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Home My WebLink About8.1 Spring Quarterly Rpt AGENDA STATEMENT CTTV oF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION DUBLIN MEETING DATE: July 9, 2015 SUBJECT: Spring Quarterly Report Prepared by Tegan McLane, Cultural Arts and Heritage Manager ATTACHMENTS: None RECOMMENDATION: Receive Report FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None DESCRIPTION: The Heritage and Cultural Arts Division strives to develop quality programs that strengthen community image, preserve the City's heritage, provide cultural experiences and encourage appreciation of the arts. This is accomplished by providing diverse program of offerings for youth and adults in the disciplines of music, dance, fine arts, and visual and performing arts. The Division also provides a variety of programs at the Heritage Park and Museums to support education and stewardship of the City's historic collections. The following report is a summary of programs conducted during spring 2015. CULTURAL ARTS CLASSES Cultural Arts Classes provide a unique social setting for meeting new people or sharing cultural arts experiences with friends and family members. The variety of classes offered provides opportunities for community members of all ages to try new experiences or practice and develop artistic and performance skills. Classes are taught by contracted specialty instructors and are typically offered from four to eight weeks in duration. A total of 294 participants registered for Cultural Classes during spring 2015. There was a 13 percent decrease in overall registration as compared to spring 2014. This is due in part to 19 fewer classes offered and 13 fewer classes going. In addition, this year the winter and spring Activity Guides were combined into one issue, which contributed to fewer classes being offered overall in the spring. However, while there were fewer classes, average registration increased by approximately two people per class. Youth classes that had the strongest registration included hip-hop dance, Tri-Valley Young Performers Academy's performance class, and Young Rembrandts' FUNdamental Drawing. Adult Latin dance and wedding dance classes also had strong attendance. - COPIES TO: ITEM NO: 8.1 G:\COMMISSIONS&COMMITTEES\HERITAGE COMMISSION�AGNDSTMT\2015\7-9-15 Item 8.1 Spring Quarterly Report.docx � � � � � � � � � � � . � - 1 1 � 1 1 1 Resident 242 288 231 197 N/A Non Resident 52 50 56 53 N/A Total Registration 294 338 287 250 252 Classes Held 28 41 41 28 27 AVG Registration per 10.5 8.2 7.0 8.9 9•3 Class Classes Offered 49 68 67 Cancellation Rate 43% 40% 39% HERITAGE PROGRAMS EXHIBITS "The Wonder Years: Being a Teen in Dublin during the 1960s and 1970s" opened April 29 and continues through July 26. During the 1960s, nearly 2,000 young families moved to Dublin with the housing boom, transforming the area to a modern suburb complete with popular teenage pastimes of drive-in movies, skating rinks and fast food restaurants. The exhibit, curated by a team that included Steve Minniear, Kelly Timmerman and Brittany Hersh, who drew together archival material and stories provided by Georgean Heeder Von Leopold and Steve Lockhart. The exhibit included a miniature replica of Dublin's drive in, sports memorabilia and the petition to open a disco in town.The exhibit built upon last year's "Suburbia" exhibit. Heritage staff and volunteers report this exhibit has led to many conversations with local residents eager to share their memories of Dublin's teen hang-outs from that era. Many guests heard about the exhibit through social media, such as the "You Know You're From Dublin" and Dublin Historical Preservation Association Facebook pages. SPECIAL EVENTS The Spring Faire was held at the Heritage Park and Museums on Saturday, May 9, 2015, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Staff estimates 450 people attended. The event featured outdoor entertainment, including a French organ grinder, the music trio Fiddle Around, and Aether Brigade, a steampunk improvisational comedy troupe. Volunteers helped implement a number of family activities, including wagon rides, Mother's Day crafts, a traditional Maypole and croquet on the lawn. An estimated 35 craft and business vendors and community groups participated with sales and information booths. Concurrent with the Spring Faire, Heritage Center volunteers hosted a Farm Tea in the Sunday School Barn, with two seating times, both sold out for a total of 80 guests. The French-themed menu included pate, cream puffs, and madeleines. Roving entertainers from the Faire entertained guests. 