Clearwater Arts Alliance Inc.

Clearwater Arts Alliance (CAA)List of major projects/accomplishments 2013-2017The activities of this non-profit entity can be divided into several main categories: support for arts education; support for public art; advocacy for the value of art and culture in our community and fundraising and friend-raising activities. 

 ARTS EDUCATION:

1. Over the last years, the active Arts Education Committee of CAA has awarded more than $6,300 to visual and performing arts teachers at Clearwater schools. Funds were raised and teachers were then encouraged to submit applications. Awards of up to $500 are made for classroom or school-wide projects in which students participate in unique artistic opportunities that expand the curriculum beyond what regular school funding covers.
2. In 2014-15, in response to the long standing and successful arts teacher award program, CAA was recognized with the first Community Partner award by the Pinellas Art Education Association.
3. In the 2015-16 school year, CAA kicked off a new category for teacher funding specifically for art teacher professional development. Two $500 awards were made
4. In the 2015-16 school year, three additional awards of $500 were made for art and music projects at Clearwater High. In the art project, students learned the techniques of screen printing The instrumental teacher project saw two professional musicians come in to prepare students for the Florida Band Masters competition and a free community concert. In the theater teacher project, CAA helped cover costs of hiring professional musicians for the pit orchestra for the large production of Mary Poppins.  
5. With CAA providing support, Pinellas County Middle and High school students participate in an annual All-County performance by either the All-County Orchestra or Chorus.  Students are chosen for their musical abilities and work ethic and receive mentoring by outstanding clinicians from around the state and nation. 
6. Every other year since early 2000’s CAA has played a role in organizing and hosting the Arts for a Complete Education’s (ACE) Principal’s Breakfast. With featured student performances and key note speakers, this advocacy event brings together political, educational, cultural and civic leaders to thank principals for their role in supporting arts education.
7. For the past ten years, CAA has celebrated National Youth Arts Month with a large exhibition of student works at the Clearwater Main Library.  This year 131 artists at K-8 level displayed their work. CAA organized the show in partnership with Pinellas County Schools and the City, and CAA presented 18 awards to outstanding student artists.
8. Also during 2014-2016, CAA helped organize and host a juried exhibition of the best high school artists.  With an opening reception on May 18, 2016, the student works were displayed at the Crossroads Gallery, SPC Clearwater Campus. CAA partnered with DFAC to sponsor three Awards of Excellence and served as greeters at awards reception.
9. Each year in the spring, CAA has partnered with CHS to host Clearwater High School Art Awards Night.  This year it was held on 5/17/16 and CAA sponsored four top Visual Art Awards recognizing student achievements.

PUBLIC ART:

1. CAA has been active since its creation in 1999 in the public art realm.  The CAA board was instrumental in the working with civic leaders and the private business community to gain support for passage of the Public Art Ordinance which occurred in 2002.  This ordinance originally called for a percentage of all public and private projects (over a certain dollar level) to have a public art component.
2. CAA works with City’s committee selecting public art In 2014- 2016 CAA has assisted in publicizing and celebrating these installations, including organizing a celebratory public dedication for the “Middens” sculpture.
3. After the City ceased enforcing the private developer component of the ordinance, CAA took on the role of encouraging private developer voluntary participation in public art.  In 2014, CAA commissioned an original award sculpture and hosted a reception to present the award to Bay Care in recognition of its excellent public art installation at Drew Street office building.  In July 2016, CAA presented the Opal Sands for its inclusion of art in its newly opened hotel.

ADVOCACY:

1. In 2015, CAA collaborated with several other local arts institutions such as DFAC and the St. Pete Arts Alliance to gain support for county funding with the result that Pinellas reinstituted some funding from general county revenues, leading to the hiring of a new executive director in early 2016.
2. In 2016, CAA members attended all workshops and advocacy meetings hosted by Creative Pinellas and attended County Commission meetings to give support for further increases in county funding outlined in preliminary budget meeting in the spring of 2016. 
3. In 2016, CAA Advocacy Chairman and other officers have worked regularly with Christopher Hubbard, Felicia Leonard and City Manager Horne to explore more and better ways to increase art and cultural activities within Clearwater.

FUND RAISING AND FRIEND-RAISING:

1. In 2013, CAA conceived and hosted the Rock the Arts party.  It showcased local musicians, both students and adults. 
2. Also in 2013, CAA began a program called “Friends of the Arts”.  We are regularly soliciting donations from the public to support CAA projects. 
3. In 2014, CAA implemented the first Pianos in Pinellas interactive art project.  After obtaining a major sponsor to donate the pianos, eleven (11) upright pianos were first painted by local artists and then placed in public lobbies, restaurants and the like all around Clearwater to be available to the public to play.  Sponsors paid for the right to have a piano in their location.  Many of these pianos are still in use and out in spaces available to the public. 
4. In 2015 CAA reprised the piano idea with “Tour of Painted Pianos”.  This time, with the help of sponsors, three of the already painted pianos were placed in hotel lobbies on Clearwater Beach before Jazz Holiday in October and stayed these until the close of the Suncoast Jazz Fest in November.  Again, there were events and gatherings planned for each location to get more exposure for the pianos, the musicians playing them and the CAA.
5. In 2015 and into 16 CAA undertook and new project to wrap drab signal boxes with work by local artists.  CAA paid the artists and installed prototypes at three locations.  With recent funding secured from Clearwater’s Downtown Development Board, another 8 have just been installed in the downtown core.  A request is pending before the City Manager for funds to wrap about 12 additional boxes throughout other neighborhoods in the city.  CAA is also working on a way to expand this further with the support of sponsors for additional boxes and continues to add boxes into 2017.
6. During 2015 and 2016, CAA has also developed and paid for the design of a Cultural Map.  It will list every location of a public art installation, every art gallery and every performing venue in the city.  This map is almost ready for print and CAA volunteers are currently soliciting sponsors and selling ads so that the large cost of designing and printing a large quantity on these maps can be covered. We are also developing a digital form of the map that will be available on the CAA website. 

On FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016 CAA hosted A PUBLIC ART DEDICATION FOLLOWED BY A TOUR OF ART INSTALLATION at the LOBBY OF FIRE STATION 45

 As the local arts advocacy organization, the Clearwater Arts Alliance (CAA) hosts a dedication and celebration of the installation of the sculpture “Accumulate”.  This was recently installed in the lobby of Fire Station 45 as part of the City’s Public Art Program. Cultural Affairs Specialist Christopher Hubbard led a short dedication ceremony. Following, attendees were invited to board the trolley for a short tour around the immediate downtown area to view other recent public art installations by the CAA, CRA, and the City.

THE FIRST ANNUAL SIGNAL BOX BIKE RIDEcelebrating the latest public art in Clearwater –traffic signal boxes wrapped in creative artwork occurred on WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 with an After Party at Tony’s Pizza.

This offered an opportunity to support the arts and take a leisurely bicycle ride, touring the recently installed art wrapped signal boxes around downtown Clearwater and return to a party to meet the artists, enjoy music, food, beer, prizes and more. 

CLEARWATER ARTS ALLIANCE CONTINUES WITH LAUNCH 

Have you noticed the colorful art appearing on those drab intersection signal boxes? As part of its continuing mission to advocate for and promote public art in Clearwater, the CAA engaged local artists Ray Paul, Ya La'ford, and Tim Boatright to provide images for the first installation on traffic signal boxes in Clearwater. The first project phase targeted 15 locations in downtown and on the beach.  Since then, many more boxes have appeared incorporating more artists including Don Gillespie and Liz Smith.  The project continues to inspire and grow.