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Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

Community Consulting Club

2005-2006 Project Client Application
GENERAL INFORMATION

Name of Organization:

/ Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original

Address:

/ 721 E Huron, Ste 200
Address (cont’d):
City: Ann Arbor / State: MI / Zip Code: 48104
Phone: 734-994-5260 / Fax: (734)-994-0504 / Email Address:
Organization Website Address: www.artfair.org
Name of Primary Project Liaison: Shary Brown
Title/Position: Executive Director
Phone: (734) -994-5260 / Fax: (734) 994-0504 / E-mail Address:
Please describe your agency’s current stage of development (select one):
Start-up Undergoing transition
Growth Crisis
Established
MISSION AND SERVICES
Please check the category that best describes your organization’s mission:
Arts/Culture/Humanities / Human/Social Services
Health / Social Justice
Environment / Other (please describe)
Please provide your organization’s mission statement below (or attach).

To increase public knowledge and appreciation for contemporary fine arts and fine crafts by creating opportunities that connect artists, the Ann Arbor community and the general public to their mutual benefit, culminating in a top quality juried street art fair.

Please provide a brief history and/or overview of your organization’s work and goals.
The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair (AASAF) is the original of the now four fairs that comprise the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. Begun in 1960 in the South University area, the fair relocated in its 44th year to the city streets around Burton Carillon Tower. We produce a nationally recognized and award winning visual art fair, drawing artists and visitors from across the country. We established perhaps the first jury system for selecting artists, which became a national model. This past year we became one of a nine fairs collaboration and partnership which developed and implemented an online application and digital jurying process, along with the Western States Arts Federation (www.zapplication.org). This year 23 fairs will use the system. The Street Art Fair’s Executive Director was elected the partner’s representative on the Managing Committee.
Over the years the fair has sponsored visiting artists, community art projects (some with grant support), and purchased art for public buildings. At the fair, we schedule artist demonstrations, performances, and free art activities in addition to the selection and presentation of the art at the fair. Three years ago the fair relocated from the South University area and in that time we’ve tackled operations and development (our Community Consulting project last year) issues and strategies.
In 2009, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original will celebrate our 50th anniversary and some programs are currently in development in order to be established for the fair that year. We are also engaging in an overall strategic planning process aimed at growing the role of the organization in the community, developing strategic partners and increasing revenues to fund the increasing costs of production and improving the programs and services the fair offers the audience and the community.
Our fair was named the number one art fair in the nation by AmericanStyle Magazine in October, 2004.
Please describe the programs or services within your organization.
The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original, concentrates our efforts on the production of a top quality annual art fair. Over the years we have donated art for public buildings, developed special exhibitions, developed special visual art projects with a number of community groups and schools, and organized and presented artists in residence. The Executive Director of the AASAF also serves on boards and committees of other cultural organizations in Ann Arbor, currently as Secretary and founding member of the Ann Arbor Area Arts Alliance, a Division of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce.
In our 46 year history we have introduced many in the community to high quality visual art and craft in contemporary form as well as providing an opportunity to meet the artists who make it. The fair also includes a first class art demonstration program, free art activities, and free performances by top local performing artists and community groups. Each year new programs are developed or existing programs improved. This year we produced the first ever Townie Street Party, the Street Fair Art Walk, participated in a Imagination Station activity area in all four fairs, hosted the launch of the Avalon Housing Community Art Mosaic project, and developed expanded artist workshops.
A sample of our past and present partners include: merchants associations, the City of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan, AATA, the Chamber of Commerce, the Potter’s Guild, the Ann Arbor District Library, Boy Scout troops, Michigan Art Education Association, the Ann Arbor Art Center, and Huron Valley Ambulance, Avalon Housing Community Art Project.
Finally, we also share our expertise on developing and running a top quality community art event with other organizations and have been generous with our professional event planning skills locally and nationally, most recently sharing planning and operational information with the staff and board of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival as it faces a temporary relocation of the Top of the Park activities, and with the community of Lowell, MA in the planning of a new art fair.
