A 40 Year History of Boulder County Arts Alliance, AHAB and BAAH
This history was compiled following more than 80 hours of review of all the official board minutes retrieved from the organization's archives. Many thanks to Don Atwood for his time and diligence in reading through many pages of minutes of many meetings from over the years to write this historical report. If you were a part of making this history, we welcome your comments and/or clarifications and thank you for your time and dedication to ensuring that the arts continue to thrive in the heart of our community.
The Beginning
The beginning of the Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA) can be identified as May 20th , 1966 when an organization called the Boulder Assembly of Arts and Humanities (BAAH) was registered as a Colorado non-profit organization, By August of that same year the U.S. Internal Revenue Service granted BAAH a tax exempt certificate. BAAH was founded by a group of Boulder citizens (which included Chris Brauchli, Russ Olin, Charles Haertling, and William Sacksteder) to serve the City of Boulder, and more specifically to champion an effort and ballot initiative to build a performing arts center in Boulder. That ballot initiative failed in 1970 and immediately thereafter BAAH became dormant until 1973. It was ‘revived' through the efforts of the “Colorado Council”.
Throughout its 40 year history the organization reinvented itself, and even changed its name twice to adjust to political and business realities, never losing sight of its overall mission of supporting the arts in Boulder , in Boulder schools, and eventually in all of Boulder County . The organization functioned as BAAH through 1981 with one major preoccupation being the development of some sort of cultural arts center. By 1981 BAAH was in dire financial straits, and was having trouble maintaining a viable board. The board decided to have only quarterly meetings and with the failure of another arts center ballot initiative BAAH became virtually inactive.
In 1984 an organization then known as the Neodata Corporation (a subsidiary of A.C. Nielson, Dunn, and Bradstreet), through their then President and CEO, Kurt Burghardt, donated a building at 13 th and Portland streets to BAAH. That building is currently occupied by one of Kaiser Permanente's Boulder offices. With the help of Attorney, Bill Cohen, BAAH restructured itself as the Arts and Humanities Assembly of Boulder (AHAB) and revitalized the old BAAH non-profit status [now known as 501(c)(3)] to accept the donation. Funds generated for the arts by the Neodata gift began to dominate AHAB functions, even to the present day (2006). Gradually AHAB embraced expansion of its arts support and advocacy missions to include all of Boulder County. From its inception as BAAH, and especially as AHAB, the organization continually struggled with its personal and public identity and how well its name spoke to that identity. Everything from name ‘tag lines', to name changes were considered. Finally, in December 2001 the name was changed to the Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA) as one that best personified the mission of the organization and its scope. That name remains to this date. In subsequent sections we will discuss the history of various BAAH/AHAB/BCAA projects, festivals, artist support efforts, funding of arts and ways in which the organization fostered the development of Boulder County 's arts infrastructure including the Boulder Arts Commission, the Boulder Cultural Plan and the Dairy Center for the Arts.
From Festivals to 12th Night
In September 1974 BAAH presented its “First Annual BAAH Festival” and lost money. The City of Boulder graciously covered those losses and a second festival was held in May 1976. In May 1975 BAAH presented the Chicago Guthrie Theatre's production of “Everyman” at the University Theatre and again lost money. This time BAAH Council members made up the loss. In 1978, with help from Mo Siegel, BAAH joined forces with Celestial Seasonings famous “Red Zinger Bicycle Classic” to present the first in a series of successful “Red Zinger Arts Festivals”. In fact, BAAH became so successful and visible that that the “Boulder Chautauqua Association” became concerned that they would lose their identity to BAAH. By 1978 the “Red Zinger Arts Festival” was operating in the black with a $900 profit, but a year later the Colorado Council of the Arts and Humanities (CCAH) withdrew funding from BAAH and the Red Zinger event seemed to disappear.
In the late 1980's and early 1990's AHAB attempted many fund raising events, enticing Board members to organize them by offering them 20% of the profits. One such attempt was a “Monte Carlo Night” in 1989 that was canceled when AHAB realized the gambling planned was in violation of Colorado law, and that there was significant liability in selling alcohol. Another such idea was a fundraiser to be conducted as part of the opening of the City parking garage at Spruce and 10 th Street . This fundraiser was cancelled when the City refused to allow sale of alcoholic beverages and severely restricted any food sales.
