By ANN RICHARDS
Concert halls and museums aren't the only places where arts and cultural activities take place. Art fairs and galleries, festivals and public television all provide access for members of the public who are looking for inexpensive entertainment with an educational focus.
In addition to its multiyear program of support to the Flint's Cultural Center’s member institutions, the Mott Foundation over the years has provided general operating and project support for smaller groups that make important contributions to Genesee County’s rich store of arts and culture offerings.
In 2007 the Foundation granted $200,000 in multiyear support to the Genesee Chamber Foundation for the ongoing operation of Red Ink Studios. Red Ink, located in a former warehouse and showroom near downtown, provideswork space for about 30 artists across several mediums, including painting, sculpture, illustration, large-scale installation art, photography and performing arts. Red Ink also serves as a community gathering place and is used for receptions, exhibitions and other community activities.
The Greater Flint Arts Council (GFAC) also received $200,000 in multiyear support in 2007. The council, located in downtown Flint, offers a variety of programs and events, including its 2nd Friday Artwalk, a monthly gallery tour featuring music, food and art exhibits downtown.
Since 1998, the Foundation has provided nearly $2 million in operating and project support to the arts council, which works collaboratively with local artists, dozens of small and emerging arts agencies, as well as area schools and businesses.
The Parade of Festivals, another GFAC program, began in 1999 with Mott funding. The goal is to maximize the impact of established downtown events and cultivate newer and smaller festivals and events through coordinated marketing. In 2007, the council received $120,000 in Mott funding for the program.
Other local arts organizations receiving funding include:
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the Floyd McCree Theatre, which creates main stage productions that serve as outlets for the acting, dance, musical and creative writing talents of inner city youth;
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Buckham Fine Arts Project, a downtown gallery that has presented more than 200 exhibitions, poetry readings, films and performances over the years; and
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Tapology, a weekend festival that exposes several hundred students from Flint schools to the technique and history of tap dancing. The event also features instruction and competition that attracts dance students from throughout mid-Michigan as well as two public performances by the visiting artists at the University of Michigan-Flint theater.
In 2006, the Foundation granted the University of Michigan $640,900 to digitalize and upgrade its Flint-based public television station, bringing total support for the preservation and modernization of WFUM (Channel 28) to more than $3 million. UM anticipates the digital format will open multiple channels for student and public educational and informational programming.