Creative Greensboro Annual Report 2023-2024

2023 2024

ANNUAL REPORT CREATIVE GREENSBORO

CREATIVEGREENSBORO.COM • 336-373-2026 • GREENSBORO CULTURAL CENTER • 200 N. DAVIE ST., SUITE 101

Our Work

A NOTE FROM Jackie

Creative Greensboro plays a vital role in empowering our cultural community to drive creativity and contribute to the vibrancy of our city. By amplifying the voices and financially supporting creatives and organizations, our work has a far-reaching impact on the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Greensboro. The success of Creative Greensboro is not just a result of its own efforts, but also the collaborative support from key stakeholders, including the City Council, Cultural Affairs Commission, City Manager’s Office and community. Thank you.

JACKIE BOONE City of Greensboro Chief Creative Economy Officer

Jocquelyn Boone

Founded in 2019, Creative Greensboro is the City of Greensboro’s office for arts and culture. Through a range of programs, services, and partnerships, we support the development of a vibrant city. Our work is guided by the 2018 Greensboro Cultural Arts Plan. Over the last five years, Creative Greensboro has accomplished more than half of the 22 goals set forth in the plan. We continue to strive to make a sustainable, more equitable creative ecosystem and economy in Greensboro. About Creative Greensboro GOALS • Provide sustained support for arts and culture by enhancing and expanding resources. • Foster cultural equity and arts participation for all. • Create a prosperous environment for artists, arts, and cultural organizations. • Support development of a vibrant city by raising awareness and enhancing the visibility of the arts. 2023-2024 ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Awarded more than $400,000 to organizations and independent artists in Greensboro. • Provided more than 300,000 opportunities for individuals to experience performing arts. • Provided community-based arts activities and beautification projects in five neighborhoods the City has targeted for reinvestment. • Provided more than $1 million dollars of in-kind support to our tenant partners in the Greensboro Cultural Center. • Held the City’s first Arts and Culture Town Hall, where residents, creatives and organizational leaders shared their collective vision for the future of the sector. • Expanded rental opportunities at the Cultural Center to more than 100 first-time renters, allowing for new opportunities for programming and audience expansion.

Jocquelyn Boone Chief Creative Economy Officer Josh Sherrick* Business Administrator Todd Fisher Performing Arts Coordinator Karen Archia Community Partnerships Coordinator Meredith Gornto Programs & Operations Assistant Gina Fisher* Special Events Coordinator Ethan Lodics* Finance & Facility Operations Specialist Peter Novosad Van Dyke Performance Space Assistant Alexi Hines Creative Activation Partners Assistant Alana Harrison ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Facilities Assistant Tyler Dodrill* Graduate Assistant

*Reassigned to Parks & Recreation Department

CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION

Douglas Bender , Chair Catena Bergevin

Juliette Bianco Mignon Elkes Janay Green Leigh Ann Little Victoria Milstein

CITY COUNCIL

Nancy Vaughan , Mayor Yvonne Johnson , Mayor Pro Tem Marikay Abuzuaiter , At Large Hugh Holston , At Large Sharon Hightower , District 1 Goldie Wells , District 2 Zack Matheny , District 3 Nancy Hoffmann , District 4 Tammi Thurm , District 5

Economic Impact

GREENSBORO ARTS & CULTURE ECONOMIC IMPACT Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Results

3,629

JOBS SUPPORTED

TAX REVENUE $33.3M

$235.3M

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

4

Programs that Inspire Creative Greensboro served as a local partner for the Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), a national research project produced by Americans for the Arts to determine the impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations. It found more than $200 million worth of local economic impact, thousands of jobs created and millions in tax revenue in 2022. The study, completed with the help of 65 area nonprofit arts and culture organizations, provides further proof that the arts mean business. Creative Greensboro is proud to highlight and continue to shine a light on Greensboro creatives, art-trepreneurs, and cultural organizations.