Once past the initial time and investment and, at times, tribulations of forming the Neodata Endowment, in early 1987, AHAB developed a summer festival on the Boulder Mall. Initially called “AHAB Presents”, this festival spanned up to thirteen weeks with three events per week. AHAB produced the festival and paid the artists, all of which were local. By the end of that year the festival was renamed “ Boulder Presents”, only to become “AHAB Presents” again a year later and continue through 1989. Throughout that time AHAB paid the artists even though a consortium of local banks who gave some funding to the festival complained, saying that the artists should perform for free. The Boulder Arts Commission (BAC) became a major funder of “AHAB Presents”.
In the early 1990's AHAB developed two successful programs inspired by “Boulder Presents” called “Boulder Presents: Writers!” and “ Boulder Presents: Art on the Mall”. Both events realized considerable success, but in June 1991 AHAB returned all money donated for “Boulder Presents: Art on the Mall” stating it intended to focus its efforts on development of the Boulder Cultural Plan. “ Boulder Presents: Writers” disappeared soon after. In about 1995 AHAB started “12 th Night”, a combination fund raiser and performance that used artists and art groups funded by both the Neodata Fund and the AHAB-Addison Mini-Grants as performers. “12 th Night” was a rousing success through about year 2001, and went up in many Boulder venues, including the Hotel Boulderado and The Dairy Center for the Arts. This year (2006) BCAA will reinstitute some of what “12 th Night” was all about when it presents some of the artists they have funded in their 40 th Anniversary Annual Celebration and Annual Meeting.
BAAH/AHAB Role in Developing Boulder County's Arts Infrastructure and a Cultural Plan
As stated above, the original BAAH was founded in 1966 with an objective of supporting a City ballot initiative to develop a performing arts center. When that initiative failed in 1970, BAAH temporarily became inactive. Interestingly after being reactivated BAAH backed another such initiative in the early 1980's. That initiative failed as well, allegedly because voters saw the Boulder arts community as “fractured and non-unified.” That caused BAAH board members to decide BAAH should consider itself an “inactive/active organization.” BAAH remained inactive until the Neodata gift inspired Bill Cohen and others to reorganize as AHAB. But, those failed initiatives were not the total of BAAH's efforts to build an arts infrastructure, nor do they represent successes of AHAB and BCAA.
Up to the early 1980's, BAAH and the City explored acquisition of the Boulder Theatre for a performing arts center. Interestingly, as early as 1975, BAAH was part of an initial effort to renovate the Watts-Hardy Dairy as a Fine Arts Center, with BAAH serving as the conduit for funds. In fact, in December of that same year the City of Boulder approved a lease agreement for the Watts-Hardy Dairy for a Boulder Fine Arts Center. However, the now Dairy Center for the Arts did not become a reality until more than 17 years later. In February 1990, Boulder Art Association proposed a $2million capital campaign to buy the Dairy with renovation costs of another $2million. AHAB supported that plan. AHAB then took the initiative to remedy the major problem with previous City efforts to develop an arts center, i.e., the perception that the Boulder arts community was “fractured and non-unified”. Canceling all of its presentation programs, AHAB made its major focus the development of a Cultural Plan that would unify the City and its arts community. The Cultural Plan development involved a consultant group from Massachusetts , ArtsMarket, two long series of public forums and workshops and three hard years of work. However, in the midst of that process AHAB, took pains to be seen as supportive of the Dairy idea, even opening its February 1991 Annual Meeting with a tour of the Watts-Hardy Dairy building. As the Cultural Plan developed, an incorporated, non-profit group called the Flat Irons Arts Center was formed to focus efforts to buy the Dairy. In spite of all this effort, the City almost let a December 31, 1992 purchase option deadline pass before buying the building. Renovations proceeded as tenants like Fuse and the Boulder Dance Alliance/Space for Dance (SFD) and AHAB moved in, and Boulder Ballet began holding classes in the SFD dance theatre. The City gave control over the Dairy to a board. Many saw this Dairy Board as very ‘bottom line oriented' resulting in the departure of some, e.g., Space for Dance, which being dedicated to providing affordable space for dance rehearsals and performance could not show an income that suited the tenants model developed by that board. In the period of 1995 to 1998 the Dairy found resident organizations (RO's) who agreed with the Dairy board philosophy, many of which financed the construction of their own theatres, dance floors, etc. Eventually the Dairy took over those RO constructed spaces and The Dairy Center for the Arts as we know it today took shape.
