Port Aransas Art Center

Art & Education Island Style

Port Aransas, TX   |  http://www.portaransasartcenter.org/

Mission

The mission of the Port Aransas Art Center is to provide a place where artists and art patrons may gather, and to encourage, educate and support one another in a pleasant gallery and classroom setting where fine art is produced and presented for sale. Toward these ends, the Center offers art classes for all ages, art exhibitions, and a wide range of activities to encourage social interaction. Early in its formation, the Port Aransas Art Center operated under different names, Art Center for the Islands, Inc. and Island Art Association, Inc. Those names are no longer valid. Only Port Aransas Art Center remains.

Notes from the nonprofit

The Port Aransas Art Center looks forward to serving the community of Port Aransas, regional artists, art patrons and our fellow nonprofits in the months and years ahead. We welcome inquiries at any time, and hope you will visit our website and come visit the Center in person.

Ruling year info

1997

President, Board of Directors

Ms. Karen Winship Ridout

Main address

P.O. Box 1175

Port Aransas, TX 78373 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

74-2782537

NTEE code info

Arts Education/Schools (A25)

Visual Arts Organizations (A40)

Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose (A20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Port Aransas Art Center is a successful nonprofit, one of the leading lights of Port Aransas, Texas. The Center provides art classes and workshops for all ages, art exhibitions, art festivals and social activities, year-round. Our current internal need is to retire all remaining debt on the construction of our new facility. The new building opened in late summer 2017 on land acquired through fundraising over the course of 10 years. It withstood Hurricane Harvey well (with only a basic amount of repair required), and we are proud of it, Removing all remaining debt on construction will enable us to focus instead on expanding our art education programs and providing greater community service overall. One aspect of our program that was curtailed entirely by Hurricane Harvey was our pottery program; funding the replacement/enhancement of our pottery studio is on our wish list. Thank you!

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Art Classes & Workshops for Adults

The Art Center hosts a wide variety of weekly "drop in" art classes that range from Fun With Acrylics; Drop in and Draw; to Watercolor. Unless otherwise noted, classes are designed to include artists of all skill levels. The Art Center also hosts a variety of workshops (normally half day, full day or two-day educational programs), like Jewelry Making; Collage; Creating a Travel Memory Workshop; Easy Coil Baskets; Oil Painting; Digital Photography; Asian Brush; Watercolor; and Pastel. Members generally receive discounts on registration. Prior to Hurricane Harvey (2017), the Art Center had a robust pottery program (the facility was destroyed, along with related equipment). We hope to resume the pottery program in the future once funding is obtained to rebuild. Our thanks go to Coastal Bend Community Foundation; New Day Port A Fund; Nueces County, Texas; Texas Commission on the Arts; and the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce for funding some new pottery equipment replacement and some operational funding while we recuperated from the storm and resumed normal operations. There is also a small parcel of land adjacent to our courtyard and parking area, and if we could muster the funding, we might be able to buy it and set up a covered outdoor studio and meeting space, which would be especially helpful for art classes that require outdoor ventilation due to the materials used.

Population(s) Served

First Friday is a casual event held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, to showcase a new exhibition. Included are refreshments, live music, art and artists. In addition to being a pleasant community social gathering, guests are invited to enjoy the art on view at the Center. Occasionally they are also invited to vote for their favorite artwork, and more. This event is free and open to the public.

Population(s) Served

The Art Center organizes and hosts a variety of special events like Rock Around the Arts Dance (at the Port Aransas Civic Center), ArtFest (annual two-day spring festival at Jerry McDonald Field), Holiday Market (first Saturday of December at the Port Aransas Civic Center), Songwriters Showcase, and more. The Art Center has considered hosting evening "lawn chair" movie screenings in our spacious new courtyard, but we must obtain an appropriate stationary screen, projector, speakers and the like in order to proceed (discussion and planning continues). The Art Center also realizes that it needs more onsite secure storage space for equipment used in classes and special events, and that is being considered for the future.