CONSULTING PROJECT
Please check the category or categories that best describes the type of project:
Strategy / Finance
Business Development / Organizational Change
Marketing / Other: Fiftieth Anniversary Strategic Plan
Please describe the project that a Community Consulting Club team of 4-6 students could complete for your organization in approximately 10-12 weeks.
Assist in the board and staff in creating a 50th Anniversary Celebration schematic for the organization, with action plan, which will add capacity to the organization to develop and implement the anniversary celebration at the fair and throughout the year preceding. Additionally, the Focus on 50 would include steps for a large scale vision for the fair for the next 50 years.
The AASAF recently completed moving the fair to the city streets surrounding Burton Carillon Tower. The relocation was demanding in both human energies and financially and there are ongoing challenges to meet. The Focus on 50 is conceived to be more than a party to note a milestone. The project turns the organization’s attention to the future, to our sustainability and to recognizing and investing in the core strengths of the organization and the enduring value to the community both artistically and economically.
The AASAF board of directors has identified planning a 50th anniversary celebration in 2009 as a short term and long term priority which will reestablish relationships and build new community connections with individuals, organizations and institutions who believe in our mission, value the programs we provide and seek to develop and provide a vision for a sustainable organization with artistic and community significance for the next 50 years.
While the organization is sound financially, a special fund will be needed for the 50th Anniversary in 2009. At the same time we are continuing efforts to develop funding sources to renew our educational and public art programs, which were reduced or put on hold while the relocation was underway. The Street Art Fair is an art event and a community event and the 50th will recognize that connection and renew support for the cultural and economic value of the fairs. Having a strong link to community organizations through organizing and hosting art programs where few are available, giving art for public buildings and public spaces and supporting young artists have all been annual traditions of the Fair. Those traditions are important to maintain and are expensive and need sustainable support. The 50th may provide a platform to establish a consistent funding source for these programs.
Our planning needs, as identified so far, include:
q  Planning a major year long 50th Anniversary Celebration
q  Establishing a Vision for the next 50 years
q  Identifying the resources and sources for the resources needed for the 50th Celebration
The University of Michigan Team might assist with our October Planning workshop, research and make recommendations about the resources that AASAF could access to build sustainable organizational capacity over the next three years to design and implement the celebration in 2009, assist with developing strategies to plan the activities and programs before and during the year of the 50th and layout the initial action steps and timeline from the planning session.
Attached are the notes from the initial two discussion sessions.
Please list the organization’s goals for the project:
·  Develop a strategic plan for the Focus on 50 Celebration
·  Identify strategies and resources to build the capacity of the organization to implement the Focus on 50 plan
·  Develop a project and funding plan to implement the Focus on 50 Celebration
·  Make recommendations on how the Focus on 50 Celebration provides a foundation for envisioning the next 50 years.
Please provide any additional background information about the project that would be helpful to the consulting team. Attach additional documents as needed.
The Street Art Fair has established a Focus on 50 subcommittee of our Development Committee. Two dinner/discussions have been held with diverse leading members of the community, where a number of essential questions were identified, an exciting range of Big Ideas listed, and possible benefits to the community noted. The notes from those two sessions are attached.
The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original, is a relatively small community arts organization. We have one full time staff person, two to three part time University of Michigan interns, a volunteer board of directors (14) and an annual operating budget of approximately $250,000. The relocation from the South University area 3 years ago depleted our entire reserve fund and it is now being replenished. The Street Art Fair is also a leader nationally, one of the oldest fairs in the country we perhaps stand alone in the consistency of our unparalleled success over four plus decades.
Planning for the 50th anniversary provides a unique opportunity to review the successes and traditions of the past 50 years and to look at what the next 50 years might achieve.

Thank you for your participation! Please feel free to attach any materials you think would be helpful.

Please submit this application via email to and . If you prefer to submit via U.S. Postal Service, please email or call either of us for postal mailing instructions.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Mindee Elam John McKeown

Vice President – Business Development Vice President – Business Development

(734) 674-4069 (734) 277-5764