For the record, there were many proposals other than the Dairy for arts performance spaces in Boulder . BAAH and AHAB minutes show that not only was the Boulder Theatre considered, but so was property in “ South Boulder ”, and the property at 9 th and Canyon where the St. Julien Hotel now exists. At one time, a group of theatre people explored acquiring the old Arts Cinema then on Walnut St. across from The Walrus. Arts organizations were creative in their search for space with theatre companies going up in East Boulder warehouses. One successful venture was the creation of a small theatre on the top floor of BMOCA on 13 th Street . Still active today that space has hosted innumerable performances of music, dance, and theatre, still augmenting the Dairy spaces and those at Chautauqua.
BAAH and its successors were also instrumental in the development of other aspects of the local arts infrastructure. As early as September 1978, the City approached BAAH about “acting as a conduit of City funds for the arts”. BAAH considered the idea, but backed away. However, in November of that same year, with leadership provided by Marcelee Gralapp, Library Arts Director, BAAH agreed to facilitate the formation of a “City Citizens Arts Board” that would be responsible for allocating City funds to the arts, and in December of that same year devised a selection plan for members of that board. The board was named the “Boulder Arts Commission” and is the same BAC we know today.
Technical Assistance and Support to Artists and Arts Organizations
Within all of the efforts to enhance Boulder and Boulder County 's arts infrastructure BAAH and its successors did not neglect the artists themselves, or their organizations. As early as the mid 1970's, local artists and organizations began asking BAAH to sponsor them under BAAH's non-profit status so that they could submit grants to agencies like the NEA. By 1979 BAAH realized such sponsorship as important, but ‘struggled' with the role. When SCFD became an important source of local arts funding with its Tier III structure, many more artists needed 501(c)(3) status to apply, and turned to AHAB for help. In the late 1980's and early 1990's AHAB saw the need to formalize the process of such sponsorship and created an application process for having AHAB act as an artist's or arts organization's “fiscal agent”. In 2005 BCAA recognized that the fiscal agency status was both an important service, but also getting out of hand, with a possibility of jeopardizing BCAA's own 501(c)(3) status. A new policy was established requiring extensive documentation of how re-granted funds would be and were used, and required orientation of new participants in the program. What resulted was BCAA's current successful Fiscal Agency Program.
In August 1989, AHAB sponsored a ‘comprehensive grants writing workshop' facilitated by Marda Kirn with 122 participants! That success indicated a real need for such assistance and these workshops continued on a yearly basis. By 1995 those workshops had become an annual “Meet Your Funders” workshop held in the County Commissioners room at the County Courthouse , and included speakers from AHAB (Neodata Endowment and AHAB-Addison Mini-Grants), SCFD, and the Boulder Arts Commission (BAC). At about the same time AHAB began presenting three to five workshops a year on topics of interest to artists. This series developed into BCAA's “Business of Arts” workshops covering everything from dealing with the press to doing your taxes. In 2005 BCAA conducted twelve such workshops with 250 participants
Throughout much of the above period SCFD granted AHAB an annual amount of money for technical assistance. These funds drove much of the artists' assistance program, often requiring substantial efforts by AHAB staff. In 1998 SCFD objected to AHAB's charging the SCFD Technical Assistance grant for staff time and sent AHAB a bill for over $14K to recover funds used for overhead to that date. AHAB objected strongly, pointing out that they had disbursed and used the funds in ‘good faith' and with no guidelines from SCFD. SCFD refused to agree to that and AHAB did a careful analysis of accounts, reiterated that they had acted in ‘good faith', and to ‘settle' the matter returned $7K+ of the money. SCFD returned that check and insisted on the full amount. The dispute resulted in SCFD refusing to allow AHAB to act as fiscal agent for SCFD grants and requiring that the AHAB ED keep detailed time and phone logs. This situation continued until February 2001 when key personnel at both AHAB and SCFD changed, and Pasco Scarpella at SCFD and John Tayer and Brian Curtiss at AHAB reached an agreement that allowed a return to normalcy. At that time SCFD asked to AHAB to again act as fiscal agent for applicants for SCFD Tier II funding.