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Arts Viability

NONPROFIT VITALITY

34

NONPROFITS SUPPORTED

CASH AND IN-KIND SUPPORT $1.3M

$6M

WAGES GENERATED

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Nonprofit Grants This year, Creative Greensboro provided $300,000 to 17 local arts and culture nonprofits through the Sustaining Creativity: Community Partnership Grants program. These grants offered financial support for operational, administrative, and program-related needs of nonprofits that provide creative programs. “We are deeply grateful to have received the Sustaining Creativity Grant from Creative Greensboro. This support will allow iAlign Dance Company to grow deeper within the community, fostering connections, and creating lasting change throughout Greensboro and the Triad,” said Brittany Williams, iAlign Dance Company executive director. Cultural Center Support The Greensboro Cultural Center isn’t just a space of cultural enrichment. It’s an economic engine and a job-creator. Creative Greensboro provided more than $1 million worth of free space to 17 arts organizations, ranging from art galleries such as the Guilford Native American Art Gallery to the performance-based nonprofits like Greensboro Ballet. This support helps sustain those nonprofits and allows them to work with the community. In turn, those 17 organizations supported nearly 1,000 full-time, part time and contract jobs, and provided $6 million in wages to local residents.

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Expanding Access

More Space for Success During Fiscal Year 23-24, Creative Greensboro provided space and equipment rentals to 121 partners for 183 days at the Van Dyke Performance Space, a 300-seat black box theater that draws a broad segment of the creative community to the Greensboro Cultural Center. “We have loved our experiences working with the team at Van Dyke Performance Space. I have found that they really want you to have a uniquely successful experience in their space and we were so grateful for such a big level of support during all of our events,” said Lauren Joyner, Dance Project executive director. The Creative Activation Partners Program (CAP) provided low-cost cultural center studio and classroom rental space to entrepreneurs and organizations. It is part of Creative Greensboro’s commitment to helping these small businesses reach new audiences, earn money and create art. More than 100 individuals and organizations presented their programs to nearly 3,200 participants. More than 55 percent of these partners were Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC)-led and -serving groups. “It’s because of Creative Greensboro’s support that our programs continue to thrive and make a positive impact,” said QuQu Smith, owner of Que the Music Academy, who uses cultural center space under the CAP program. 8

Inspiring Residencies Creative Greensboro supports the growth and resilience BIPOC led and -serving partners. We provide two programs that bring new and diverse individuals into the Cultural Center: Greensboro Residency for Original Works (GROW) and Residency at the Hyers. Last year Creative Greensboro hosted 14 artist residencies, 11 of which were BIPOC-led and serving. The programs are paid residencies that provide free, open flex space or the Steven D. Hyers Theater. They allow local individuals and organizations to create and premier original visual, dramatic, musical, dance or literary productions that encourage visitation and engagement by the public. Creative Greensboro received a $58,000 North Carolina Arts Council grant to support GROW.

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Small Business Development Providing Platforms for Economic Advancement

By supporting local artists, Creative Greensboro is both nurturing their creative talents and empowering their small businesses. Creative Greensboro helps burgeoning creative entrepreneurs build viable businesses by providing platforms for them to showcase and market their work. This not only benefits the artists themselves, but also contributes to the overall economic vitality of the creative sector. Tuari Walker, known as Micah the Artyst, leveraged his Greensboro Residency for Original Works (GROW) residency into a contract with a national retailer.

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“GROW was an invaluable introductory experience that deepened my journey into professional artistry and ultimately led to a meeting with a buyer for HomeGoods, resulting in the purchase of 50 canvas reproductions of ‘Black Boy Meadows’ during my debut at Furniture Market,” he says. “These reproductions were featured in HomeGoods stores across the US as part of the Black History Month Collection of 2024.” Guitar teacher Cindy Spell has also found success with Creative Greensboro. “Finding a home for my studio with Creative Greensboro has been a perfect fit. Because I’m able to operate my studio in the heart of the Greensboro Cultural Center, my business reaches the people who are most interested in creative pursuits of all kinds,” she says. In 2023-24, Creative Greensboro also developed

the City’s first Poet Laureate Program which is designed to amplify the art form while providing support for a working, independent artist. Josephus Thompson is the City’s first Poet Laureate. He provides programming or experiences for all Greensboro residents.

