Statements
Mission
Our mission is to educate, elevate and enhance our community through the transformative power of the arts.
Background
The Friends of the Hendersonville Arts Council was originally created in 2015 as a 501c3 fundraising arm of the Hendersonville Arts Council (HAC), a 50+year-old organization supported by the city of Hendersonville, which established itself as the area's primary arts and cultural provider. In Summer 2017 the Board voted to restructure/ rebrand the organization, expanding its programming and staff, and renaming it the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (MACC). HAC continues to exist (in name only) as a government entity but is no longer affiliated with the active and community-recognized 501c3 organization which operates as Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, or "the MACC".
MACC is the only organization of its kind in Sumner County that provides museum-quality local and national art exhibitions, arts education classes and cultural experiences for 35,000 local residents and visitors yearly. MACC serves our community's youth, adults, and seniors with a variety of specialized weekly classes and outreach/ healing art programs throughout the year focusing on the creation of art, as well as exhibiting work that recognizes our region's rich artistic talents. Rising artists are given opportunities to grow in skill and reputation while being mentored by quality arts instructors. A host of nationally recognized, award-winning artists and their works are introduced to the community through free to the public exhibition openings, master classes and unique events.
Built circa 1850's, Monthaven (also known as the LB Fite Residence) is an historic Greek Revival style mansion listed on the National Historic Register as well as the Tennessee Civil War and Ring of Fire Trails. The story of our region's heritage is tied to this land and this historic home, tracing back to an era even before Tennessee was officially a state. The long-term vision for the MACC includes its transformation into an exemplary jewel-box museum, exhibition space and cultural hub that draws national and international visitors to our community and cultivates the lives of Middle Tennessee area residents.
Steps are being taken toward the launch of an ambitious long-range plan, including a multi-phase campus expansion with amenities such as a dedicated youth arts education building, performing arts center, outdoor amphitheater, bug/pollinator museum and butterfly atrium, and a military veteran artist museum. The campus will also include walking trails, botanical and sculptural gardens, & water features.
Impact
Accomplishments: 1) Internal and online organizational rebranding campaign: from Hendersonville Arts Council to Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (logo, letterhead, website, email system, internal documents) 2) Staff transitions since 2017: new Executive Director, Educational Coordinator, Grants Director, Deputy Director, Chief Operating Officer, Social Media manager, Development Director, Healing Arts Coordinator 3) Strategic expansion and diversification of Board membership that better represents the surrounding community, as well as recruitment of strategic Advisory Boards 4) Exponential annual expansion of programming. Enrollment in year-round Youth Arts After School programs, weekly Arts for homeschoolers and adult art programs, and Summer Youth Art Camps surpassed 800 students in FY23, up from 35 total students in 2017. All after-school youth programs have a consistently booked enrollment. 5) Phase Two of Monthaven mansion historic renovation completed, which includes gallery wood floors and carpeting, second floor repairs, lighting improvements, security, and more. 6) MACC Memberships have grown to reach more than 500 individual, families, philanthropists and corporate patrons since its inception in Summer 2017. 7) Phenomenal financial growth has led to a 1000%+ increase in annual revenues from $82,614 in FY17 to $837,867 in FY23 (a span of 6 years) and FY24 anticipated budget is $873,000. Annual gala and veterans fundraiser events have brought unprecedented donor support. 8) Hosted (10) major solo and collective visual art exhibitions in FY23, featuring the work of 57 local, regional and internationally recognized professional artists, as well as 170 student artists enrolled in 14 Sumner County Middle and High Schools. Gallery tours, artist master classes, lunch and learn events offered annually. Specialized classes for seniors, veterans, homeschoolers, special needs youth, dance performances, music/arts festivals, fashion-themed, holiday events are held annually. 9) Partnerships with local schools/nonprofits/service providers through EC:CO community outreach program, serving 4000+ participants annually through in person artmaking activities and virtual experiences. 10) Monthaven continues to receive more significant annual publicity than ever before, including multiple front-page Tennesseean articles, several articles in the Nashville Arts Magazine, Talk of the Town feature broadcasts, and Channel 5 news broadcasts, and more. 11) "Between the Lines" healing art program launched in FY21 provides free ongoing critical therapeutic opportunities for creative expression among hundreds of troubled teens, veterans, single mothers overcoming homelessness or abuse, and other vulnerable populations experiencing trauma, loss, depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, self-harm, and other life-threatening concerns.
