1988-08-01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION: $4~500 - GRANT FOR THE ARTS Mr. Hendrix stated that the City had applied for and received $4,500 from the Virginia Commission on the Arts on behalf of~Piedmont Council of the Arts and the Virginia Discovery Museum and the~Council must decide how to divide the grant among the two organizations. Ms. Sandy Snook, President of Piedmont Council of the Arts, stated that the Council has 70 organization members and 200 individual members and is dependent upon membership dues and grants for operating expenses because the member organizations have requested that the CoUncil not have any major local fund raising events which would compete with their own fund raising activities. Ms. Snook stated that a significant portion of the grant would be necessary to allow the hiring of a full-time staff person to help with volunteers. Ms. Snook also requested that Council adopt the resolution also on the agenda which would be submitted as part of the grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Waters questioned the relationShip between the Piedmont Council of the ArtS and CHALFA. Ms. Snook stated that she did not wish to speak on behalf of CHALFA, but she regarded CHALFA's role as an organizing which brings national and international arts into the community and the Council's role is to coordinate local arts. Ms. Snook noted that CHALFA is a member of the Council. Responding to questions from Mr. Vandever and Mr. Towe, Ms. Snook stated that the Council's budget was approximately $15,000 and that $5,000 had been received from Albemarle County for this year's budget. Ms. Jeanne Finan, Director of the Virginia Discovery Museum, stated that the museum has presented 436 different arts programs to 9,800 participants, not including regular museum visitors. Ms. Finan stated that the museum would like a large part of the grant funds to sponsor City school children's attendance at the museum. Ms. Finan stated that the museum's budget was approximately $200,000, 50% from fees and memberships and 50% raised through fund raising activities. Mr. Towe stated that he would favor an equal division' of the grant money between the two organizations. Rev. Edwards questioned the previous Council's rationale for awarding 68% of the previous grant to Piedmont Council of the Arts and 32% to the Virginia Discovery Museum. Mr. Buck replied that the previous division of the funds had been based on the allocation of City funds approved during the regular budget cycle and he recommended that this allocation be continued. Mr. Buck stated that he did not favor using the grant funds to subsidize the attendance of school children at the museum because the City appropriates funds to the School Board and the School Board makes the decision about which programs should receive funding. Mr. Buck stated that giving the grant funds to the museum would amount to a separate subsidy for the schools. Mr. Buck added that he felt the Virginia Discovery Museum has a greater ability to raise funds than does the Piedmont Council of the Arts. Responding to a question from Rev. Edwards, Ms.~ Finan stated that the museum had approached the School Board for funding to cover the attendance of school children but the School Board had denied the request.