Courthouse Youth Arts Annual Report 2015

XIV

Courthouse Youth Arts Centre Incorporated.

Annual Report 2014

CREATIVEEXPERIMENTALYOUTH

COURTHOUSE YOUTH ARTS60 Little Malop Street. Geelong, VIC

P: 5224 2815 E: [email protected]

Open 9am–5pm, Monday–Friday

IL F#courthouseyoutharts

COURTHOUSE YOUTH ARTS gratefully acknowledges that Indigenous Australians were the first people of this land. We pay our respects to all Indigenous people, past and present, and we recognise their continuing spiritual and cultural connection to the land.

2014 Team

General ManagerJamie Smith

Acting General Manager Jan–AprilStacey Baldwin

Artistic DirectorRoss Mueller

Venue and Production ManagerJames Edwards

Marketing and Development CoordinatorChelsea Hatherall

Board

ChairpersonStuart Monotti

Deputy ChairTrevor Maitland

TreasurerLiam Drady

SecretaryJamie Smith (non-voting)

Duncan Esler (non-voting)

Mardi Janetzki

Morgan Connoley

Emma Merrigan (resigned 17/03/14)

Soraya Mobayad (Resigned 18/11/14)

Jane Corneby (Resigned June 14)

Cr. Jan Farrell

Janine McLean

Vanessa Schernickau

Elise Potter (did not seek re-election)

Zachery Linford (Resigned 01/10/14)

Lisa Barton (did not seek re-election)


Contents

Page Three:Contents.

Page Four —— Chair Report

Page Five —— General Manager’s Report

Page Eight and Nine —— Design and Marketing Report

Page Ten and Eleven —— Branding Rationale

Page Twelve —— Engagement Report

Page Thirteen —— Venue Report

Page Fourteen to Seventeen —— Project Summary

Page Twenty and Twenty One —— Auditor's Report

Page Twenty Two to Thirty Seven —— Financial Report

Page Thirty Eight and Thirty Nine —— Treasurer's Report

Annual Report 2014

— Stuart Monotti,

Chair.

Chair Report

Page Four: Chair Report.

My last report anticipated an exciting year under the stewardship of our newly appointed General Manager, Jamie Smith.

I’m delighted to report that 12 months on those expectations have been more than exceeded. The board accepted a new staffing plan and position descriptions resulting in the appointment of five new employees at the start of 2015. As one of our objectives is to provide pathways into the Arts Industry, it was pleasing to see Soraya Mobayad, who has come through the organisation as a former member of the Artistic Advisory Panel and the board, appointed as joint Creative Programming Coordinator. We also took the opportunity to create a new position for a Youth Engagement Coordinator to broaden our reach and appeal to young people.

More importantly, our new organisational plan refocuses on youth with the establishment of the Creative Collective. In what we believe is a first in Australia, the board has funded six positions covering six artistic fields. Appointed for one year, and working on a part-time basis, the collective will drive our artistic output and provide invaluable experience for young artists. Our aim is to attract sustainable funding for these positions and develop the reputational standing of the appointments as a sought after objective for young artists.

I conclude with my thanks and appreciation for the contributions made by our staff, board members, funders and supporters and urge you to spread the energy that has returned to the building!


— Jamie Sm

ith,G

eneral Manager.

Manager's Report

Page Five: General Manager’s Report.

2014 was the year of change for Courthouse Arts. The addition of the word “Youth” back into the title of the company was only the beginning.The year commenced with a skeleton operations team who continued to deliver a program based around the activity of the FReeZA Committee and volunteers, Gallery exhibitions managed by Curator in Residence Courtney Ward, and Theatre development programs from Artists in Residence.

I started with the Team at Courthouse Youth Arts in early April 2014. This was a time of transition and evolution for the Company. After stepping into the newly reviewed role of General Manager, time was spent reflecting with the existing team, Board of Management, key stakeholders and funders. It was clear that the current status and structure of the company had room for improvement, as well as a need for increased levels of participation by young people in the programs that were on offer, and with the Company as a whole.

This time of reflection and assessment allowed for the team to identify gaps in the Companyal structure, which lead to a clear path in re-creating the Company. Obvious gaps and challenges were; a lack of finance and administration management and support, the absence of a qualified youth worker, and genuine engagement of young people. The main area for focus will be on artistic content and programs that are produced, and driven by young people and functional roles for young people to work within a professional environment.

With the resource realignment, the challenges and gaps have become the new company’s greatest strengths. The new look Courthouse Youth Arts – CHYA, now boasts four new Coordinator roles, and the Creative Collective – a youth internship program. The four Coordinator roles: Creative Program Coordinator, Youth Engagement Coordinator, Venue Operations Coordinator and Administration and Finance Coordinator. These roles have been designed to maximise the resources and the facility that Courthouse Youth Arts occupies. They are also there to support and realise the artistic vision of the Creative Collective.

