Ketchikan Area Arts & Humanities Council ANNUAL REPORT 2018 The Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council celebrates the diversity of our community, acknowledges our differences as a precious resource and strives to encourage everyone to create and experience the arts. The mission of the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council is to create and promote opportunities for all community members to experience the arts. 2018 KAAHC Board of Directors: 2018 KAAHC Committees: Sonya Skan, President (- Oct) Executive: MWest, MPihl, NTietje, Marty West, Vice President (- Oct), PJacob President (Oct - ) Finance: NTietje, MWest, MPihl, Peter Jacob, Vice President, KLight Secretary (- Oct) Fund Developement: MWest, VLord, Nancy Tietje, Treasurer (- Aug), MO’Brien, NTietje, KLight Secretary (Oct -) Molly Pihl, Treasurer (Aug - ) Board Development: AMShuham, MWest, KLight Spring Barry (- June) Gabriela Horta (Oct -) Program Development: PJacob, Victoria Lord BMetcalf, ELOshima, DSchlosser, A. Fred Miller (- June) CMcRoberts, SHill, KLight, KPosey Anna Shaffer (- June) Wearable Art Show: LMcCue, Anne Margaret Shuham JHamilton, HDavis, JKeizer, BMorgan, RGreen, SHeisler, IRose, Staff: AVrabec, KLight, CMcRoberts, SHill Kathleen Light, Executive Director Shelly Hill, Program Director (- Feb) Ketchikan Public Art Works: RTroll, EReeve, MHenrikson, TPyles, Katy Posey, Program director (Feb - ) DRubin, EZerbetz, KLight Jeff Fitzwater, Administrative Manager The KAAHC vision is that arts and cultural events bring people together in ways that expand horizons, challenge assumptions and beliefs and improve the quality of life in our community. 2018 Report to the Membership The inspiring dedication of our amazing staff, the generous service of the Board, and the financial and volunteer contributions of our membership produced another successful year for the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council. I am pleased to share this 2018 annual report with you. We added a fun new fundraising event in the fall. “Beer & Brats” sold out and we even turned people away. We partnered with Bawden Street Brewery and long-time supporting business,Tatsuda’s IGA, to offer a fundraiser that was more affordable to many of our members and the public. The 2019 date is set for October 6th! An “Evening of Wine and Cheese” did not sell out but, nevertheless, a delicious time was had by all. The 2020 event will feature wines and cheeses from Spain. The date is set for Saturday, February 29 (Leap Day!). The “Home and Away” raffle was also a success. About 50 more tickets were sold than last year. We also learned gathering envelope contents how to be better organization this year! Wearable Arts was fabulous. The opening act alone was spectacular, and the creativity of the artists and models was a joy. There are many programs like Arts Uncorked and the Main Street Gallery openings (like the recent jammed-packed Rhonda Green opening!) that should be mentioned as well. Huge thanks to the staff for their creativity and hard work. Speaking of the Main Street Gallery – an exciting season that highlights emerging artists has been selected for 2019-2020. Another season of exciting first Fridays is coming! The Diversity Task Force that put together our Diversity policy has taken on a new life as a committee of the Board. We took recommendations of the Task Force to heart and are taking steps to have our Board look more like our com- munity. We face challenging financial times with the proposed 2019-20 State budget put together by the Dunleavy administration. His proposal would eliminate our state grant for operations, through the dismantling of the Alaska State Council on the Arts. I hope more rational proposals will be considered and prevail. It is an honor to serve as President of the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council. I look forward to continuing in that role for another year. - Marty West, President “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote everyday about the kind of community you want to live in” ~Unknown author TheMain Street Gallery was created by the Arts Council in 1987 to provide fine art exhibition opportunities for both emerging and established Ketchikan artists. The Main Street Gallery provides a non-judgmental environment for innovative arts, and encourages local participation and appreciation of a broad variety of art forms. Inclusion in the Main Street Gallery is by application and is regulated by a rigorous selection process overseen by the Program Development Committee and the Board of Directors. The 2018 Main Street Gallery exhibits included: January, Ketchikan Youth in Art - An open call exhibit open to young artists in the area February, The 33rd Annual Wearable Art Show Gallery Exhibit - An invitational exhibit of work from “Wild and Free” March, Silent Voices - An open call exhibit of postcards revealing personal secrets April, Juices - A solo exhibit by Donald Varnell May, A Man of the Eagle Clan - A solo exhibit by Will Bousley June through July, Artists of Ketchikan Invitational - An invitational exhibit of local artists August, 43rd Annual Blueberry Arts Festival Gallery Exhibit - An open call exhibit for artists of all ages September, Above and Below the Water - A collaborative exhibit by Jess Davila and Andrea Murphy October, The Cultivated Table- A solo exhibit by chef and artist Robin Leventhal November, Manifest X A collaborative exhibit by Jackson Polys and Robert Mills December, Ketchikan Youth in Art - An open call exhibit open to young artists in the area The Main Street Gallery provides an intimate and beautiful setting for performances and gatherings of all types and is home to BOOMbal Dancehall. 