Petition Started by Local Evergreen Arts Groups

Posted on our Facebook Page :

Hi Folks - I wanted to alert you all to a petition started locally here in Evergreen Colorado. Many local arts groups, including CAE, Open Door Studios, Art for the Mountain Community as well as Evergreen Artists Association have been battling the entrance of a for-profit promoter to our small arts community. Read the petition, sign if you agree - and let me know what you think!
Petition: http://www.evergreenartists.org/EmailTr ... A6enW3M%3D

You must be kidding right? Rather petty to decide because you are nonprofit that only your groupss and one other can have an art festival. How does a 3rd art festival, even if for profit impact the entire summer? What about all the people it draws and helps surrounding businesses. Maybe even nonprofits could participate and benefit.

GreatGran wrote: You must be kidding right? Rather petty to decide because you are nonprofit that only your groupss and one other can have an art festival. How does a 3rd art festival, even if for profit impact the entire summer? What about all the people it draws and helps surrounding businesses. Maybe even nonprofits could participate and benefit.

Did you read the petition? No, because if you did, your questions would have been answered.

From the link, it sounds like the 'for profit' promoter has bailed out for this summer. The petition is to keep out others in the future.

To be transparent...NOT FOR PROFIT entity does not mean a volunteer organization.....just no taxes on the declared "profit" of the nest. Otherwise it is no different than a for profit business.......people are paid, supplies bought, equipment is expensed, contracts put in place, etc.....just as in a for profit. Many think t is a volunteer, benevolent group.....not necessarily so. Red Cross president is paid $250 + with benes

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a not for profit.

Yes I read it Mtn Gramma. It did not answer the questions. Did you read it? No because if you did, you would see my questions were not answered. How does a 3rd art festival impact the entire summer? Why would they want to hurt businesses in Evergreen? For their own gain because they are just itty bitty little non profits and deserve preferential treatment?

Mtn Gramma wrote:

GreatGran wrote: You must be kidding right? Rather petty to decide because you are nonprofit that only your groupss and one other can have an art festival. How does a 3rd art festival, even if for profit impact the entire summer? What about all the people it draws and helps surrounding businesses. Maybe even nonprofits could participate and benefit.

Did you read the petition? No, because if you did, your questions would have been answered.

GreatGran wrote: Yes I read it Mtn Gramma. It did not answer the questions. Did you read it? No because if you did, you would see my questions were not answered. How does a 3rd art festival impact the entire summer? Why would they want to hurt businesses in Evergreen? For their own gain because they are just itty bitty little non profits and deserve preferential treatment?

How does a 3rd art festival, even if for profit impact the entire summer?

From the Petition:

We strongly believe that the introduction of a third art festival during the summer months, particularly a for-profit enterprise from outside our community, would detrimentally impact the two art festivals already scheduled by our principal local nonprofit art organizations, undoing years of hard work and planning.

snip

Normally, small to mid-size communities like Evergreen can only support one major festival per summer. Because of the extreme dedication of the two organizations’ members, Evergreen has been able to support two major festivals. Evergreen has limits on how many people can be drawn to multiple festivals, and is tapped out with these two main summer festivals. The success of the Open Door Studio in September could also be affected. There is no more room for additional art festivals in Evergreen. We strongly believe Howard Alan’s event could represent the death knell of one or more of our cherished nonprofit events.

Besides draining attendance, Mr. Alan’s marketing resources could lessen the pool of artists available to EAA and CAE. There are a limited number of good quality artists who choose to participate in art festivals. They have to be selective about which festivals they enroll in and how many events they can participate in. Many participate in only a few a year, and spread them around the country. It is unlikely top quality artists would attend two festivals in Evergreen in one year, particularly when they are a week apart.

I'm wondering whether it would be possible for the Arts Group to approach the issue from the perspective of how many events are conducted during the season, and when, as opposed to who is sponsoring those events? If the Group were to form a committee that vetted applications to hold the events, then the ones selected could be those the committee thought most appropriate, based on the variety of factors that I'd assume are important: the quality of the work, the pertinence of the exhibit to local interests, and so on.

Without forming an opinion about it, I thought it was interesting that the proposal is to "discriminate" (the word chosen) in a manner explained as being constitutionally protected and used effectively elsewhere.

Just saw this, from the Canyon Courier:

"The Evergreen Park and Recreation District defused a building controversy Tuesday night by announcing that a Florida-based arts festival scheduled for Buchanan Park this summer would be rescheduled or canceled.

Local nonprofit arts groups objected to the scheduling of the Howard Alan event, saying it would siphon attendance from Summerfest and and the Fine Arts Festival, two annual shows that raise funds for local nonprofit arts groups."


....but I didn't get it. How does "rescheduling or cancelling" resolve the local artists' concerns?

In the petition they acknowledge that it only puts the issue off for a year. They hope in that time to get the rec district to heed their request as set forth in the petition.