Company Profile

Company Overview

February 20, 2014



Position Guide

Institution: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Position: President and CEO, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Reports to: Chairman, Board of Directors, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Start Date: June-July 2014


VISION STATEMENT
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center will be recognized for setting the standard for service to the public in multidisciplinary arts programming.

MISSION STATEMENT
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center exists to create arts experiences that enrich people’s lives.

VALUES
• Passion for the intrinsic value of art as a part of the human experience
• Commitment to balance our legacy and history with innovation and relevancy
• Collaboration is at the heart of our work; it is a common thread through every program, department, and function internally and a powerful agent in our work with other organizations
• Desire to inspire, educate and entertain

HISTORY
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) was established in 1936 on the site of what previously had been the Broadmoor Art Academy, a prestigious arts destination in the West for prominent artists at the beginning of the 20th century. The John Gaw Meem building debuted to huge fanfare. Martha Graham danced on our stage at the first grand opening; Frank Lloyd Wright lectured in our hall. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Fine Arts Center was the first facility of its kind west of the Mississippi to offer arts education, theater and a museum under one roof. Alexander Calder was in attendance for the opening.


In addition to the Taylor Museum, the FAC includes the Bemis School of Art, and the SaGaJi Theater. The school educates children and adults in a variety of art mediums and techniques. The Taylor Art Museum displays artworks and related items focused in two major collections: 1) Southwest Indian and Hispanic art and artifacts; and 2) 19th and 20th century American art. The theater company program is the third largest professional company in the state and produces a full season of plays and musicals, plus dance, film, concerts and other performing arts in two theatres.

The FAC served about 100,000 patrons in the 2012-13 fiscal year and has an annual operating budget of $3.5 million. Revenues are derived from grants, gifts, the Foundation’s endowment and earned revenue.

In August of 2007, the FAC finished its $30 million expansion and renovation, expanding the center from 88,338 to 132,286 square feet.

THE OPPORTUNITY
The FAC’s expansion made possible some significant and energizing programming. For example, the new facility has already featured major travelling art exhibitions that included works from the Frederick Weisman Art Foundation, Fernando Botero’s personal collection and the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Martha Graham Dance Company returned during the FAC’s year-long 75th Anniversary Celebration, and Ben Vereen electrified the audience at last September’s Gala.

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is the premier visual arts institution for Colorado Springs and south-central Colorado. It features a recently expanded and renovated facility that pursues exceptional performing arts programming, exhibition of significant art collections, and the creation and delivery of compelling hands-on arts education programs. The next President and CEO will help implement a recently defined vision that builds on the institution’s excellence, leverages the facility to effectively engage audiences from within the community, around the region, and throughout the nation; and ensures its financial vitality.

The FAC’s 78-year distinguished history has generated a tremendous reservoir of goodwill among major segments in the marketplace.

A VIBRANT ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY
Colorado Springs is located an hour south of Denver near the base of Pikes Peak, where Katharine Lee Bates composed “America the Beautiful.”

Founded in 1871, Colorado Springs has evolved from a quaint, Victorian spa resort to a sophisticated city of more than 675,000, while retaining a charming “small town” ambiance. With major attractions including the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Olympic Complex, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and easy access to Colorado’s world-famous ski resorts, Colorado Springs is a vacation magnet, drawing over 6 million visitors annually.

In addition to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, there are a number of outstanding galleries and theaters producing innovative visual and performing arts in and around the city. The FAC collaborates and often works closely with other local arts organizations, including the nearby Colorado College and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.