Recent commentary, in the Juneau Empire and elsewhere, raises questions concerning the role the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council plays in the life of the city, how it is supported by CBJ, and what CBJ gets in return. People also wonder about the relationship between the Council and Centennial Hall. Here are some answers.
The Council, the designated arts agency for the CBJ, runs the Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC), the old Armory building, which the CBJ accepted from the state and then turned over to the Council in 2007 to house arts and culture activities. An arts and culture center, as “an auxiliary for Centennial Hall”, is in the CBJ’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2008.
Currently the CBJ allocates $167,500 to the Council to distribute among various arts groups. The Assembly previously distributed these funds itself; 12 years ago it turned the task of re-granting the arts and culture funds over to the Council in its role as the City’s designated arts agency. (It took three years to work out a process that all the affected groups agreed on.)
This year, $109,750 went to Juneau Community Bands, Juneau Dance Theatre, Juneau Jazz &Classics, Juneau Lyric Opera, Juneau Symphony, The Orpheus Project, Perseverance Theatre, Sealaska Heritage Institute and The Canvas, with a smaller sum set aside for individual artists, small requests, and to partially subsidize some of the rent of the JACC by arts groups. The Council received the remaining $57,750 for its operations.
That $57,750 represents 8 percent of the Council’s total operating budget of a little over $750,000. The balance is generated through the Council’s own efforts. With CBJ’s support, it leverages substantial funds to manage a vibrant arts and culture program for Juneau, including:
• $66,000/year for after-school art programs at Cedar Park and Geneva Woods (a grant from the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation);
• About $75,000 from sales of art exhibited in the JACC;
• Just over $100,000 from ticket sales, poster hanging and other services;
• $120,000 for arts education programming in the school district, from the Margaret Cargill Foundation and Alaska State Council on the Arts;
• About $120,000 in donations from individuals and businesses;
• Roughly $140,000 from rental income for all types of events;
• About $150,000 from fundraising events, particularly Wearable Arts;
With the income it generates, the Council provides many services and opportunities in the community, which, together with the work of other arts organizations, resulted in Juneau being ranked by the National Center for Arts Research as one of the top 10 small towns in the nation for arts vibrancy, where creative people want to move to — the only Alaskan community ever to receive such a designation. In addition, it successfully manages and contributes to the improvement of the city-owned facility, the JACC.
To look at it from a purely economic point of view, the City’s $57,750 investment in the Council is putting a little over $700,000 annually back into the community. In my biased but considered opinion, the CBJ’s investment in the Council pays huge dividends for Juneau. The faith the Assembly showed in 2007 when it turned the Armory over to the Council has been richly rewarded.
Some question whether the JACC competes with Centennial Hall. It does not. The initial intent of the JACC was to serve as “Ballroom 4.” Through the years, that has been harder to accomplish: Centennial Hall is limited by city regulations that make it very hard to offer flexible service and hospitality in the same way that the JACC does. We do our best to collaborate and work together with the Centennial Hall staff in any way we can. The community is served by both the JACC and Centennial Hall, both CBJ facilities. So the Council’s success is a success for everyone.
Finally, readers should know that the New JACC is planned to work closely with Centennial Hall. Situated next to Centennial Hall and designed to complement event spaces, spatially aligned with easy accessibility between the two, the New JACC will enhance Centennial Hall and Juneau’s ability to attract conventions and other large groups, and build our economy.
• Nancy DeCherney is the executive director of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council.