Our mission —— The purpose of Courthouse Youth Arts is to provide a platform for young and emerging artists to take creative risk and to conceive relevant and contemporary programming in a creative and inclusive environment.

General Public

Arts Community

CHYA

Creative Collective•Visual Arts•Dance•Indigenous Culture•New Media•Theatre•Writing

Creative Program Development Team•Creative Programming Coordinators•Youth Engagement Coordinator•Design and Marketing

FReeZA Committee

Administration and Operations Team•Administration and Finance Coordinator•Venue Operations Coordinator

Casual Staff / Volunteers

General Manager

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

General Public

Arts Community

CHYA

Creative Collective•Visual Arts•Dance•Indigenous Culture•New Media•Theatre•Writing

Creative Program Development Team•Creative Programming Coordinators•Youth Engagement Coordinator•Design and Marketing

FReeZA Committee

Administration and Operations Team•Administration and Finance Coordinator•Venue Operations Coordinator

Casual Staff / Volunteers

General Manager

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Annual Report 2014

Design and Marketing Report

Page Eight:Design and Marketing Report.

— Riley McDonald,

Graphic Designer.

Throughout 2014, the promotion of events and workshops facilitated by Courthouse Youth Arts was predominantly driven by an active social media presence via Facebook and Instagram, and complimented by regular printed advertisements in local magazine, Forté.

Event-specific printed collateral was also trialled at various events, such as postcards, badges, stickers, and other elements. However, they proved to be inefficient promotional tools.

Below — A graphic representation of the overall audience reach of every Facebook post made during 2014.

So what does work for us?

Facebook —— The majority of Facebook posts made during the year featured full colour images, and focused on the experience offered by Courthouse ARTS, but with a clear promotional motive present in the copy used.

Website —— While the Courthouse website may have originally been a highly effective and well structured tool for communicating with the audience, by 2014 it appeared to have fallen subject to a lack of consistent maintenance. This resulted in broken links, dated information, inconsistent design, and a disorienting and inefficient user experience. The redevelopment of the website, even on a temporary basis, was a high priority during the rebranding phase.


Design and Marketing Report

Rebrand

During mid 2014, an analytical process was initiated by Marketing Coordinator, Chelsea Hatherall, and finalised by Jamie Smith and myself. This process was intended to provide a clear analysis of the brandings relevance and accuracy in respect to the Company's intended demographic. It was decided that the logomark inaccurately represented the Companys core values — respecting creative freedom, and individuality — and was technically difficult to work with due to its aspect ratio and size limitations. The main key points that the new brand had to address was the incorporation of the buildings heritage, a new sense of professionalism and maturity, ease of use, and to symbolically reflect the collaborative nature between the staff and the creative young people that they serve.

Courthouse Youth Arts strives to be honest, accepting, supportive and inspirational. We value creativity above all else, celebrating the experimental and spontaneous processes that come with the development of a really great idea. We seek to nurture the artistic mindset of Geelong’s young people, in both conceptual and technical practice.

The Logo —— The new logo is the centre point of the brand, and was predominantly inspired by the Courthouse building itself. It references the instantly recognisable art-deco geometry and colours from the Courthouse’s façade, as well as typefaces of the era. It has a timeless, structural sensibility, focusing on simple forms. The mark's square ratio makes it easy to integrate into almost any artwork, and can remain recognisable at small sizes.

What our audience are saying about the logo † ——

― “Contemporary”

― “Modern”

― “Very indie—I love it”

― “Love the word ‘Youth’ being included”

― “Curious to learn more”

― “Clean”

― “The building”

† Audience comments taken from Branding survey run from the 23rd of February until the 1st of April, 2015. The survey was available to the entirety of our audience database. A total of 35 audience members engaged with the survey, 23 via an email blast, 10 via Facebook, and 2 via the website.

Annual Report 2014

Engagement Report

Based on information by

Chelsea Hatherall,M

arketing and Development

Coordinator

Page Twelve:Engagement Report.

2014 saw moderate youth engagement levels through the FReeZA program with nine attending members. This year the FReeZA group independently hosted NYR (New Years Revolution), Mother's Cake, the Push Start Battle of the Bands Heat and proudly hosted The Push Start Battle of the Bands Regional Finals, the latter was our most successful independent event for the year — with a full house.

As well as keeping busy collaborating and hosting independent events FReeZA engaged in non-accredited Radio Training with 94.7fm The Pulse and attended industry conferences with neighbouring FReeZA group Queenscliff Music Festival Tour.

FReeZA has also reported to have had great audience engagement levels during their collaborative events with local community festivals, Tranquillity Fair, Pako Festa and Geelong After Dark.

Moving forward in 2015 we hope to increase our overall engagement through the newly appointed position of a Youth Engagement Coordinator for CHYA. We aim to achieve this through providing young people opportunities to influence the programs, events and workshops we deliver. CHYA will be hosting a Youth Arts Forum to gain the perspectives of young people who show particular interest in the arts from the Barwon South West Region, as well as actively liaising with young people in schools, youth organisations and on the streets of Geelong to ensure our programs, workshops and events are a reflection of the young people of Geelong.


