LAAFF leader issues plea to community: Help us re-imagine LAAFF

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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LAAFF’s 2012 innovations–a new pub crawl, paying musicians–did not pay off, and in summer it faced a shortfall of over $10K, affecting its 2012 programming and its ability to put on LAAFF 2013.

The backstory is here: No more LAAFF? Event’s nonprofit sponsor in ‘financial bind’ and here
More on LAAFF: Organizers face $10K-$15K shortfall after new pub crawl event

Yesterday, Arts2People Executive Director Jennifer Gordon issued a new plea to the community, formally asking for financial support and community input to keep LAAFF alive as a community collaboration. The organization is forming a volunteer team that seeks to re-vision LAAFF.

Select quotes:

“We recognize and value that this event has meaning and purpose but is currently flawed and as a result we are in the process of re-visioning this event to change it to meet the community’s needs and desires.”

“In the effort to ensure the sustainability and continuity of LAAFF, Arts 2 People would like to give the event to you, the community, to design. LAAFF has always been a celebration of you and your creative, entrepreneurial spirit and we would like for you to consider joining forces with a newly forming re-visioning team to help us re-imagine this event. The re-visioning team needs help working on potential new avenues for financing the event, developing new content, and reshaping the way the audience engages. The goal is to keep our current staff, but to create a new business model, and steering committee to help craft a newly recreated event that is truly a collaboration.”

LAAFF Executive Director Jennifer Gordon

Here is the full text of Gordon’s letter:

Dear Co-Conspirators,

It’s been a stressful and hectic few months post LAAFF. As many of you know, the event took a serious financial blow which has left Arts2People in debt to several of our long time vendors. Our desire to grow the event to help accommodate all of the overwhelming interest to participate lead us to create new opportunities within an expanded physical footprint that did not turn out successfully for many of the new vendors who joined us at this year’s LAAFF. I have had countless emails from people who are upset, disappointed, and concerned and I want it to be well known that I too have these same feelings about the situation. I pour my life’s blood into this event because I believe in it. I believe in what LAAFF represents in our community. It is the reason that I do what I do.

LAAFF is an essential component that has helped identify what we want our community to look like, how we want to interact with each other, and what we as a collective hold as authentic and true. Despite the current issues, you all have expressed that you still feel that this is an event that is worth saving. From voting LAAFF, Mt. Xpress: Best Local Festival and Best Public Art Event, to the 100′s of you who donated what you could, and the local business owners like Franzi & Kip at Hip Replacements, Joel Hartzler at the Dirty South, Will Rice at Henco, Virtue, Downtown Books and News, The Glass Foundation, and so many more for helping us raise funds.

We recognize and value that this event has meaning and purpose but is currently flawed and as a result we are in the process of re-visioning this event to change it to meet the community’s needs and desires. In the effort to ensure the sustainability and continuity of LAAFF, Arts 2 People would like to give the event to you, the community, to design. LAAFF has always been a celebration of you and your creative, entrepreneurial spirit and we would like for you to consider joining forces with a newly forming re-visioning team to help us re-imagine this event. The re-visioning team needs help working on potential new avenues for financing the event, developing new content, and reshaping the way the audience engages. The goal is to keep our current staff, but to create a new business model, and steering committee to help craft a newly recreated event that is truly a collaboration.

If you would like more information on this process or want to contribute your ideas, please email me: [email protected]

As for my relationship to Arts 2 People, in 2012, I donated over 2000 hours to this organization which indicates how dedicated I am to the vision of what Arts2People can be. Over the next few months, I will be working to revise what Arts2People is and does as an organization in Asheville, NC 2013. I want to run an organization that leads the way in engaging people to develop creative solutions to public problems. I want Arts2People to support and sponsor grassroots efforts in a sustainable way. I personally want to make more art and make sure that everyone who wants to, gets a chance to do so as well. I can’t do this alone though and am making a public request for community support. If you are so inclined or just crazy enough, please send me an email with a letter of interest and potential skills that you might bring to the board of directors.

As we head into the new year, I am re-inspired by the community that supports my efforts, I am excited about the future of Arts2People and my opportunity to collaborate with the amazingly creative people who surround me, and I am eternally optimistic that it’s all going to be alright.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Gordon
Executive Director, Arts2People

Gordon’s letter is online here.

Arts2People website with donation link here

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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