While I was up in the Methow Valley, I took the opportunity to visit Kate in the Methow Arts Alliance (MAA) office to find out more about how the organization is run. The office is a street level location in the downtown area of Twisp and is comprised of two rooms in a bright colored row of offices. There are a few blocks of shops, restaurants, the Merc Theatre (110 seats), and an art gallery. The several feet of snow of snow accumulation creates a winter wonderland. Twisp is the central location for the rural area. Winthrop is a few miles up the road and it is more of a tourist destination while Twisp has more businesses for locals.
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The Methow Arts Alliance office in Twisp, Washington. |
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MAA’s Arts Participation Initiative project is deepening with the Pascal Sherman Indian School. The tribe invested $3,000 for the program. Their goal is for the schools to be equal partners and for them to value the program. Most of the Arts Participation Initiative project will take place in spring. Last year they took various arts into the schools and did a cultural field trip to Seattle with a group of students.
In the Arts Participation final report, MAA reported in the questions about how we overcame practical barriers to the target group’s participation they wrote: “Food is an important aspect of any event that takes place outside of school hours. It was very important to make the time to sit and eat with each other. At the school, time functions differently than other schools we work in. It is necessary to let go of our agenda, and hold the day loosely when providing activities for students. This means planning more time, and letting go some so it can be used in unexpected ways.”
Methow Arts Alliance is in a stage of deepening and broadening their relationships and integration into the community. MAA is a pioneer is the use of internet technology for a rural community and they publish a high quality printed magazine. Also, as much of rural Washington, the influx of second homes changes the community and they must respond to that as well. That along with their extensive mission as an Arts Alliance creates lots of challenges.
MAA has been successful in significant growth in their revenue. MAA has two part time employees and Kate Jones who is almost full time. Kate was hired seven years ago and during her time as Director they have grown in all directions. MAA was started as a nonprofit in one form in 1983 and became MAA in 1987. Three years ago they moved the office to a street location to gain visual presence in the community.
Its mission includes education, promotion, presenting and leadership. MAA facilitates an arts education partnership with 6 school districts in Okanogan County. They promote artists through their magazine and their website. In the future they will incorporate a sales element to the site to bring more benefit to the artists.
MAA publishes a magazine that features local artists and events. The magazine is available for free around town and is sent to members of the 7 arts nonprofits who are part of a collaborative marketing project facilitated by Methow Arts. The magazine is a great way that they connect and communicate with those around them. They present a performing arts season and some of those programs also go to the schools. Last, leadership is a new area that has emerged in the last few years as they have been asked to network regional arts efforts, act as a resource, and advocate for the arts in economic, education and community development arenas.
The MAA board was recruited to be strategic planners. An increase in earned income and has proven to be a solid financial strategy for the organization. In addition, more staff and a receptionist are identified as necessary. Moving to the street level accomplished the goal of being more accessible but that accessibility makes getting work done in the office a challenge. With all they have accomplished there is always so much more do to and having a solid financial strategy will help to hire the staff and continue work on the four parts of their mission.
Four years ago they received a grant from Artist Trust and they used that money to recognize the whole arts community by creating the website. They are working with an organization, Stone Soup, who with a Grant from the Gates Foundation, has developed on line sales technology. What has been a successful listing of artists in a database will also provide the opportunity for online sales. The website now has a planning calendar on-line. There are at least 13 organizations who use the calendar right now. That way when they plan events they can work around and with other organizations. This is essential in a small community to make sure that there is only one event at one time. MAA is a great example of how a rural community can use the internet to its advantage.
Kate's job takes her close and far. Community outreach means attending local meetings. Attending meetings with collaborators (which can be up to two hours away), and is the arts chair for Okanogan County Economic Alliance and a member of the Washington State Arts Alliance board. In addition, Kate is a Commissioner for Washington State Arts Commission takes her to meetings around the state. The partnership building process takes a tremendous amount of time outside the office.
The Methow Valley has an increasing number of second homes being built. The property tax generated from these new homes goes directly to the County. Their local area could create a taxing district and add an affordable housing tax to generate money for housing. For a rural area, the Methow Valley is not cheap to live in. The cost of living in the area is high and wages don't necessarily match up. The hotel/motel tax largely generated by the Sun Mountain Lodge in nearby Winthrop is distributed to the entire Okanogan County. Of that money, 60% goes to the trail system. The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association has allocated $5,000 per year to Methow Arts to create public art on the trails.
Methow Arts Alliance rises to the challenge of its four-part mission. They are looking to the future for growth, financial stability to continue the excellent work they do in their community. Methow Arts Alliance has tripled in size in the last 5 years, and is expecting another huge leap in 2007.
Site visit and photo by Saya Moriyasu, January 2007.
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