Venue Report

Based on information

by James Edwards,

Venue and Productions M

anager

Page Thirteen:Venue Report.

Courthouse ARTS Usage Statistics for 2014

Based on 1950 business hours per year:

Based on 1950 business and 960 after hours availability:

Meetings and meeting-style events

39% Includes usage of meeting rooms, foyer and studio.

Additional External Hirer usage

12% Spaces other than the Gallery and the Theatre.

Theatre Usage 27%

for Shows, Rehearsals, Recitals and presentations

Gallery 69% Gallery launches and 2–3 week exhibitions

Annual Report 2014

Project Summary

Page Fourteen:Project Summary.

Open house

Queenscliff Music Festival

The Lion’s Bride

Tranquillity Fair Market

Mother's Cake

Geelong After Dark

Old Man Nanook

Me Oh My Market

School Days

Remix Readings 1–4

Pako Festa

Poppykettle

Kaleidoscope

New Years Revolution

Battle of the Bands Regional Final

Blues Boot Camp

Radio Training Workshops

FReeZA Events

Organised by

Chelsea HatherallCourthouse A

RTS program


Project Summary

Annual Report 2014

Project Summary


Project Summary

Bring to LightLuke Saliba, Ben Partridge, Courtney Ward

9th May

Mirror Mirror3rd–16th April

Salt VeinsGroup exhibition organised by Elise Carver

17th January

Blue Skies and Jaded ladiesCourtney Ward

14th –29th November

RemembranceCourtney Ward

11th November

PhantasmSoraya Mobayad / Katie Bishop

1st – 15th August

Ayrlie Lane22nd August – 5th September

Response Collaborations Mike McClean

14th – 28th February

Bright FuturesNewcomb Secondary School Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students

1st – 11th October

Hands over ears won't stop the voicesJoshua Maxwell De Hoog

12th – 26th September

Across the UniverseStephanie Garner

13th – 30th May

Quip while You’re AheadMoluk, with responses from various local artists

4th–20th July

GutlessCasey Nicholls-Bull

25th October – 9th November

Profile PieceAll contributing artists throughout the year

9th–19th December

Wonderw

all Gallery

Curated by C

ourtney Ward.

And now,for the

Serious stuff.

And now,for the

Serious stuff.

Annual Report 2014

Treasurer's Report

— Liam Drady,

Treasurer.

Page Thirty Eight:Treasurer's Report.

2014 saw the beginning of the reinvigoration of the Courthouse Youth Arts brand and the successful introduction of a new organisational structure. Both of these factors provide strong foundations for a positive 2015 and beyond. Despite this, 2014 was a financially challenging year for Courthouse Youth Arts, recording a deficit of $40,250. Much of this deficit can be attributed to changeovers in key personnel throughout the year, which ultimately led to less revenue being generated and increased expenditure in some areas.

The most significant contributor to the deficit was a reduction in total income from $564,339 to $530,550. There were significantly less revenue generating programs and performances in 2014 which led to a reduction in project income of $43,413 from 2013, of which the greatest movements were box office and workshop fees. Venue hire was also $7,931 lower than 2013.

Despite the reduction in revenue generating programs, total expenditure for 2014 of $570,800 was $13,570 more than 2013. Production expenses and marketing expenses were both lower than 2013, however, personnel and financial management expenses both increased.


Treasurer's Report

Personnel expenses represented the organisation’s largest expense of $336,424, which was $20,085 higher than 2013. The increase can be attributed to changeovers in staff throughout the year which saw the necessary engagement of temporary and casual staff at a higher than budgeted cost to fulfil key positions.

The increase in Financial Management of $16,251 can be mostly attributed to the greater use of bookkeeping services arising during periods of changeovers in staffing. It should be noted that this service has now been incorporated within the organisation’s employee roles as a result of the staff restructure.

At 31 December 2014 the organisation had cash and cash equivalents of $154,499 being a decrease of $26,273 from 31 December 2013. The working capital at 31 December 2014 was $159,174.

Despite the deficit in 2014, surpluses produced in previous periods holds Courthouse Youth Arts in a sound financial position. With careful financial management, the organisation will record more positive results in the future. Following the rebrand of the organisation and restructure of staff roles, Courthouse Youth Arts is well positioned to be able to generate more positive results, and continue its focus of supporting and developing youth art in the Geelong region.

Auditors Report

What section this is

Page Twenty-Seven:The Chair Report.

Annual Report 2014

By Stuart Monotti,

May 1st, 2014




Page Twenty-Seven:The Chair Report.

Annual Report 2014

By Stuart Monotti,

May 1st, 2014



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Courthouse Youth Arts Annual Report 2015