08-30-16 Personnel and Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Committeemember Voorde stated it is unfortunate that when budgets get tight, those types of things are often looked at first, because they aren't seen as vital, but actually they are, for the soul of the community. City Clerk, Kareemah Fowler asked if Ms. Visser would be the main contact for art from the schools, because the Clerk's Office is doing a program with children where we are putting art in the Council hallway. Ms. Visser stated she could be an initial contact, but it would probably be someone else on her staff who ultimately would do that, or we could steer you to another arts organization in the community. There are a lot of artist organizations in the community that have member work, and that is another possibility. Patrick Slebonick, 201 S. Chapin Street, Studebaker Museum, I am from Williamsburg, VA. As you all know, in January, Becky Bonham retired from the Studebaker Museum after fifteen (15) years of great service there. Mr. Slebonick stated he was fortunate to be the beneficiary of a national search to be the next director of the museum. He comes from a museum background, most recently working at an art museum in Williamsburg, and is very excited to be here and to be a part of this community. The museum is a fantastic resource and it is going to remain a beacon of the Studebaker legacy. It is a fantastic national story and an important part of our industrial heritage, and we're going to be fantastic stewards of that legacy. We're also going to be an educational institution, we're going to teach our visitors, find new ways to create programs and experiences for people of all ages in our community. We also really want to be a part of this vibrant cultural life that is blossoming in South Bend. It is hard not to catch on to the contagious feeling that this is a fantastic time to be here and growing in this community. We finished 2015 with the highest attendance in over five (5) years, a lot of that was due to the "Lincoln's Final Journey" exhibition, which was a collaboration between the Smithsonian and Ford's Theater and a number of other national lenders. The future of that was a piece of the City's Studebaker collection, which was the Lincoln Carriage. The Lincoln Carriage also went out and carried the Studebaker flag in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian has 2.5 million visitors each year, so the Lincoln Carriage was a centerpiece in the commemoration in the Lincoln assassination there. It carried our community's flag in D.C. in a major way. In 2016, we've been thrilled to be part of the celebration of the Indiana Bicentennial. We're partnering with three (3) other museums to participate in the Hoosier Made: World Driven exhibition. Three (3) museums got together in a collaboration that was the first of its type to create a passport between the three (3) museums across the state, and each of us celebrated a different era of Indiana Automotive Manufacturing. The Studebaker Museum celebrated the "Brass Era" and we've seen great results and a lot of attendance thanks to that as well. We are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the St. Joseph County Parks system as well as the 901h anniversary of the (inaudible). 5