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Letter: From Arts Longmont

Dear Arts Longmont Artists and Supporters, We want to let you all know about recent developments with the Arts Longmont Gallery and make sure you are all aware of the process we will be going through to do everything we can to keep a vibrant and acti
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Photo from Arts Longmont Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/artslongmont/)

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Dear Arts Longmont Artists and Supporters,

We want to let you all know about recent developments with the Arts Longmont Gallery and make sure you are all aware of the process we will be going through to do everything we can to keep a vibrant and active art gallery in downtown Longmont.

Why is the gallery important for the community?

The gallery accounts for fully one-half of our attendance each year and is an important part of our mission to provide a venue for local and regional visual artists to show their work. We have increased our educational programming in the gallery so that it is becoming a more important part of our educational mission. It is also a key component in our Arts Longmont Studio Tour program because it is the venue for a month-long exhibition that features the work of our 50 participating Studio Tour artists. A significant portion of the 5,000 Studio Tour visitors come to the gallery to get an overview of the Tour artists before participating in the Studio Tour weekend. The gallery also provides an important "public face" to Arts Longmont. This commitment to the gallery was reaffirmed at the Board's planning session in the fall of 2017.

What are the issues facing the gallery?

The gallery is not a profit center and operates at a deficit. That deficit is covered by general operating dollars raised through grants, donations and sponsorships. In October 2018, the lease for the gallery expires. In 2015 we were paying $1,890 and are now at $2,100 per month. Discussions with the property owner indicate our rent will increase about 19% from $2100 to $2500 per month with additional increases to come. Annual rent increases are not sustainable for the organization in the near, intermediate or long term. Securing a new, more permanent and sustainable space for the gallery is our most pressing challenge and will have implications for the organization for years to come.

What are we doing to secure a sustainable space for the gallery in the long term?

We are actively working with the City of Longmont and the Longmont Downtown Development Authority to identify and secure a space in the Creative District for the gallery. If a suitable space cannot be found by October, Arts Longmont will request additional funding from the City of Longmont to cover the increased rent for 2018. In the event we do not find a new gallery space and the City does not increase our funding, Arts Longmont will be forced to close the gallery and move staff to a small office space. We will store our gallery equipment until suitable space is located. We will continue to offer all the rest of our programs: Art Around Town, Friday Afternoon Concerts, Studio Tour and our school educational programs.

We appreciate any support you all might be able to provide as we move forward. We may need to call on you as we seek city/county support.

Please feel free to contact us at any time with ideas/input. Thank you for being a valuable member of the art community in Longmont and for your support of Arts Longmont.

Sincerely,

Ashton Lacy Jones                                        Marianne Lorenz

Board President                                             Executive Director

 To contact Arts Longmont Gallery please visit their website, email at [email protected], or call 303.678.7869.
This is a press release from Arts Longmont Gallery, published by the Longmont Observer as a public service.