Real Art Ways sent out Wednesday a strongly worded call for funding, pointing out shortfalls in its expected contributions and stating that “longevity is not a guarantee,” implying that the Hartford art space might not last long without a quick infusion of cash.
Will K. Wilkins, executive director of the Arbor Street institution, wrote in a “good news-bad news” mass email that:
“Funding anticipated from three important funders is taking longer than we had anticipated, resulting in an end-of-year gap of $50,000.
“We’ve had decades of support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, but this year is a mandatory year off from funding, so we have $50,000 less to support our programs.
“We wrote earlier and told you about not receiving National Endowment for the Arts funding for the first time in many years, and that is still impacting us. (We are hopeful to receive positive news of new funding from the NEA, but that won’t come until December.)”
Wilkins continued: “Real Art Ways was started 40 years ago. We’re planning a reception at the Governor’s Mansion this fall to mark this milestone. … But longevity is not a guarantee.”
Real Art Ways’ annual budget is about $1.2 million, Wilkins said, and the fiscal year ends in September.
In an interview, Wilkins said that Real Art Ways has financial troubles every year, but that it’s gotten worse of late. “Since the economy went south, ever since then, I think it has been more challenging,” he said.
Earlier this year, Real Art Ways participated with EBK Gallery in Hartford in an “Art for Sale” exhibit. Wilkins said at the time that the blunt title of the show was meant to explicitly point out that Real Art Ways needed financial assistance.
The “good news” portion of the email reported that film attendance and memberships were on the increase, as were education programs including Film Field Trips, ParkArt and Eye on Video.
The email gave no specific numbers to support the “good news.” Wilkins, in the interview, said that 1,500 households have memberships, up from about 1,000 in 2014. He did not give specifics on the cinema numbers, but said that when he checked the year-to-date numbers about five weeks ago, “it’s been a better year than any year in the last 10 years.”
He added that education programs don’t generate revenue. They are funded by donations and then offered to the community free of charge.
To donate, visit realartways.org.
