2021-614-E-Arts Commission-Chelsea Art Theater-Restary the Arts

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Provide a brief description of your pre-pandemic core arts-related programming or offerings. Pre-pandemic we were open 365 days a year with between 6 and 12 separate shows open to the public daily. A mix of features (fiction) and documentaries, in 2019 ov er 80% of our offerings were award winners, whether at international or national film festiv als and/or the Academy Awards. Programming is div erse, with conscious efforts to select films that reflect a div ersity of directors, performers, v iewpoints, subjects, source material, and historical periods. The general profile of programs is as follows: • Multiple daily public showings of at least 3 separate films booked for a minimum of one to two or more weeks each. 2019 examples: If Beale Street Could Talk, The Souv enir, Shoplifters, Parasite, Cold W ar, Amazing Grace, Biggest Little Farm. • Special ev ents, generally single showings or a limited series. Examples: REEL Israel Film Festiv al; Adam (area premier of nationally released film by a Chapel Hill nativ e). • Educational programs such as lectures/facilitated conv ersations, and panel discussions, held in conjunction with films. in 2022. Examples: Cinema School, 2018- 20 (collaboration with Carolina Public Humanities); Chelsea Teen Film Club on hiatus due to the pandemic but expected to resume 2022( • Use of theater by other groups. W e make the facilities av ailable at reasonable cost to educational and nonprofit groups. Examples: OLLI (Duke Univ ersity); v arious UNC-Chapel Hill Departments; the Consortium of Latin American Studies at UNC and Duke. W hile the majority of our audience are Orange County residents, many from other parts of the Triangle and beyond attend and support us. Demographically, attendees are on the older side of fifty, similar to art house theaters across the country. Informal surv eys that compared audience composition with the div ersity of films shown indicate that audience demographics are approximately 79% Caucasian, 12% Black or African American, 6% Asian, and 3% Latinx Senior citizens/the elderly benefit from the Chelsea as a place to hav e a meaningful social connection and engage in a stimulating experience. The Chelsea has affordable pricing, accessible and easy to nav igate facilities, assistiv e listening and closed caption dev ices av ailable, free parking, and adjacency to major arteries and bus lines. Please explain the impact of your organization on the Orange County community in a typical year. The Chelsea has a 31-year history in Chapel Hill, originally one of three theaters owned by the founder, and one of at least fiv e former North Carolina owned and contemporaneously operated mov ie theaters. Today, amidst a declining number of theaters locally and nationally, the Chelsea is noteworthy for its commitment to cinema arts and its focus on connecting with and being part of the community. The renov ations completed this year will ensure that v isitors will hav e the highest quality of cinematic experience for years to come. The most immediate measure of impact is attendance and ticket sales, with 47,000 attendees in the year prior to closing. Often, the most successful films hav e been documentaries such as RBG, the inspiring documentary about the late Supreme Court Justice; and Fantastic Fungi, an exploration of the mysterious and medicinal world DocuSign Envelope ID: BCBCDC13-1B41-4389-8311-B12D1009DAC0