The Galveston Arts Center
The Galveston Arts Center’s (GAC) recently appointed executive director Lisa Shaw has announced a few changes and new directions for the organization as it gears up for the fall 2018 art year. After working with GAC’s board of directors and examining the non-profit’s needs, Shaw and the board decided to reconfigure some of its staffing roles: the Marketing/Store Manager position held by Reese Darby was eliminated, and the Technical Coordinator position, responsible for preparator and facilities-related work, was switched to a project-based contract position. These changes were made by the board with the goal of reducing the GAC’s operating cost and freeing up funds for other uses. Shaw said of the changes: “the individuals who have filled these roles have been employees of the GAC for some time, but with a reorganization of programs and priorities, their positions have been consolidated and some of their duties absorbed by others.” The organization does not anticipate any more staffing changes over the next year.
GAC also announced its new Pay-for-a-Day campaign, which aims to raise $100,000 by December of 2018 to cover the organization’s education and exhibition-related costs. Part of the GAC’s new focus is in increasing the number of educational programs and opportunities for its community. To help make this goal a reality, rather than changing the organization’s free admissions policy, the Center is focusing on its new funding campaign, which is aimed at showing visitors the true cost of operating an arts organization that regularly provides public activities. It breaks down donation amounts by how they can provide for the center’s programming:
$50: Helps provide a 90-minute art class at GAC.
$100: Helps GAC send art teachers to 3 local schools for one week.
$250: Helps GAC send art teachers to 6 local health and human service organizations for one week.
$500: Helps GAC provide one youth art camp.
$1000: Helps GAC staff one free art exhibition for three weeks.
$1500: Pay-for-a-day! One whole day of education and exhibitions operations.
The GAC has also talked of staggering its exhibition openings and closings, therefore allowing its shows to have longer runs as both a cost saving measure and as a way to give the community more time to digest the works on view. Currently, its exhibition have an approximate six-week run time. If this new exhibition schedule goes into effect, the city’s ArtWalk, which is organized by the GAC and normally coincides with the Center’s show openings, will continue as scheduled.
To learn more about the Galveston Arts Center, go here.
