From Harford County Center for the Arts:
Area residents can get updates and share input on program and construction plans at one of three upcoming meetings.
The Harford County Center for the Arts (CFA) invites local residents, business partners and other interested organizations to provide input and get updates on program and construction plans at one of its upcoming community planning meetings:
– Wednesday, April 29 – Havre de Grace High School Media Center, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
– Thursday, April 30 – Abingdon Public Library, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
– Tuesday, May 5 – The John Carroll High School Brown Room, 5:00-7:00 pm.
According to Center for the Arts CEO Kathy Smith, the community meetings are intended to provide updates on upcoming events and fundraisers, share performance space options and seek feedback and community input.
Smith says, “Establishing a consistent line of communication with the community is a crucial part of our quest to build a physical home for the Arts in Harford County. These meetings will allow CFA to give important information about our progress, while also hearing from our members, supporters and other interested parties about their goals, concerns and wishes for the CFA. We invite all area residents to take part in these important dialogues.”
About the Center for the Arts (www.harfordcfa.org)-Founded in 2005, the Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a permanent site for performance, display, and education in the arts in Harford County, Maryland. The mission of the Center for the Arts is to nurture art and artists, and positively impact the community at large by providing a broad range of experiences in music, dance, theater, visual and literary arts.
Dear CFA: SInce you don’t post your financials on your website, please bring a summary of how much money has been raised since inception (10 years ago?), how much you have in the bank, and how much has gone towards, salaries, office expenses, consultants reports and feasibility studies. Thank you.
I think it is time to figure out what will be done with the money that has been raised that will never be used to build a center for the arts in Harford County and quit this ongoing fundraising scam. I can see them trying to build a wooden deck on the property and calling it a stage to meet the 2018 deadline of the Graham estate.
I remember when the Amoss Center was being built and it was billed as the performing arts venue to the County taxpayers…but then HCC and HCPS closed the doors to wider community use. Building another center when we already have one that is barely used is a big waste of money.
Do you know for a fact that this is a scam? If so, please post any information you have.
My previous comment was meant to be serious. I wasn’t being a wise guy. I would really like to know if this whole thing is a scam and if anyone knows anything about the money that’s been raised and where it has gone, if it is gone.
Info anyone?
As of December 31, 2013 (the latest publicly available Form 990), the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts’ only asset was a cash balance of $102,921. After 8 years of taking donors money, all it has to show for it is 1.2% of the estimated $8.3 million it needs to contribute as part of its 1/3rd share of the $25 million center price tag (down from $60 million). At that rate it will take the organization 639 years to raise the funds it needs by 2018. During 2013, the organization took in $235K, but spent $268K for a net loss. Clearly, the community has spoken that it does not wish to monetarily support such a center and the organization is a failure in terms of meeting its goals. To continue to solicit money for this endeavor is indeed a scam, since it is a project that will simply not happen.
Amen Sam!!!!! Huge amounts of money raised; not much to show for it; To whom it may concern at the Center for Arts: please produce and explain your inception-to-date numbers, or least put your financials for the past ten years on your website (as most 501-c3’s do) so that we can figure it out.
Embarrassing.
That’s what I was looking for. Thanks!
Do you know what exactly they would have in this facility? Concert hall, art gallery, etc, or know where I can find out?
I’m wondering what kind of events they would host in a center like this and if there is the expectation that the events would generate enough revenue to help pay for and/or sustain the center going forward.
The Center for the Arts had a business plan listed on their website but they took it down because it was such an embarrassment.
Based on their 5 year projection, even their best year showed a deficit of -$361,222. That included prices such as if an individual purchased an entire play series plan, the tickets would only be $60.00 per show.
And in that same one year’s rosy projection they anticipated total attendance being 282,189 people, greater than the entire population of Harford County.
That projection by the way included $ 2,153,062 in salaries and benefits.
Other items on the website over the last two weeks have been removed to cover their incompetence.
Four years after the “Memorandum of Understanding” was signed between County Executive David Craig and the Center for the Arts in 2011, you could still go to their website, and on the page under “Endowment” it said “Coming Soon”. On the page under “Capital Campaign” it said “Coming Soon”. It existed like that since 2011 until two weeks ago when “Endowment” and “Capital Campaign” were removed.
Taxpaying Citizens of Harford County, under the Memorandum of Understanding your tax dollars will be responsible the building of, maintenance of, and upkeep of this facility. And who do you think will have to pay for the annual deficits? This will be a perpetual albatross around your neck just like Ripken Stadium is to the taxpayer’s of Aberdeen.
Oh, but wait, no need to worry, Mary Ann Lisanti will just put in a bond debt bill in Annapolis to get all the Citizens of Maryland to help shoulder the cost of repairs, like she just did for Ripken Stadium.
Its been ten years, they’ve raised close to $2 million from generous community members who love the arts. They have less than $100k in the bank and nothing but a few signs to show for it. My God! They’ve “reset” 3 times and have spent shameful amounts of money on substance-less studies and and unrealistic plans. They’ve paid 100’s and 100’s of thousands of dollars in salaries and “consultant” reports. It is being run, to this day, like an amateur gravy train. If contributors or government agencies give them another dollar, it will be an embarrassing waste.
At what point do the good people of Harford just turn off the spigot and let CFA finally go away? This is a travesty.
60 bucks per show? What kind of shows are they planning to have that they expect people would pay that amount? And how many people do they expect would buy a whole series of shows, year after year?
“Wow”, they expect to create their own BSO, and host the touring rendition of “Cats” and the Beatles cover band, of course. $60 a ticket to start, Orchestra seats $100, and platinum suites maybe??
Don’t worry though, as soon as BRAC starts we’ll have tons of wealthy professionals begging for someone to take their money. Oh, wait….