Left, Sally Johnson, TDAC executive director, holds up "Nature's Garden" while artist Kathryn discusses her work. Behind hang "Tree in Front of the Train Depot" by Valari Gibbs and "Bloomers" by Sally Ann Kortge, during a garden show artist's talk on May 9.
Left, Sally Johnson, TDAC executive director, holds up "Nature's Garden" while artist Kathryn discusses her work. Behind hang "Tree in Front of the Train Depot" by Valari Gibbs and "Bloomers" by Sally Ann Kortge, during a garden show artist's talk on May 9.
THE DALLES — Community support for The Dalles Art Center (TDAC) exceeded expectations in 2023, pulling the gallery back from a financial brink with some left over for a windy day, according to TDAC’s first-ever annual report.
This comes after the nonprofit was nearly forced to close in early spring of 2023 due to financial difficulties, as previously reported in Columbia Gorge News. In a move to cut expenses, TDAC’s former Executive Director Scott Stephenson left — receiving the board’s thanks for his leadership — that March, and hours were reduced while the board appealed to the community for funding.
That appeal was been answered, and TDAC seems back on track for a year of sustainable growth in arts programs through 2024. “We began 2023 with major financial hurdles and asked the community for their help,” wrote Board President Pam Westland, who also heads the volunteer program.
More than 400 donors and members supported the center in 202.
Community donations and memberships fill 50% of the center’s budget, and ongoing support will be needed to keep the doors open.
“When I speak with donors, one thing I learn is that they may not be aware of the increase in expenses to run our art center,” Westland wrote. Required insurance policies for hosting school groups on-site, and for the ADA-accessible historic gallery, rose to $7,000 a year and state-required testing for the elevator cost $9,000 just in 2024. “These are just two items that were much less expensive in the past. We also want to pay our wonderful employees a livable wage,” wrote Westland.
The new Windy Day Fund has helped the gallery weather the slow winter months, and Westland wrote they hope to grow this fund until it will cover six-to-nine months of operations, staving off another emergency.
The organization was founded in the 1950s by a group of plein air painters, and incorporated in 1959.
In 2023, TDAC “set new records for sales of artistic creations by local artists,” hosted 14 workshops and 10 art exhibits, and five artist’s talks. About 85% of the summer’s 68 Art Camp students were on some level of scholarship support.
To build out new adult and youth education programs, TDAC hired a second full-time employee, Education and Public Programs Specialist Ellen Woods Potter.
The board also set out to revamp TDAC’s position in the community, the report stated. “As part of our new strategic positioning for TDAC, we asked ourselves, ‘Why does a community art center matter now?’” Westland recounted.
“It turned out to be an important question. We are all dealing with the rapid pace of societal and technological changes ... Engaging in art increases brain agility and health for people of all ages and helps them develop critical thinking skills. Engaging in art does not mean you have to be ‘good at art.’ It can be creating art or looking at and discussing a piece of art,” she added.
Westland also referred to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s advisory on “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” released in May 2023. “Loneliness and isolation increase the risk of premature death to levels comparable to smoking two packs of cigarettes daily. The antidote to this epidemic comes from community connection programs and community organizations,” Westland noted.
Committees old and new meet to organize everything from maintenance of the grounds, to grant proposals. A new Community Arts Committee will meet monthly to help build exhibits and programs, and public art, in collaboration with the city. And a new Education Committee works on expanding art education within the community.
Since the 1970s, TDAC has occupied the 1910 Carnegie Library, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and been charged with maintaining it. “We paid $1, and it is our responsibility to care for it, or ownership reverts back to the city,” wrote Westland.
They hope to hire a historic architecture expert to conduct a full review. Some repairs are needed, with upcoming improvements to the walls paid for with grant funding, according to the report.
“We still need volunteers with specific skills such as grant writing and digital/social media marketing experience to help on-going,” Westland wrote. Other needs include document preservation and cataloging, committee membership, a volunteer coordinator, media communications and historical building maintenance and planning. They also hope for a volunteer with retail experience, who could extend the gallery’s hours through Wednesday, she wrote.
In 2023, about 75 volunteers spent more than 1,200 hours helping the center, about $54,000 in donated time.
“Our goals for 2024 are to build the foundations for increasing our mission impact with education and in securing a future for TDAC. Our new education offerings are building and we are seeing an increase in class registrations,” Westland wrote.
“We want to invite the community in with this report and share all the things we are doing,” she added. “We now have an updated mission to connect people in the greater Mid-Columbia Gorge region through engaging and exploring art because a creative and connected community thrives together.”
Those interested in becoming involved can call Westland at 541-296-4759 or email boardpresident@thedallesartcenter.org. Admission to TDAC is free. The gallery is located at 220 E. Fourth Street, The Dalles, and online at thedallesartcenter.com.
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