art180.org/blog

As the school year gets underway, so do ART 180 fall programs. Please help us keep our programs going for many semesters to come. Click on the link below to make a donation!

But we need your help to keep them all going. Click on Network for Good to schedule your monthly donations to ART180!

Don’t forget about our event tonight! We hope to see you here!

Your official invitation to the Carreras event

Help them find their voice and show it off by donating to ART180. Every contribution is appreciated!

We hope to see you at Carreras on Thursday! We’ll be there from 5:30 to 7:30, enjoying the artwork of Jim Lengyel and the sparkling gemstones and diamonds that Carreras is known for. Delicious food from Mosaic Unique Events and cocktails will be served.

Today’s the last day to RSVP, so please let us know you’re coming! 282-7018

Your official invitation to the Carreras event

LOOKING FOR A NEW FRIEND…AND SAYING GOODBYE TO AN OLD ONE

ART 180 development manager Aimee Koch is moving on down the road…and across the river, to New Community School. After dazzling us with her development, design, communications and photography skills, she’s following the big bucks and her interest in education to stretch her fundraising muscles in new directions. After surviving my maternity leave only two months into the job, spearheading our 10th anniversary Change For a Ten campaign last year, and winning the Virginia Association for Fund Raising Executives “Rising Star” award this spring, our multi-talented miss is exiting the building.

We are seeking a replacement who will wow us like Aimee did…and more! See the bottom of this email for the complete job posting, and spread the word to any brilliant, creative, fun-loving fundraising pros you know…belore the July 13 application deadline. And next time you see Aimee, give up some gratitude for her contributions to ART 180 during her too-short stay with us.

FIRST FRIDAYS JULY 3, 7-10pm
We’ll once again be teaming up with our pal Sid del Cardayre, and Eric Schindler Gallery, to join the First Fridays Art Walk. Join us at 8 West Broad Street (between Adams and Foushee, on the north side of Broad) Friday, July 3. Yes, we know it’s a holiday weekend, but not everyone will be foolishly fighting OBX traffic (like me). “8 West” will only be an art gallery for a few months until it’s leased for something else, so don’t miss out. Our staff and volunteers will be bartending, so stop by for a drink that supports ART 180 and check out this awesome new space, great art from Schindler, and a sampling of the spectacular work from our young artists.

UP NEXT
Thursday, July 16, 5:30-7:30pm: Carreras Jewelers benefit for ART 180

Saturday, August 8, noon-5pm: 2nd Annual Jonny Z Festival (and Bizarre Market, and summer program celebration) on Shields Avenue, in front of Joe’s Inn

Happy summer!

[You can stop reading now, unless you're interested in our job opening.]

NOW HIRING: ART 180 DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Overview: This key member of our small staff will be responsible for securing increased and sustainable resources to further ART 180’s mission of giving young people a chance to express themselves through art, and to share their stories with others. The position manages the organization’s efforts to raise funds, generate in-kind contributions, and expand awareness in the community. Working with the executive director, the board and development committee, the development manager is responsible for planning, executing, strengthening and evaluating all fundraising strategies to enable the organization to reach its annual and long-range development goals. 2009 operating budget is $393,000.

Qualifications: The successful candidate is a go-getter seeking to put their development experience to work in a creative, mission-driven organization. The candidate will demonstrate vision, as well as exceptional organization, administrative, and interpersonal/communication skills, love sharing the gospel of ART 180 with donors and prospects, and thrive in a nontraditional environment as part of a small staff with limited administrative support and minimal supervision. Creative writing, spreadsheet and database management experience needed. Design, website, and social media skills helpful, as is supervisory experience-all of which are integral to the performance of the job. Must be willing and able to work like a dog and play like a puppy.

Responsibilities:

Individual donors: Develop, implement and evaluate year-round strategies for the cultivation of new and existing donors. Identify donor prospects-including major donors-and maintain records on donors. Directly solicit donors and facilitate solicitation of donors by board members, development committee, and the executive director.

