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DocuSign Envelope ID: 3FC3B8AA-4A9D-4291-AC40-454666F4E041 <br /> The Arts Center <br /> Nat Always I nsplrinp, <br /> Katie Murray August 7,2017 <br /> Orange County Arts Commission <br /> 200 S Cameron St <br /> Hillsborough,NC 27278 <br /> (919)245-2335 <br /> Ms. Murray <br /> Based on conversations between you and Dan Mayer,our Executive Director,The ArtsCenter requests <br /> $5,000 to support our 2017-18 family-friendly performance series— ArtSparks—through its new <br /> complimentary community tickets program. <br /> We have spent the past 2 years,surveying our participating parents and community agencies serving <br /> youth and families, so we could design an Art Sparks series of 5 shows, specifically formulated to meet <br /> family needs for an affordable,high-quality experience featuring the arts of dance,music, classic cinema, <br /> poetry,acrobatics,and storytelling. <br /> Need:The population of Orange County NC has quite varied levels of education, income, property <br /> ownership,and access to the arts. The poverty rate in Chapel Hill is 22.1%;Carrboro's rate is 13.8%and <br /> Hillsborough's rate is 21.3%. Many area venues offer family rates or discounted youth pricing,but few <br /> indoor performance events are available for free for entire families.Put together,these facts and statistics <br /> indicate that many families in our county who would like to participate in the arts have limit financial <br /> resources to do so, especially for the entire family. When we offered free tickets to a family-friendly <br /> dance program last year as a trial,the offer was enthusiastically supported by families ranging size from <br /> 2-8 members. <br /> The Rockefeller Foundation study entitled, "From Creative Economy to Creative Society,"cited the <br /> following: <br /> • Virtually all social impact studies find a consistent set of positive neighborhood effects associated <br /> with community arts and culture.They bridge long-term barriers of class and ethnicity as well as <br /> age and gender.They foster social and institutional connections both within and between <br /> neighborhoods.They animate public spaces.They create value in the form of physical amenities <br /> and quality of the built environment. <br /> • Residents who participate in the arts and culture tend to engage as well in other types of <br /> community activities.Moreover,the presence of cultural organizations in a neighborhood <br /> stimulates local community participation overall. <br /> • SIAP [Social Impact of the Arts Project] has documented a connection between community <br /> culture and child welfare: low-income block groups with high cultural participation were more <br /> than twice as likely to have very low truancy and delinquency as other low-income <br /> neighborhoods. <br /> ArtSparks Series concept: In designing this series,we have sought out performances accessible to a <br /> wide age range, so appropriate events can be enjoyed and appreciated by all members of the family who <br /> participate. Our marketing will provide clear guidance on age appropriateness, so families can decide if <br /> an activity is suitable for them. We have chosen family-friendly dates for shows, start and finish times, <br /> lengths of performances, and lengths of intervals and breaks. We have included bilingual performers and <br /> shows that feature strong visual components that reach beyond language barriers. <br /> 300 G f a 5t 1' ffin $trcet, Ca rrburao,: C 27510 P 919 929.2" "7 a F 919.909.8574 www a rtseenterlive.org° <br />