Letter from the President of the Mendocino Art Center Board

December 19, 2022

Hello MAC Community,

What would Mendocino look like without the Art Center? It would be a very different place. The Art Center defined Mendocino in northern California as an artists’ mecca. This run down town went from decline to be filled with art galleries, music, theater, and even a world-class film festival. None of that would have happened without the steady presence of the Art Center, “the place where art happens.” Now is the time to decide if the community wants to continue to support this treasure. The pandemic hit us hard, we have used most of our reserves and now WE NEED YOUR HELP!

I realize this message is long, but I hope you will take time to read it and to respond.

The Art Center weathered the pandemic and long months of closure and is re-emerging as the creative heart of the North Coast. Although the MAC is not yet where we would like it to be financially, this past year saw many successes because of the support of those in the Mendocino community who stepped forward to help us re-open our doors. In 2022 we saw the reappearance of

• Thoughtful and educational exhibitions

• Students on campus

• A busy and well-designed gallery shop

• Artists-in-Residence who are developing their practice in the studios

• A new roof on the theater and apartment building

But perhaps most importantly, for our vision of an inclusive community in which the MAC plays a key role, Pomo artists from three different places along the coast came together at the Art Center during the pandemic and created the first tile mural (featuring our own Big River) on California Headlands State Parks property. This was our first partnership with the Pomo and we look forward to a continuing relationship through art with them. We honor and respect the thousands of years they have lived on this land. The May/June Pomo exhibition “We Are Still Here” showed the depth of their talent and joined a national movement to reconcile the relationship between cultures. There was a collaboration between MendoParks and the MAC with support from donors through various foundations to achieve this important step toward working together.

We believe it is the dawn of a new day with new opportunities to reengage with our many communities. We have a new sense of optimism, but also realize that the world we knew has changed dramatically. Which is why we need your help now.

Our optimism comes from two principal directions:

• The appointment of new management who have built a robust exhibition and education program and increased the revenue stream through grants from federal, State, and local agencies such as the Community Foundation of Mendocino County

• Special friends and supporters who made significant donations that enabled us to restart. This includes the Community Foundation of Mendocino County through the Jack & Chatter Bishoff fund

We reopened strong but by mid-year it was clear that our financial goals were not going to be met. Much of our traditional funding was not renewed and we saw a 25% loss in income. Responding to community interest and concerns through listening sessions funded by the Community Foundation, we have moved forward with a refreshed mission, vision and purpose – and we feel poised to reimagine the MAC with expanded community engagement and impact. We have launched a Community Advisory Council (CAC) and are currently creating a new strategic plan based on our post-pandemic vision. We estimate that it will take an additional eighteen months to complete the full recovery of MAC operations.

An intrinsic part of the culture and community of Mendocino for more than 60 years, our beloved art center is now in financial peril.

Will you help? We are requesting your consideration of an investment in the future of all that the Mendocino Art Center means to art, artists, tourism, cultural opportunities and our community. The matching fund appeal we announced earlier has brought in $25,000 in very welcome gifts from the community. Will you help us raise another $25,000 to complete the match?

I know there are many worthy causes to support this year, but the Art Center is a crucial part of the identity and economy of the Mendocino Coast. Your gift will ensure the future of this valued community treasure and give us time to reimagine a future that will endure for at least another 60 years.

What will your gift do for our community? It will help us return the Mendocino Art Center to full operational capacity by mid-2024 and allow us to undertake the following initiatives.

Education:

1. Renew our capacity to deliver a full roster of classes for all

2. Create a new youth education program

3. Continue to develop the artists in residence working space

4. Increase our public outreach through teaching and learning with a focus on diversity and inclusion.

5. Include classes that are subsidized or free to the public to allow participation from all regardless of income level or abilities.

Infrastructure:

1. Maintain our efforts to execute necessary upgrades to the aging building and grounds

2. Complete the Stussy Frankel Sculpture Garden and renovate the studio courtyard.

Programming:

1. Continue to develop the MAC as the creative hub of the north coast by offering a community space to gather and to learn.

2. Re-engage the multiple communities that have called the MAC home

Please help secure our role and future for a vibrant Mendocino community as the creative hub of the North Coast and the place where art happens.

Your investment in the renaissance of the Mendocino Art Center is an investment in our community. Please consider a generous gift before year end.

Sincerely,

Debra Lennox
Board President
Mendocino Art Center