Population(s) Served

The Port Aransas Art Center is a significant "art" partner with area school districts and we enhance and compliment their programs throughout the year. Key programs include: 1) annual art show featuring the art of 130 to 160 students from four area school districts (prizes are awarded). The exhibition is on view for one full month; 2) during the summer, the Art Center teams-up with area schools to host week-long art classes/camps (between 12 and 15 students, and a fee is involved to cover our basic costs for supplies, equipment, hospitality and a professional art teacher); 3) during the annual Whooping Crane Festival, the Art Center hosts an art program that includes individual art creation and the painting of a large paper mural during a “painting party,” on the theme of the majestic Whooping Crane (this is a partnership with the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau); 4) when funding is available, the Art Center offers weekly Family Fun Art Days that encourage families to spend quality time with one another and to make art together; and 5) the Art Center would like to offer specially-guided educational field trips for area schools to larger museums in our region, and we are currently seeking partners/sponsors to help make this happen.

Population(s) Served

The Port Aransas Art Center is committed to showcasing the work of regional artists, and providing a venue for sales to the public. The presence of talented artists in Port Aransas makes for a higher quality of life for everyone across the region, they help attract tourists and enhance economic development overall. Unique, affordable items created by artists are available year-round in the Gift Gallery.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Videos

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Port Aransas Art Center is proud to be one of the most successful nonprofit organizations in Port Aransas. The Center offers quality art classes and workshops for all ages, art exhibitions, art festivals and social activities, year-round. In order to strengthen its offerings and to further support the local economy and the creative community of Port Aransas and South Texas, the Center must expand its fundraising and communications capabilities, and it is doing so in earnest in 2018 and 2019. We have outlined future ideas for expansion in the "program" section of our GuideStar profile.

The Port Aransas Art Center is currently a one-person staff. Additional staff are needed to operate the Center and its programs (education program manager and the like). New sources of funding are required to support annual operations (some of our longtime annual funders were wiped out by Hurricane Harvey), and to alleviate remaining debt on the new facility. Key organizational infrastructure work like creating a more modern, new website and visual identity; increasing our presence on new social media platforms (and honing-down on our existing, strong Facebook page); establishing a new, more modern and user-friendly online donation processing system; researching new potential donors and submitting grant requests to expand our base of support; establishing our presence on GuideStar (currently at gold), and GreatNonprofits (Top Rated in 2018 and 2019); preparing a formal case for support for our debt retirement campaign; stewarding existing and prior donors; and more have been undertaken in 2018 and 2019. We hired a hands-on fundraising and communications professional familiar with South Texas to conduct this work, which should be complete (with a roadmap for moving forward), at the end of June, 2019.

Currently staffed by one person, the Port Aransas Art Center hired a temporary, hands-on professional to advance its fundraising and communications capabilities. That person has identified potential financial support that would allow the Art Center to both retire all remaining construction debt, and hire an additional education coordinator for our growing workload. In addition, the Art Center has a devoted group of volunteers. During 2017, we calculate they worked some 6,657 hours. The Independent Sector and the State of Texas value each volunteer hour at $24.64. That brings the value of hours donated to the Port Aransas Art Center during 2017 to $164,028.48. We anticipate during 2018, these figures stand at the same level.

The Art Center has a beautiful new facility that is the envy of others. It is a comfortable, professional gathering place for artists, students of all ages, and art patrons, visitors and other guests. The Board sees a positive, flourishing future ahead. Enhancing the Center's development and communications activities is a critical step toward achieving this goal, and that effort is well underway.

Financials

Port Aransas Art Center
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Port Aransas Art Center

Board of directors
as of 02/25/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mrs. Karen Winship Ridout

Civic Leader

Karen Murray

Civic Leader

Bobbie Mussett

Civic Leader

Barbara Behrens

Elementary School Teacher

Tricia Perrine

Civic Leader

Ron Smith

Civic Leader

Michele Hein

Civic Leader

Arlene Hughes

Civic Leader

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/23/2020
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data