Goals : The FY24 year will provide many new museum-quality exhibitions featuring regionally and internationally recognized artists and historic collections. We anticipate continued success in educational programming, healing arts and community outreach, as well as additional anticipated opportunities for local and regional publicity. The Veterans program fundraisers and Moonlight and Magnolias gala will also continue to expand and reach new audiences and supporters in the coming year. New goals :1) Successfully grow Between the Lines program/ expand EC:CO outreach 2) Multiple FY24 groundbreaking exhibitions (and two touring exhibits) that raise the bar on MACC's reputation for excellence 3)Hire a Membership Liason to aid in management and recruitment of new yearly MACC members 4) Raise funding to begin construction on dedicated youth arts enrichment building. 5)Continue building fundraising campaigns and local/corporate grant-making efforts to exponentially build general operating, staffing goals, programming support, and capital improvements. 6) Grow MACC volunteer docents/JR docents program.
Needs
Current Needs: 1)Continued expansion/ diversification of general operating, staffing, program support, and sponsorship funding from local, state, corporate and private donor sources. (increase of $200-300K) 2) Implementation of a Capital Campaign and introductions to potential stakeholders/key donors for the acquisition of land and other expansion-related goals, including the desperately-needed on-campus construction of a dedicated youth arts enrichment center. (volunteer advisory services, up to $30K) 3) Consultation, building materials, specialized labor, and funding to continue upgrades to Monthaven's interior and exterior spaces, including some structural restoration and eventual creation of historical archive room. (material donations and/or volunteer services $100K+) 4) Strategic partnerships with local nonprofits and businesses to expand community outreach programming, sponsorship and fundraising support, specialized volunteerism (i.e. docent program) and membership campaign efforts. 5) Continuing recruitment of a diverse representation of board and advisory board members who can connect the organization to various local and corporate resources. (volunteer services)
CEO Statement
As Executive Director (appointed October 2017), I am excited to continue the plans for growth and long-range vision I have set in motion together with our organization since the beginning of 2017. As a resident of Hendersonville for well over 30 years I have watched Sumner County flourish. The arts are the most natural direction of growth I see us embracing as a community. I am honored to reach out and expand our unique campus and history, bringing world class art exhibits to our area and increasing the opportunity to educate and enrich all our children in the quest of artistic expression and understanding. We believe that everyone benefits from the Arts and we strive to make them accessible to everyone. We achieve this by offering gallery exhibits, affordable creative classes, workshops, camps, concerts, and special events to the entire community. Our organization is diverse, our standards are high and our offerings are produced exclusively by the most educated and experienced individuals from our community.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Strichik
Board Chair Statement
The passion with which I became a board member of the Arts Council and Friends is still, at the core, that of an artist. However, that passion quickly took on another dimension as it became apparent that the Arts Council might be a hidden cultural gem in our community. It was happenstance three years ago when I took a painting class there and first learned of the council's existence. If I had lived here many years, unaware of its existence, how many others might not know of the great resource it is for our community. This quickly led me to believe there may be many others in our community like me. When I became Chair last year there were many changes in progress. The profile of the board was evolving as seats were vacated and, more importantly, we interviewed and hired a new Executive Director who brought in new energy and exciting ideas. With our newly formed board, she was able to develop a new vision and branding for our organization which reflects the potential role Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center could have for our region as a cultural hub for the arts. Building upon the recently established 501c3 status for the organization, first time since the inception of the council forty years ago. Her dedication to the organization is unparalleled. She provides professional acumen, maturity, expertise in gallery curation and acquisition of museum-quality exhibitions, fundraising and capital campaigning, management of operations and staff, and hours of tireless service to see the vision fulfilled. Board governance is a strong part of my responsibility as Chair. Last July, before assuming my new role on the Board, I attended a seminar at The Center for Nonprofit Management on Developing a Dynamic Board. As a result, I funded a consultant to conduct a day long strategic planning session with all the members on our Board. Recently we included a small training and script for board members to make calls and ask for membership. We have established ourselves as a working board and are challenged to increase membership, contributions, sponsorships and grants. As most charitable groups, money is tough to raise but paramount to our success. The grant you provide will help us sustain a very dynamic Executive Director, grow the organization, reach our short and long term goals and provide a greater service to our community.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts & Culture |
| Secondary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Art Museums |
| Tertiary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts Education |
Areas Served
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is located in Sumner County at the gateway of Hendersonville, TN, less than a mile northeast of Davidson County. Monthaven primarily serves Sumner and Davidson counties, with a reach that impacts residents throughout the Southeast region of the US. Monthaven's galleries host thousands of national and international visitors annually.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Williamson |
