SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Designate the Clearwater Arts Alliance as the official Arts Alliance for the city of Clearwater and adopt Resolution 24-06.
Body
SUMMARY:
The Clearwater Arts Alliance (originally called Clearwater Arts Foundation Inc.) was created in 1999 as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and was co-founded by former City of Clearwater Cultural Arts Director Margo Walbot. CAA exists for the primary purpose of advocating, collaborating, fundraising, and bringing visibility to the arts and creating a better community. CAA fulfills the needs of the pubic and city government by organizing local educational art walks, implementing public arts programing, and grant funding. CAA, as a 501(c)3 arts organization, operates mainly within the corporate limits of the City of Clearwater and has never been designated as the official arts alliance recognized by the City of Clearwater.
Since 1999, CAA has pioneered initiatives such Pianos for Pinellas, Clearwater Arts Walks, and Arts Education Teacher grants. CAA was responsible for Pinellas County's first signal box wrap program “Thinking Outside the Box”. CAA is expanding its role by assisting the City in projects like revitalizing the 360 sculpture walk along Cleveland St. and organizing an exhibition in the Clearwater Main Library galleries.
The City of Clearwater has not recognized any arts organization as the official arts alliance to operate within the corporate limits of the City of Clearwater. Staff agrees and supports the purposes of the Clearwater Arts Alliance as set forth above and recommends that Council designate them as the official arts alliance within the City of Clearwater.