Members Vote YES for Merger Between Cornucopia Art Center and Lanesboro Art Council; New Organization to be named Lanesboro Arts Center in 2010
At each of their membership meetings on Sunday, March 29, 2009, members of the Cornucopia Art Center and of the Lanesboro Art Council unanimously voted YES for a merger between the two organizations. The vision presented by board and staff at both meetings was for "A single, new, combined arts organization to be named the Lanesboro Arts Center" Programming (visual arts, music, film, performing arts, comedy, literature, poetry and community theater), staff positions, and board members will remain the same but be combined under one organization. This will provide members and the community with a more efficient and effective arts organization.
"In these challenging economic times, combining organizational resources to benefit the community and region makes a lot of sense," stated Cornucopia Art Center Executive Director John Davis.
The Lanesboro Arts Center will encompass the Cornucopia galleries and the St. Mane Theatre building. Current programming will continue to be a priority, fulfilling the mission of the new organization (created by combining mission statements of the CAC and LAC): "The Lanesboro Arts Center serves as a regional catalyst for artistic excellence and educational development in providing diverse art experiences for people of all ages."
For the remainder of 2009, publicity for events and programs will continue to use existing organization names: Cornucopia Art Center for CAC events, and Lanesboro Art Council for LAC events. In 2010, all programs and events will be publicized under the Lanesboro Arts Center.
The two organizations each have a long history of programming in Lanesboro; the Lanesboro Art Council was formed in 1981, and the Cornucopia Art Center in 1994. For many years, the two organizations have maintained a strong working relationship, with community projects and collaborative programming at the St. Mane Theatre, including the Livingston Taylor concert, the Garrison Keillor film documentary, and the Cultural Experience: Ojibwe events. In the summer of 2008, the boards of directors and some staff of both the Cornucopia Art Center and the Lanesboro Art Council held a facilitated retreat to explore further a partnership between the two organizations. In December 2008, both boards of directors voted approval of the merger in principle, and decided to offer the merger question to the membership of each organization.
Membership was presented with benefits of the merger in a presentation at both annual meetings:
- Development of a more efficient and effective organization
- Elimination of the duplication of organizational efforts promoting and presenting arts events
- Streamlining use of community volunteers
- Access to broader publicity and marketing for events and programs
- Access to experienced and professional full-time staff
- Creation of long-term capital campaign for the St. Mane building
- Creation of studio space at the St. Mane for the Lanesboro Residency Program and other artists
- Creation of long-term and short-term strategic planning documents
- Strengthened access to diverse programming including: visual arts, music, film, performing arts, comedy, literature & poetry, community theater, 'Art in the Park'
A merger committee comprised of representatives of both organizations has approved a transition plan. The committee will continue to work with experienced professionals assisting with the merger including Linda Tacke of Leadership Tactics consulting firm of Minnetonka and MAP for Nonprofits of St. Paul.
