Proposal:
Manifest is a not for profit, membership driven community arts center.
Our mandate is to provide a space for artists and art lovers to create, congregate, network, display and purchase products, in an environment that promotes interaction with one another.
For fundraising, Manifest relies primarily on members, each of who either pay a quarterly membership fee ($25) or a monthly live/work membership ($500) in order to participate in Manifest events, use manifest tools and equipment, have a vote electing the board of directors and generally be considered a Manifest member.
What we actually provide for our members is a studio space for artists to work on their art, woodworking, steel-working and other tools that artists need for their work, as well as a storefront and gallery to display and sell their work. These resources are available to all members in good standing (who have paid their membership.) Our live/work spaces are made available to those paying for live/work membership. These to specific artists are willing to pay a premium for their own smaller studio space, which can serve as storage space for their own equipment, bulky materials, or as a place to sleep, etc...
We would establish a theatre in the space, since many Manifest members are performance artists who need rehearsal space, and an affordable venue that they can rent for performances.
Finally, we would establish a cafe in the space, as the large number of members, member's friends, art lovers, theatre goers and customers would provide a steady clientele. Furthermore, revenue would be generated through the rental of space for classes (dance, yoga, martial art, etc...) and workshops (healing, music production, etc...) Finally, another source of revenue generation would be the occasional rental of the space as a music venue (approx 8 or 9 thousands sq feet) , as well as the hosting of a monthly “Manifest” music event.
This arrangement is beneficial to artists not only because their rental fees are significantly lower through collective membership then by renting their own space, but also because a space in which so many different artists and art lovers congregate provides them with inspiration, networking opportunities, a ready clientele, and a sense of belonging to a community. All of this makes membership in the Manifest community an attractive choice for artists.
In order to develop the Manifest community, our executive organizes evening events, such as gallery openings, music nights, potlucks, public talks on environmental, political, artistic, and cultural subjects, catered dinners, theatre performances, movie nights, etc... This not only brings new people into the community and makes the Manifest space a “destination”, but it also gives us further opportunity to generate revenue through admittance fees and through our cafe.
Manifest is a registered not for profit co-operative. This means that while we may in the future have paid employees, and we already have a board of directors who make executive decisions, nobody “owns” the company, and nobody gets to keep the final profit. All profit generated stays within the organization.
Also, Manifest is member-driven, and democratic. Thus, the board of directors who make executive decisions are elected by the membership. A monthly meeting - open to everyone, but where only members may vote – is the ultimate decision making body for the space. A separate live/work council (made up of current live/work members) would have some autonomy to make decisions pertaining specifically to issues affecting people living in the space.
Layout:
(A) The central room (approx 3000 sq feet) with would be renovated into a storefront, gallery, and cafe and bar. It would be a comfortable common space with tables, chairs, couches, etc for people to congregate and socialize during the day, and smaller music events would be hosted here in the evenings. It has it's own entrance.
(B) The large space behind bar/cafe (approx 5000 sq feet) would be our central workshop area. Tools and equipment would be stored in such a way as to wheel them to a workspace and then wheel them back into storage afterwords. It has a pair of loading dock doors that would allow us to bring in even large quantities of materials for large installation art projects.
This space would also be decorated with drapery and we would install theatre curtains, lighting racks, a small PA system, etc... it would double as a theatre and auditorium in the evenings. This space would also be the primary dancefloor for larger two room music events. Tools and equipment would be wheeled away into storage while chairs and modular staging would be set up in it's place.
(C) Finally, the outer layer of freezers and storage units (approx 4000sq feet) would function as storage for manifest owned tools, equipment, seating, staging, etc... or be portioned off to individual live/work members as studio space, or as storage for their own equipment and materials in the case of very large projects.
Our mandate is to provide a space for artists and art lovers to create, congregate, network, display and purchase products, in an environment that promotes interaction with one another.
For fundraising, Manifest relies primarily on members, each of who either pay a quarterly membership fee ($25) or a monthly live/work membership ($500) in order to participate in Manifest events, use manifest tools and equipment, have a vote electing the board of directors and generally be considered a Manifest member.
What we actually provide for our members is a studio space for artists to work on their art, woodworking, steel-working and other tools that artists need for their work, as well as a storefront and gallery to display and sell their work. These resources are available to all members in good standing (who have paid their membership.) Our live/work spaces are made available to those paying for live/work membership. These to specific artists are willing to pay a premium for their own smaller studio space, which can serve as storage space for their own equipment, bulky materials, or as a place to sleep, etc...
We would establish a theatre in the space, since many Manifest members are performance artists who need rehearsal space, and an affordable venue that they can rent for performances.
Finally, we would establish a cafe in the space, as the large number of members, member's friends, art lovers, theatre goers and customers would provide a steady clientele. Furthermore, revenue would be generated through the rental of space for classes (dance, yoga, martial art, etc...) and workshops (healing, music production, etc...) Finally, another source of revenue generation would be the occasional rental of the space as a music venue (approx 8 or 9 thousands sq feet) , as well as the hosting of a monthly “Manifest” music event.
This arrangement is beneficial to artists not only because their rental fees are significantly lower through collective membership then by renting their own space, but also because a space in which so many different artists and art lovers congregate provides them with inspiration, networking opportunities, a ready clientele, and a sense of belonging to a community. All of this makes membership in the Manifest community an attractive choice for artists.
In order to develop the Manifest community, our executive organizes evening events, such as gallery openings, music nights, potlucks, public talks on environmental, political, artistic, and cultural subjects, catered dinners, theatre performances, movie nights, etc... This not only brings new people into the community and makes the Manifest space a “destination”, but it also gives us further opportunity to generate revenue through admittance fees and through our cafe.
Manifest is a registered not for profit co-operative. This means that while we may in the future have paid employees, and we already have a board of directors who make executive decisions, nobody “owns” the company, and nobody gets to keep the final profit. All profit generated stays within the organization.
Also, Manifest is member-driven, and democratic. Thus, the board of directors who make executive decisions are elected by the membership. A monthly meeting - open to everyone, but where only members may vote – is the ultimate decision making body for the space. A separate live/work council (made up of current live/work members) would have some autonomy to make decisions pertaining specifically to issues affecting people living in the space.
Layout:
(A) The central room (approx 3000 sq feet) with would be renovated into a storefront, gallery, and cafe and bar. It would be a comfortable common space with tables, chairs, couches, etc for people to congregate and socialize during the day, and smaller music events would be hosted here in the evenings. It has it's own entrance.
(B) The large space behind bar/cafe (approx 5000 sq feet) would be our central workshop area. Tools and equipment would be stored in such a way as to wheel them to a workspace and then wheel them back into storage afterwords. It has a pair of loading dock doors that would allow us to bring in even large quantities of materials for large installation art projects.
This space would also be decorated with drapery and we would install theatre curtains, lighting racks, a small PA system, etc... it would double as a theatre and auditorium in the evenings. This space would also be the primary dancefloor for larger two room music events. Tools and equipment would be wheeled away into storage while chairs and modular staging would be set up in it's place.
(C) Finally, the outer layer of freezers and storage units (approx 4000sq feet) would function as storage for manifest owned tools, equipment, seating, staging, etc... or be portioned off to individual live/work members as studio space, or as storage for their own equipment and materials in the case of very large projects.