The Art Village

8/9/2019 The Art Village

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The Art Village Project Book

By David [email protected]

Briefly, this is how the idea of the Art Village got started. I wascommentating on the Net on some things I had run across, remarking on thecraziness of the world in general. Specificity, I was talking about what I hadlearned about pottery, and what seemed to be some serious overcharges on someitems. I then pointed out how the different problems would then to be solved if allthe functions are combined in one organization/

The guy I was writing to said, Great, build it!

Right, other than no money, not a problem. says I.

So, get a grant!

And that stopped me cold - I had never thought of that. Opps, my bad.But understandable, I believe, as not everyone has a history of applying for grants,let alone a working knowledge of the process so, not foremost in the thoughts.So I looked into it and the more I did, the better the possibility looked. Not easy,true, but possible. Lots of work, yes, but there was no law it all had to be done byone person working alone, and not all sequence, not having to be done all at once.

Hummm . . .

Ok, locate other people that might be interested in the Art Village. Find away to build the Art Village by dividing up the different parts of the job. Getcreative in what is needed to be done in the startup. Find a way to hand off partsof the job to other people, whittle the task down to a manageable size.

Collect information. Think. Scheme. Whatever.

One possible approach is to write down what you do, and perhaps get other

people to do the same. Do that and you can swap notes.

As there was the potential to have many Art Villages, but I really onlywanted one to absorb my energies, so there was plenty of places to go around.

Write down what I have got so far you do, and perhaps get other people tojoin in. Ok, Im doing that here. You feel moved to jump in, great


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First project is to find a likely building.

Running alongside that, in the paperwork world, would be an ongoing getgrants team, to support the project. And possibly, a virtual Gallery or Art Villageshop function - A free url / store

http://signup.freeservers.com/

The nature of grants

There has to be a natural law about this, but Im not quite sure what it is.Probably something like Free money costs too, or whatever. The people whoaward grants have been approached by hundreds of scam artists each year, sothey have some beefy walls in place to guard that money.

And what has happened? Its been a kind of slow motion thing. I amseeing some progress, but with just me on the job its slow. I need more help.And some different viewpoints. There are a number of other files that are notincluded in this report, but are available for anyone with web access:

Finding Art Village buildingsArtists can use buildings that some real estate firms may overlook. And

rating Art Village buildings Some will be better than others - but how?

Kiln repairPossible Art Village classes

Art Village glassArt Village specialized data basesGetting grants for the Art VillageManaging Art Village donationsConsignment terms

Avoiding scamsResources for donated items, like computers.Creating Artists statementsSupply details for the Art Village gift shopOn Montessori schools

Various support files for the Art Village blog, and other support files, toonumerous to detail, are found on the blog or the web site.

The current main location of the Art Village on the Web (Yahoo) is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtVillage/


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The Annex area:

Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtVillageAnnex

I would like to open up the possibility of your group joining me in the creationof a combination small business incubator and art colony I call the Art Village.That is not the full extent of the project, but it will do for a starting point. I realizeyour group may have committed their budget for the year, but The Art Village is abit too young for money - what I feel I need most at this point is ideas, critiques andsuggestions.

The statement of Art Village theme might be; "To create an supportiveenvironment for artists." The name Art Village is a compromise, from a cointoss. It may suggest a place tourists would care to visit.

Here are some notes on call the Art Village. Its projected to be at leastpartly housed in an unused (no longer used for teaching) surplus school building.The lack of a surplus school building is not a problem because of the nature of the

Art Village - it can be done with a number of other local buildings, of almost anytype. Surplus school buildings are nice - but not a total requirement.

I feel the lack of a local art colony can be reversed to the benefit of all partiesinvolved. The plans I have would combine the day to day operations of the ArtVillage with the needs of the community. If the first building managed by the ArtVillage is a surplus school there is a better possibility of positive returns showingup sooner.

Im picking on a school building as an example because it seems to be agood place for the Art Village to start out in. A number of the projected functions,particularly the community support functions, may be reasonably based in such abuilding. True, I cannot promise positive revenues flow for the building, but theact of putting it to use will soon reduce most of the negative effects of an empty,unused building. This use has another positive side effect, an empty, unusedbuilding ages faster than a building in use. Use of the building as an Art Villagewould preserve and improve the building for other later functions.