5,436 people visited the Main Street Gallery in 2018. Aritsts of Ketchikan Invitational. An invitational exhibit of Ketchikan artists. From left to right: Beth Antonsen, Mike Gates, Elisiaca Timmerman, Delores Churchill, David Rubin Donald Varnell’s “Southeasterly AKA: xíwgu” (Thank you to Benjamin Young for the Haida translation) from his exhibit “Juices” Nathan Jackson and Dave Jen- son inspecting “Raven’s Portal” by Robert Mills, in the exhibit “Manifest X” TheAnnual Blueberry Arts Festival began in 1975 and has been growing ever since. The 3-day Festival meets many needs of the community including economic stimulus, a family event, a celebration of our artistic community, an opportunity for all community non profit organizations to fundraise, disburse information and connect with their constituency, and a point of pride for Ketchikan. For artists, the Blueberry Arts Festival provides professional development (and workforce development for Ketchikan!), an opportunity for product testing, and in some cases the only place for musicians, dancers and poets to perform in front of an audience. In 2018, KAAHC again worked with the Borough to provide bus service for elders and mobility challenged participants to the festival. For the past several years KAAHC has hosted Community Art Projects during the Blueberry Arts Festival. In 2018 we collaborated with Ketchikan Random Acts of Art for youth art activities. People were able to make an art pieces and then were encouraged to hide them around the community with cards instructing the finder how to post images of their prize on Facebook. Overview of the 162 booths: 87 artists (15 new artists) 36 non-profits and community groups 19 non-artisan or political 12 food booths 3 school groups 2 churches 9 booth holders came from outside of Ketchikan to participate In 2018 an estimated 8,000 people attended the 43rd Annual Blueberry Arts Festival The success of the Blueberry Arts Festival is possible only through close partnership with the City of Ketchikan, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the State of Alaska and the First United Methodist Church. Alaska Airlines has In 2018 KPU Community Connections Telecommunications Early Learning Program sponsored the sponsored the has sponsored the Pet & Blueberry Arts Festival Mainstage Events of the Doll Parade since 2009 since 2011 Blueberry Arts Festival The Annual Winter Arts Faire is our winter companion to the Blueberry Arts Festival, where community members come to see and purchase artwork from local artists. Unlike the Blueberry Arts Festival, the 2-day Winter Arts Faire features only handcrafted fine art and crafts. In its 29th year, the Faire is held annually over the Thanksgiving weekend. Having reached maximun capacity for booth holders (and parking) at the Civic Center and Cape Fox, KAAHC decided to move the Faire to the Saxman Community Center in 2017. The SCC solved several recurring problems: it has more room for vendors, more parking, all the vendors are in one location, and KAAHC was able to bring a large portion of the population to the Saxman community. In 2018 we made the determination to not have the Opening Evening Gala event as it seemed audience and boothholders did not want it without alcohol. However, through surveys, the artists are adamant they would like to keep the Opening Evening Gala intact. We will reinstate it for 2019. Since 2008 KAAHC has sought to provide an opportunity for young people attending the Winter Arts Faire with their parents to have a creative experi- ence during their visit. In 2019 we partnered with the Ketchikan Random Acts of Art group for fun and instrucitonal art activities, Vibrance - A Creative Space making wood and cookie ornaments, and PRIDE Alliance making bauble ornaments. The KAAHC Program Development Committee is instrumental in providing creative oportunities for youth at the Winter Arts Faire. Overview of the 76 booths: 71 artist booths (9 new booths) 6 community non-profits groups 2 school groups 2 food booths 5 booth holders came from outside of Ketchikan to participate In 2018, audience increased to over 2,700 people attending the 29th Annual Winter Arts Faire First Bank has sponsored the Winter Arts Faire since 2008 Created in 1986, the Wearable Art Show celebrated its 32nd anniversary in 2018. The Wearable Art Show is an open, supportive, and inspiring opportunity for area artists to create and display artwork designed to be worn by the human body.