Corporate/foundation support: Research grant opportunities and write proposals and reports to foundations, corporations, and other organizations that may provide support for ART 180 programs. Initiate and maintain contact with foundation and corporate leaders.

Direct mail: Develop creative concepts, write targeted fundraising appeals, and coordinate production and mailing of appeals. Design materials and work with pro bono designers as needed on annual report, calendar, and other pieces.

Fundraising events: Coordinate fundraising and donor cultivation events, from annual auction to house parties to retail promotions. Oversee sale of products to generate earned income and develop new products or earned income strategies as appropriate.

Gift recording/acknowledgment: Manage all gift data entry in database, working with administrative staff. Oversee acknowledgment of gifts. Maintain records on donor giving and generate reports.

Board participation: Work with executive director and board leadership to educate board members about development and enhance participation in fundraising strategies. Work with board members individually to fulfill their fundraising commitment.

Communications/public awareness: Enhance and increase ART 180’s public standing to garner additional support from the community. Manage website, email communications, and use of social media tools, with input from communications committee. Prepare and distribute press releases and other announcements as necessary. Support program department in fulfilling communications needs.

Compensation: $40,000 annual salary. Paid health insurance. Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave.

To apply: Send a resume and cover letter via email to 180@art180.org or via mail to ART 180, 0 E. 4th St., #1, Richmond, VA 23224. Deadline Monday, July 13, 2009, 5pm. No phone calls, pretty please.

ART 180 summer programs kicked off last week with the young people in the I Have a Dream program at Broad Rock Elementary.  Led by program leaders James Thornhill and Avian Few, the artists are “thinking green” as they imagine new, environmentally friendly modes of transportation and create sculptural models using recycled materials.  Day by day the sculptures are evolving into a colorful fleet of out-of-this-world vehicles that include a butterfly with extra antennae to processes trash for fuel, a go-cart powered by purple whipped cream, and a whimsical assortment of planes, trains, ships and automobiles.

Recycled materials help spur the creativity of our students.

Imaginations soar at ART 180.

No one can deny that arts education benefits children. The idea of transfer, that learning in one part of your life have implications on other areas, has been examined for ages and is one of the biggest supporting factors for continuing arts education in schools. Studies have shown that children who participate in any type of art, not just visual arts, but also dance, music and drama, get more out of it than they, or their parents, may realize. According to the 2002 study compilation, Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, visual arts helped students with “content and organization of writing,” “sophisticated reading skills/interpretation of text,” “reasoning about scientific images,” and “reading readiness.”

But there are benefits even beyond transfer. In a 2007 New York Times article, Ms. Winner, author of Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of a Visual Arts Education, says that using transfer as a reason to keep arts education around will “doom the arts to failure, because any superintendent is going to say, ‘If the only reason I’m going to have art is to improve math, let’s do more math.’” Ms. Winner and Ms. Hetland believe that art should be valued for what it is on its own. It doesn’t need to be supported or justified by its transfer benefits because it is valuable enough on its own.

This is echoed by professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, Eliot Eisner, who says, “Not everything has a practical utility, but maybe it is experientally valuable.”

Either way, at ART 180 we know that creative expression is meaningful to the children who have the opportunity and access to arts education. And no matter what the government or studies say, the look on a child’s face after finishing something they have put their heart and ideas into is worth keeping arts education alive whether or not it helps them in other areas of their life.

Last week on July 11, several Richmonders and friends of ART 180 hosted parties to help raise money and awareness about ART 180. Of the 11 parties, most were held in our sponsors’ homes, while two of the parties were held at local restaurants. ART 180 would like to thank Captain Buzzy’s Beanery and Easy Street Cafe for opening their businesses to our parties.

Strawberry Fields Flowers & Gifts and Pick Ups Plus were also made contributions to the parties.

ART 180 relies on generous donations to keep running. Events like this help us provide after-school programs for children in the city of Richmond. Thank you to everyone who hosted and attended our 11 parties!

http://www.strawberryfields.us/