Funds for Art and Artists
Even though BAAH sponsored many events and artists who participated in those events, even presenting the Chicago Guthrie Theatre in 1975 and the “Pablo Casals Trio” in 1978, it seldom, if ever, granted money to artists. That all changed in 1984 when AHAB was formed out of the ashes of BAAH to provide a vehicle for accepting and administering the gift of the Neodata building. AHAB went through a tortuous process to decide how the money from that gift would be used to foster the arts in Boulder . Often there is no record of those deliberations. What minutes do exist were taken unofficially by AHAB's secretary, who quietly slipped them into the AHAB archives. These were found some twenty-one years later in 2005 when current BCAA staff looked for documentation of the Neodata Endowment's history. Eventually it was ‘decided' that the building would be sold and the resulting funds placed in an endowment governed by AHAB and an Endowment Board. It was further decided that 5% of the earnings of that fund would be reinvested, that 10% of the remaining funds would be given to each of three of what are sometimes referred to as ‘trust fund babies', i.e., Colorado Music Festival, Boulder Philharmonic, and KGNU, and the remaining was to be distributed to local artists and arts organizations via a peer review system to be established by the Endowment Board.
AHAB sold the Neodata building in late 1986 for $1.4 million, about one half of what it was assessed at one year before (due falling real estate prices and the fact that the building was found to be in a flood zone). The Neodata Endowment Board had been wrestling with developing a distribution system with useful criteria for annual granting of the money from the endowment earnings, clearly sensing that they were ‘in charge' and independent of AHAB. Several AHAB Board members objected arguing that 1) the Endowment Board seemed to think they were imbued with some sort of ‘star power', 2) criteria were being set up to favor large arts organizations with large budgets and extensive in-place accounting procedures at the expense of small, new artists and art organizations, 3) that Neodata Endowment Board members had a vested and conflicted interest in that they were active members of favored organizations, and 4) the AHAB Board owned the endowment and needed to exert oversight on the process. That critique was received with some contempt and with no action. Until one Board Member insisted something be done or he would contact the District Attorney. This statement was received with some anger by other AHAB Board Members; however, two months later those same Board Members noted the AHAB Board needed to exert oversight of the Endowment Board. What followed was a process wherein the Neodata Endowment Board reported to the AHAB Board and cleared all their procedures through them. The AHAB Board also took direct control of appointments to the Endowment Board and over the years that Neodata Endowment Board became the AHAB Neodata Panel, reporting directly to AHAB with the AHAB Board president as a panel member.
Despite its controversial first years AHAB grew the Neodata Endowment and its Panel into a totally open process for awarding funds to deserving local artists and art organizations. In its early years, when the investment markets yielded high returns, Neodata was able to make awards that totaled more than $185 thousand. Subsequent to 2000 that amount declined by more than 85% (as investment income waned) to its present level of less than $30 thousand per year. In 2005 AHAB/Neodata celebrated the Neodata success pointing out that since its beginning the program had funded over 490 artists and art organizations and awarded in excess of $1,000,000!!!!
Over the years AHAB has struggled with efforts to enhance the Endowment's earnings and to grow the principle. The latest effort in that vein was in 2005 when AHAB went through an intensive RFP process to find a suitable manager for the fund, settling on Robert W. Baird & Co.
In 1987, Mark Addison became chair of the Boulder Arts Commission and started attending AHAB Board meetings regularly in an effort to develop a cooperative approach to the arts and arts advocacy. He noted that few funding opportunities were available to emerging artists. Accordingly in 1995 and 1996 he and his wife Polly in cooperation with AHAB instituted the AHAB/Addison Mini-Grant program designed to help such artists develop to the point they could compete successfully for Neodata, SCFD, and BAC funding. Grants were restricted to $500 each, and grantees could be funded only twice. In February 1996 the program received 27 applications!! The program has proved most beneficial to developing a solid cadre of artists and art organizations in Boulder many of which got started with an AHAB/Addison Mini-Grant. It presently awards grants on two cycles each year, funding nine grants per cycle.