Engaging Experiences

THEATER PARTNERS Greensboro Playwrights Forum UNCG Theatre Shared Radiance Performing Arts Company

From Page to Stage Creative Greensboro proudly featured a variety of theater performance opportunities for all ages in partnership with local theater companies. We produced 28 shows and gave hundreds of aspiring and established theater professionals the chance to participate in auditioning, casting, rehearsals, stage management, and performance. All shows were free or low-cost to expand access to theater to all community members. More than 1,600 people attended the shows.

ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS

28 29

THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES

FREE CONCERTS

344

LOCAL MUSICIANS SUPPORTED

7,000 1,600 350 +

DRAMA PARTICIPANTS

SHOW AUDIENCE MEMBERS

CONCERT GOERS

$28,760

MUSICIANS’ FEES

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Supporting Local Musicians At Creative Greensboro, we believe in the importance of investing in homegrown talent and free access to musical entertainment. Through our admission-free concerts and programs, we supported hundreds of emerging and established local musicians. These concerts provided a platform for local and regional musicians to showcase their talents before diverse audiences across the city. Creative Greensboro produced 18 concerts for the City’s musical ensembles – Greensboro Big Band, Philharmonia of Greensboro, Greensboro Concert Band and the Choral Society of Greensboro. These events included public programs and special performances requested by community partners. We also produced 11 Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park (MUSEP) concerts in green spaces throughout Greensboro.

MUSEP CORPORATE SPONSORS HealthTeam Advantage Moore Music UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts UNCG School of Music

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Connecting Communities with Creativity Bringing Art Close to Home Creative Greensboro continues to support creative placekeeping initiatives through Downtown Arts and Neighborhood Arts: Curated Programs. Artist Emilio Marz brought new life to Random

Woods Park. Marz painted picnic tables, benches, and trashcans at the park with designs inspired by drawings from fourth and fifth grade students at nearby Alderman Elementary School. In appreciation for inviting him to work with their neighborhood for a second time, Marz created portraits of neighborhood leaders Ann Dean, Laquita Frye, and Barbara Washington.

“The experience with Emilio and the Neighborhood Arts program has benefited my students, helping the more shy students come out of their shell, and just in general, my students are more engaged in my art lesson,” said Alderman art teacher Zaria Knight. “I really appreciated and loved the experience.”

Hester Park was another site for community-engaged artwork. Greensboro artist Darlene McClinton installed a 10-panel mural entitled “Hidden Gems” on the Highway 421 retaining wall that faces the park’s lake. This mural celebrates the park’s natural environment. “Hidden Gems” is an example of what happens when community, City Council, creative leadership and talent work together. It was funded by residents of City Council District 5 as part of the City’s Participatory Budgeting program.

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Dazzling Downtown For the third year, the Downtown Arts program raised awareness of 10 talented Greensboro-based visual artists and enhanced our center with original artwork. Each artist earned a $500 stipend and will have their work displayed on the electronic kiosks throughout the year. See all the works on the back page (left to right) of this report.

Bonaventure Ogbaugo “A Tale of Two Coasts” (graphite pencil) Joyce Williams “Bojangles” (oil on canvas) Evan Bennett “Untitled” (digital art)

Jessica Bloch-Schulman “Double Bind II” (ceramic) Nancy Seay “Senorita Sashay (watercolor) Dafne Sanchez Aguirre “Triscuit Munchies” (watercolor) Emily McCollum

Natalie Schorr “Exquisite Corpse 5” (mixed media collage) Emilio Marz “Power” (digital illustration)

“Riding the Wave” (acrylic on canvas) Ronda Szymanski “Peony” (paper collage on canvas)

Creative Greensboro also awarded a $3,000 commission to Joyce Williams. Her artwork, “Sweet Magnolia,” pays homage to the Historic Magnolia House. A 10-by-20-foot reproduction of the commissioned piece will be on display in City Hall for one year and the original painting will become part of the City’s permanent art collection.

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