

Board Update

The Artlink board bid farewell to board members Stephanie Lieb and Phil Jones. Jones, the former executive director of the City of Phoenix Arts & Culture office, had served on the board since 2011, playing a critical role in Artlink’s recent growth. The board thanks them both for their significant contributions.

The Artlink board elected three new directors:

• Mark Scarp: Heard Museum, communications manager
• Margaree Bigler: Phoenix Art Museum, communications manager
• Rick Naimark: ASU, associate vice president for program development planning

Four directors returned for a new term:

• Jill Bernstein, Treasurer: Keep Arizona Beautiful, executive director
• Dan Clevenger, Secretary: Westlake Reed Leskosky project designer/architect
• Sarah “Sally” Russell: Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, staff
• Hillary Foose: Valley Metro, communication and marketing director

This rounds out the current roster of the Artlink board:

• Catrina Kahler, President: Urban Affair president and founder
• Sarah Levi, Vice President: David & Gladys Wright House Foundation, board member/scholar in residence
• Jerry Harper: Phoenix Convention Center, deputy director
• Constance McBride: artist
• Brittany Butler: Artist/Oasis on Grand, marketing director
• Bentley Calverley: Bentley Gallery, owner
• Nicole Underwood: Javelina, senior associate

Featured Speaker

Gail Browne, the executive director of the City of Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture, addressed the group, highlighting three areas of focus:

1. Grants Program – Funding from NEA for “Neighborhood Arts,” small ($5k) grants for artists to work in specific communities, addressing a specific problem or need. The focus is on outlying areas, beyond the downtown core, working with urban villages.
2. Public Art Program – Fry’s Food Store Murals. Call for proposals with an August deadline.  Visit the city’s website and Facebook for calls. Two more calls are pending for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
3. Professional Development – SAVVY workshops for artists and small organizations

Browne hosts a regular meeting of arts districts and representatives of city departments to discuss a number of items to improve First Fridays coordination and elevating the profile of arts and culture, including the idea of a marketing campaign, and the development of a centralized events calendar. The city is distributing an events calendar survey in partnership with Artlink. The city will also aid in the expansion of Art Detour, expanding its leadership role in partnership with Artlink.

 

PROGRAM UPDATES

Art Detour

Planning for Art Detour 29 and Art Detour 30 begins immediately. The format for the next two years of the event will change, beginning in 2017 with a four-day schedule kicked off by the Art d’Core Gala:

• Thursday, March 16: Art d’Core Gala
• Friday, March 17: Third Friday
• Saturday, March 18: Art Detour 29 (Day 1)
• Sunday, March 19: Art Detour 29 (Day 2)

Art Detour will evolve from a self-guided, unstructured format to a more scheduled program that will encourage even more participation from artists, arts venues and patrons. There will be a particular focus on working with artists to bring more patrons to their studios.

There will be an emphasis on producing a more interactive arts experience for patrons, focusing demonstrations and workshops. Artlink will continue working with Articipants to promote their destinations and respective activities. A cohesive marketing strategy will include an upgraded web presence and a map that reflects a scheduled program. An early start to the planning process will also allow for a more effective public relations plan.

A robust Art Detour 29 will set the stage for a special WEEK-LONG celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Art Detour in 2018. We will collectively work to develop this event as a showcase for Phoenix’s arts and culture, promoting Phoenix to a broader – national – audience. Every step taken over the next two years will be done with this ambitious goal in mind. What can Art Detour become?

Notes and next steps from Art Detour discussion:

• Schedule a summer planning meeting for all Artlink Articipants.
• Present studio tours as a unique part of Art Detour, and create scheduled tours to bring more visitors to the studios.
• Examine the hours of Art Detour weekend and identify how to best program lunchtime and nighttime.
• Promote the artist category of Articipation more consistently, so artists from outside downtown know they can participate.
• Identify spaces where out-of-area artists can exhibit during Detour, including Parsons Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS and Gould Evans. Work with the business community to identify other spaces.
• Work with Eco Cab on transportation and promotion opportunities.
• Further promote PhoenixUrbanGuide.com

18^th Juried Exhibition

The 18^th Annual Juried Exhibition will take place on Thursday, September 15, 2016, at Heard Museum. The jury panel will be Nancy Hill, owner of Chartreuse Gallery, artist Fred Tieken, and Ann Marshall, Ph.D., the Heard Museum’s director of curation and education.

The Juried Exhibition will mark the first time Artlink will use Submittable, an online application platform. This will be used to build an on-going artist database, which will help Artlink help organizations and businesses looking for artists/artwork.

The schedule of the Juried Exhibition will likely change in the coming years, so that the 20^th annual exhibition aligns with the 30^th annual Art Detour.

First Friday Trolley Tours

Artlink currently runs three trolleys on a circulator route on First Fridays. The route was installed so that Artlink could better manage the hub stops and communicate a clear message to the public, so visitors know where to find stops consistently.

There have been recent requests to divide the route between a north and south route, and the attendees’ response to an informal survey was mixed. Artlink will hold further discussions about the route in the coming weeks. Thanks went out to David Krietor, Downtown Phoenix Inc. President/CEO, and his team for their support of First Fridays.

Phoenix Urban Guide (PUG)

Thanks to all Articipants who have been consistently updating their information on PUG. This has helped Artlink promote Articipant exhibitions and activities much more effectively on social media. Please contact Leslie Criger at info@artlinkphoenix.org with any PUG related questions.

Volunteers

A big thank you goes out to all who volunteer to support Artlink! The trolley guides, the hub stop information tables, set-up for events are all done by volunteers. These programs couldn’t happen without volunteer support. If you know someone who wants to volunteer for Artlink, visit artlinkphoenix.org/volunteer.

Wrap-up

That’s a wrap! Thank you and stay tuned for an exciting year ahead!

Photo by Lauren Potter