In 1997 a local internet based company called Tesser, Inc. arose with origins in the CU Theatre program. Tesser began helping AHAB to become internet savvy, even setting up and hosting AHAB's original website on their server. In 1998 Tesser, Inc. funded a new set of arts grants through AHAB called the Tesser Awards. The awards were designed to foster deep, conceptual collaboration between artists of different arts genres. Proposals were solicited annually, the proposals carefully screened, and the top four or five scheduled for ‘auditions' to illustrate the nature of the collaboration. Proposal pressure in 1998 and 1999 was high and the quality just as high. It quickly became a mark of distinction to even be selected to audition. Awards were substantial, being as high as $7 thousand. In 2000 proposal pressure waned, Tesser, Inc was sold and the Tesser Awards sadly disappeared.
In 1999 AHAB developed a cooperative arrangement with Boulder 's Barnes & Noble store by which local visual artists could display their art at Barnes & Noble, and realize income from any art sold per result of that exhibition. AHAB and Barnes & Noble developed a process where twice year artists submit their art to a jury, which chooses six artists who each have a one month exhibit at the Barnes & Noble store. Each exhibit includes an opening night reception co-hosted by BCAA and Barnes & Noble. An archive of artists who have exhibited can be viewed on the BCAA Website.
In December 1998 Tom Read instituted an annual award through AHAB using funds he had inherited from a ‘representational artist' named Todd Milash. Named “The Milash Award” it consists of an award of $1,000 to a ‘representational artist' chosen each year from solicited examples and proposals by an AHAB panel.
Kiosks and Box Offices
Even in the 1970's BAAH saw a need for a common arts ticket source for Boulder. For at least three decades the idea for filling this need was seen as having a ticket kiosk on the Pearl Street Mall. The item appears constantly on Board Meeting agendas and seems to have constantly run into obstacles, one such obstacle being seen as the fact that the Boulder Theatre just did not want such a kiosk on the mall. The process became so difficult that the Board gave up, even at one time agreeing to a motion that the kiosk would no longer be a Board meeting agenda item. However, in 1986 it appeared in Board minutes again, even to the point of discussing staffing. After that things got almost comical. To get off ground zero a board member agreed to manage the kiosk, a site was found, and funds are appropriated to staff it. AHAB even bought a heater so the kiosk could be open in cold weather. Endless discussions ensued about when the kiosk should be open with Bell staunchly arguing that consideration had to be given to the extent of staff and their pay and needs. Suddenly it was revealed that the kiosk was in an inactive elevator which had to be activated to comply with the ADA . Then accusations were made that some kiosk personnel were using the box office to promote their own productions. Soon the kiosk simply disappeared. Even though consistently discussed all through the late 1980's and all the 1990's, not until 2005 did Boulder get even close to a viable, common arts box office. That happened when The Dairy Center for the Arts opened the Community Box Office in its Foyer in 2005. So once again, even though it took almost 30 years, persistence resulted in a positive addition to Boulder County 's arts infrastructure.
Arts Education
From the time BAAH arose from the ashes of the defeat of the 1970 ballot initiative through 2000, the organization has had a strong arts education component to its programs, usually having one or several Board members designated as an Arts Education Coordinator or Chairperson, or an Education committee. In April 1978 the Board noted with dismay that “only 90 minutes a month were given to art in Boulder schools” and that teachers needed to organize to remedy that situation. Early ArtsFests mounted coincident with the “Red Zinger Bicycle Classic” included a major arts education outreach. Efforts reached a zenith in 1994 when AHAB began sponsoring an annual ArtsSurround focused on arts education. ArtsSurround was a major AHAB effort for many years being presented in venues including Centaurus High School in Lafayette and flatbed trucks and even focusing at times on Latino/Mexican/Hispanic youth art. Eventually ArtsSurround focused on providing certification credits for teachers. Then it was ‘simplified' and disappeared. One gets the impression that, like many such programs, the effort needed to make it happen just outstripped resources and staff and volunteer time.
Movers, Shakers, and Personalities
All three manifestations of the current BCAA, i.e., BAAH, AHAB, and BCAA itself, had a number of people who Board minutes and anecdotal accounts indicate had a striking, and almost always positive impacts on the organization, and on the arts in Boulder County . There are, of course, the original BAAH founders, which included Chris Brauchli, Russ Olin, Charles Haertling, and William Sacksteder.
