1916 Plank road near Yuma
MEMO #2. January 13, 2002
Greetings to the Search Committee: The telephone meeting last Thursday, (1/10/02) was very helpful and provided a preliminary overview of the plans for the arts center in downtown Yuma. Thank you all for your valuable input. I look forward to meeting all members of the board in person, on the 25th of this month in Yuma. Here is my travel itinerary: Depart San Antonio: Thur. Jan. 24 9:00 AM
Arrive Yuma: Thur. Jan. 24 12:24 PM (Am.West Air Fl.#6373)
Depart Yuma: Tues. Jan. 29 7:57 AM (Am. West Air-Fl.#6370)
Arrive San Antonio: Tues. Jan. 29 1:16 PM
Airfare: $292 RT Lodging: 1890 9th Ave. (928) 783-3075
I will be staying at my parents home while in Yuma. Recommendations:
Richard Huff, Director
Irving Arts Center
3333 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Irving, Texas 75062
(972) 252-7558 Ricardo Hernandez, Deputy Director
Texas Commission on the Arts
P.O. Box 13406
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 936-6561 Betty Switzer, Executive Director
Office of Cultural Affairs, City of Dallas
1925 Elm St. #500
Dallas, Texas 75204
(214) 670-3687 Mark Harden, Chairman of the Board
The Arts Coalition (ArtCo)
1301 Belknap
San Antonio, Texas 78212
(210) 732-1332 cell 382-3860
MEMO #1. January 8, 2002 As I indicated in my letter to Carlos, I have often thought about returning to Yuma. It's interesting that that I now find myself applying for a position with the Yuma Fine Arts Association. I was in High School during the time the high school art instructor, Bob Sentz encouraged members of the community to form an arts association in Yuma. After High School I moved away, but I have always watched the activities of the Association with great interest. For many reasons, Yuma is a special place for me and as I said, I've often thought about returning. In anticipation of the telephone interview on the tenth I have put together some preliminary questions about the organization. I am using this web site to communicate with you because it's a convenient way of reaching people across great distances. My first questions involve financial matters:
What is the organizations annual operating budget? What are the organizations annual cash revenue sources? What amount does the city contribute to the operation? Does the organization conduct an annual audit? Is there an annual fund raiser? Does the organization carry a deficit? If yes what is amount? How large is the membership? Is the membership list in a computer database? What software? Next, I would like to ask about the organizations programs:What are the organizations programs? Are all the program areas active? Are the schools involved in any of the programs? Does the organization have a permanent collection? Are there any annual program events? Key to the programs is the proposed new building: Is there an architectural design for the building? What is the square footage of the building? Will the building belong to the city or the organization? Have there been any discussions about city maintenance of the building? Have there been any discussion about the building design being used as a
marketing tool for Yuma.An interesting design in a building can be a powerful attraction for tourism. Is the design of the building set in stone? A few questions about the position:
Would the position be a city position? Is there any paid staff, besides the director position? What does the benefits package look like? Would this be an exempt position with the city? Who would I answer to, the board, or the city? Does the board or city do the hiring/firing? Let me now share a little information about me... My work with federal, state and municipal arts agencies has provided me with direct contact with the many buildings dedicated to various arts disciplines. I also have been operating a visual arts gallery here in San Antonio. As a result, I understand what is required to manage an organization and a building. I have an extensive career as an arts administrator and serve on the board of the Association of American Cultures (TAAC). Through my professional career I've maintained close contact with several important national service organizations. Two years ago I presented a panel session at the annual meeting of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, (NASAA). the subject of the panel was how a nonprofit arts organization can develop profit generating programs. I'm familiar with state and federal funding sources for the arts. My career started with six years working for the the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Later, while working for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) I visited with many arts facilities and organizations in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. During my career I have become acquainted and visited with important funding sources such as the
Andy Warhol and Nathan Cummings foundations in New York City.The Warhol foundation funds visual arts programs, and Nathan Cummings funds programs that impact on communities with large culturally diverse populations like Yuma.I also know about several fine exhibition services such as Smithsonian Sites,
and of course, the exhibition program at the Arts Commission.
Along with my career as an arts administrator, I'm a practicing visual artists and I was part of the Chicano Art, Resistance and Affirmation (CARA) exhibition. The exhibition toured some of the nations finest museums for three years. As you can see I am an experienced HTML code writer and manage a platform for the arts in San Antonio, www.artco.org. Building a web site for the Association would be one of the first things I would do. (should I be offered the position.) The cost would be minimal, and it's an effective way to reach an audience. It would also be my recommendation that we install a credit card program to enable members to pay their dues on-line, from the comfort of their own computers. I am an experienced computer operator with skills in desktop publishing (Pagemaker) and computer graphics (Photoshop) I am also comfortable working with the accounting program, Quickbooks pro, Excel spreadsheet and the Access database programs. On the homefront, I live alone, since the women I shared my life with decided to travel a different road last year. We were together for fifteen years. I'm a motivated, hardworking professional, committed to the arts and the positive impact it can have in our communities. In the final analysis it's not about art, it's about people, and making our communities a better place to live through the arts.