2 of 5 Attendance estimates for this year's Spring Faire are significantly below attendance estimates of 1,200 for the prior year. This year's event was shortened two P�ours from the previous year's, which ran noon to 5:00 p.m., to match the Harvest Festival format and make best use of volunteer resources. This year's event coincided with the much publicized opening of the new Whole Foods store. It also conflicted with numerous events in neighboring cities, including Pleasanton's Cultural Arts Council's Big Draw chaik art festival; Hawaiian May Day at the Alameda County Fairgrounds; Rowell Ranch Rodeo in Castro Valley; and Livermore's First Craft Beer Festival. VISITORS COMPARISON The Visitors Comparison shows the number of people who visit the Heritage Park and Museums as part of a formal tour, as walk-in guests during public exhibit hours, or for those who took a tour during a special event at the Heritage Park. Tour guests were counted and recorded by the tour guide. The volunteers at the Visitor Center in the Murray Schoolhouse recorded the walk-in guests. For ticketed special events, guest attendance was drawn from ticket sales data. For non-ticketed events, such as the Spring Faire, the employees working the event estimated attendance. Visitor Comparison numbers do not include people who are attending the Heritage Park for City-run classes (counted in class attendance numbers), nor dcaes it include the people attending for private rental functions. Going forward, Visitor numbers will be reported annually at fiscal year-end, instead of quarterly, per the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission's request to provide a more complete picture. This will also be consistent with the way the City reports other facility use numbers. Exhibit attendance will no longer be reported separately, as it is virtually identical to the visitor count, since the visitor center was relocated to the Murray Schoolhouse. • • • � � �. '. � . � 1 or �" � , � - � � - � � �.. "a�.�� _ � � Adult—Tour 26 151 177 47 � 40 44 20 151 Child—Tour 100 595 695 201 398 30 55 557 Walk-In 269 360 629 516 532 349 618 2,337 Special 157 530 687 N/A 1,747 50 1058 2,208 Events Total Visitors 552 1,636 2,188 675 2,717 478 1,741 5,298 N/A No City-sponsored exhibits during this time. Special Event Exhibit Attendance:Spring Faire=450, Farm Tea=80. In addition to a total Visitor Comparison, the City also tracks number and type of tours. The tours are especially popular with elementary schools, as third graders study local history. All third graders from five of the six Dublin elementary schools (Green, Dublin, Murray, Frederickson and Dougherty) visited the Heritage part this spring. 3 of 5 About half of the classrooms touring also participated in add-on activities, such as tractor wagon rides and gold panning. Unfortunately the sixth school (Kolb) contacted Heritage staff so late in the season, we were unable to accommodate their entire third grade because the dates Kolb students were available to visit had already been booked by other schools. Staff is working to improve outreach to teachers, encourage field trips earlier in the school year and adjust program scheduling, so all Dublin third graders can be accommodated. • � � � • • 1 ' � `�� . • � � . � � �� ; . . - - . � - • ' °� '`� :�. �� - � ,��,,, , ��i School Tour 4 23 27 7 11 3 0 21 I Community Tour 2 2 4 2 1 1 1 5 Camp Tour 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 8 Total Tours 6 25 31 9 12 12 1 34 VOLUNTEERS There are 29 people who are actively volunteering at the Heritage Park and Museums. Volunteers are grouped by interest and may choose to participate in a variety of specialized work groups including: Docents/Greeters, Collections and Archives, Gardeners, Walking-Tours and Tractor Volunteers. The Heritage Park and Museums are actively recruiting volunteers and have added seven new volunteers this quarter. During the Spring quarter: • Ten walking tour volunteers lead school tours and hands-on heritage activities for 25 Dublin ctassrooms. • Eighteen Heritage Park volunteers staffed the tea room and hands-on heritage activities during the Spring Faire and Farm Tea. In addition, 25 high schooi students volunteered 125 hours of service as event staff. • Eighteen greeters staffed the museum desk and led public tours during open hours. • Volunteer Brittany Hersh contributed approximately 40 hours this spring helping to develop the current exhibit, "The Wonder Years: Being a Teen in Dublin in the 1960s and 1970s." Ms. Hersh interviewed longtime Dubiin residents and reviewed historical school yearbooks and newspapers gathering stories to bring the exhibit to life. 4of5 • • • ' � ' • I � �� ' . � . � � � s � � � . - - � � . • � - a ; � - Museum 618 612 531 � 733 620 622 2,506 � Volunteer* Student 76 144 100 200 90 304 694 Volunteer Intern N/A N/A N/A 33 60 120 213 , Total Hours 694 756 1,704 631 1,073 710 926 3,340 *Museum volunteers also include garden volunteers, who tend to the flower and vegetable gardens immediately surrounding the heritage building and historic cemetery. The lawn and other plantings are maintained by MCE, the City's maintenance contractor. FACILITY RENTALS St. Raymond Church has been available to the public for private rental since prior to the expansion of the Heritage Park and Museums. The Sunday School Barn became available for private rentals on May 1, 2012. During the spring quarter, there were 11 rentals at the Sunday School Barn and nine rentals at St. Raymond Church, including eight memorials, six weddings and a video shoot by a small church. . � � � • � 1 � ,��' � ;;s�`. �� , • . � � � w . - - . � - � � r3 - � � :, � _,�s� ` �� St Raymond Church 9 9 � 18 19 5 4 6 34 Sunday School Barn 6 11 17 8 10 3 5 26 ! Total Rentals 15 20 35 27 15 7 11 60 5 of 5