As the organization grew major forces for success were the Executive Directors, who with numerous titles and low salaries helped any number of Boards get by personal agendas and animosities to move forward. Of special note are Grayson Hardman, who helped AHAB through its early fractious years, Nancy Smith, who convinced AHAB of the need of a Cultural Plan to facilitate cooperation within the Boulder Arts Community and carefully guided the Board to a successful plan, Catherine Underhill, who put AHAB on a sound business footing, Anne Watson, who continued Underhill's modus operandi while dealing with a serious AHAB vs. SCFD quarrel and still finding time to court and use Tesser, Inc, and BCAA's current Executive Director, Alison Moore, who manages to quietly balance the Board, the Panels, and any number of agendas and their variants in ways that are always productive. In addition, Vicky Ashby, Julie Golden, Ellen Oh and Sherrie Silverman all dedicated their individual talents to AHAB.
In the 1970's Mo Siegel of Celestial Seasonings served as a BAAH Board member, but apparently found it too fractious for him. However, Mo still nurtured the arts and the organization, even lending support of BAAH ArtsFests by letting them piggyback on his Celestial Seasonings “Red Zinger Bicycle Classic.”
Kurt Burghardt, President and CEO of Neodata Corporation, gifted the Neodata Building and Bill Cohen revitalized AHAB and facilitated the transfer of that major donation to Boulder Arts community, also legally defining how that gift would be used. Mark Addison , with a well thought out vision, has funded the AHAB/Addison Mini Grants for the last decade. Tesser, Inc funded grants to encourage collaboration between arts genres, and Tom Read transformed an inheritance into a lasting memorial to its source and recognition of Boulder 's visual artists
During the early days of AHAB and Neodata Endowment, AHAB had a president in Jim Fogelberg who deserves an honorary degree in mediation for guiding that Board through the serious turmoil big money can create. At the same time Richard Bell was a vociferous conscience to the Board, and Jim Maxwell its sometimes secret archivist of the process. Both Jim and Richard were consistent and vocal champions of the ‘little guys' without big budgets.
In the mid and late 1990's Rita Kotter determinably drove AHAB and its staff to new places. In the late 1990's and early 2000's Dick Devin's calm reason and vision drove much of what AHAB did, including any number of 12 th Night events. During that same period calm and reasoned approaches personified by John Tayer and Brian Curtiss not only solved the AHAB vs. SCFD stand off, but, developed a unified Board that moves cautiously, but steadfastly forward in nurturing the Boulder County arts culture. BCAA is presently blessed with a Board and staff that is absent of any dominant personalities and works together toward common goals.
One can not talk about “movers and shakers' without mentioning the countless people who served on boards and committees, and donated space for meetings, or to all the treasurers and secretaries who captured literally miles of minutes and kept the organizations complex books along with the Executive Director's.
A view from 2006
Although not a perfect situation the arts in Boulder County have prospered in the last 40 years, and much of that prosperity was nurtured by BAAH, AHAB, and BCAA. Some lessons stand out.
Lesson One: Any development of the arts takes dedicated people, who often work for next to nothing, and have one heck of a lot of persistence. That persistence often has to be almost intergenerational. It took 30 years to even secure the Dairy, and ten more to get it where it is today. Any new such efforts must accept whatever defeats they suffer and stay committed.
Lesson Two: Big money means big problems. In fact you can substitute either the words ‘ideas' or ‘plans' for the word ‘money'. It takes lots of work by lots of dedicated people to move through those problems.
Lesson Three: Anything, be it program development, adjudication, etc. must be done in as open and public a manner as possible (there are limits, for example proprietary proposals must not be discussed in a public forum). Closeted and/or secret processes create incredible tensions and bad (often wrong) perceptions. They seldom if ever really stay secret.
Lesson Four: Getting major things accomplished requires that everyone be on the same page from the beginning (in as much as possible; there is very often someone who just refuses). That requires a very open process where no one feels left out. Forcing the issue, for example, by forcing a vote, even when you know you can ‘win', can often leave lasting resentment that eventually undermines the process. We can all learn something from the Quaker Meeting model, where consensus is the rule.
BCAA has withstood the tests of fire dealing with all these lessons. It is now a functioning well run organization with implementable goals. May it forever prosper, and may it learn from its history.
Don Atwood, Volunteer, March 2006