There is a positive effect to the community in getting even a small positiverevenues flow for the building. There are also the positive effects of gentrification*happening to a town that supports such a project.

(*Gentrification - the process of transforming an un-prosperous neighborhood into


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a more prosperous one, for example, through investment in remodeling buildingsor houses.)

In this case, to explain gentrification one person quipped When the artistsmove in, the rent goes up. Hummm

A school building is often owned outright or is on long term leased by thetown. While circumstances vary, this usually seems to be the normal state ofaffairs.

But!... The Art Village does not have to be located in any one place. As amatter of fact, there is a strong suggestion in the long run a single location mightwork against the full function of the Art Village. And of course, the Art Village willstart out as a virtual* place. How far that will go would be based in part ondemand.

*Virtual - being something in effect even if not in reality, or not conforming to thegenerally accepted definition of the term.

Being a virtual place means at least the Art Village could be operating andaccessible worldwide, even before a building was secured. Then the Art Villagereaches that stage I do hope to have a building lined up, if not in conversion.

Why does the Art Village eventually need to be in several places? In partthis is due to the nature of the artists themselves, and their requirements. Thespectrum of Artist ranges from artist as hermit, wanting a very private studiolocation, to the other extreme, the performance artist, who not only wants a studio,they want it in a central, well traveled location, and are almost ready to kidnappeople off the street for a on demand audience. And no matter what kind ofartist, there is a need for gallery space. There are two, possibly three extremeshere. Clearly one building cant serve them all - to say nothing of the shades ofartists in between those extremes. And artist studios often do not need a primelocation, just a cheap one will be fine. The space in the prime location should goto the persons needing it.

But there is no law requiring all Art Village functions to be housed in oneplace, or in one building, or even! one county. Yes, you might expect that wouldbe needed, but recent developments (the Net) have changed that requirement.

How can the Art Village be in several places? The short, noncomplexanswer is by doing any linking needed between buildings over the Internet. Thehardware and software to do this already exist in several forms, all off the shelf andalready owned or purchasable by the artists themselves, if thats called for.


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This clearly sets the stage for a diverse, widespread organization, afederation of local groups.

A federation of local groups? Yes, I feel the Art Village will spread, and asit does so, the local branches will start to have different make ups, if only from the

random mixtures of different artists. This variation could only help the Art Villagesystem in the long run.

Possible Art Village functions

One possible way to do this is to have some of the mundane things oftenneeded by artists purchased in bulk and held for later use. This function willgenerally be known as stores. The member artists are not required to buy from

the Art Village stores section, but the lower price, location, and fresh nature ofthe materials should encourage this.

Of course, there are other support functions the Art Village provides. Aloading dock is seldom needed by a single artist, but it is projected to have a fulluse schedule with a number of artists and businesses on site. In other words, theartist may need the loading dock only once a month, but the requirements of 30artists or firms means near daily use for this feature. The existence of a loadingdock might be of use to local people as well.

And the Small Business Incubator?

It should not be too surprising that space of interest to an artist is also ofinterest to a small business owner after all, art is a small business, in a way. SoI project the function of the 'Art Village' be combined with the function of a smallbusiness incubator as well - to provide the largest number of renters possible, andto make the venue as useful and complete as possible. Having two somewhatdifferent groups would let the Village go after grants that may change in theiravailability, as time changes the political landscape.

Another possible empowerment is to have a collection of artists withactivities that naturally support each other. I plan to offer more than just the rentalof space, as I have encountered in a number of ways the blending of the differentneeds of artists.

In short, I hope to encourage artists that have overlapping needs orfunctions then help those overlapping needs get filled. The report assumes, but


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does not require, the project being started in a rural area. The project might belocated in a surplus school or similar building at this point a surplus school isprobably the best starting point.

In the beginning, size is probably more important than type, but all detailsneed to be considered. To paraphrase a famous quote, If you have a building,they will come.

The Art Village can start in almost any building. Some will be better thanothers, and there will be differences among the groups.

With the abilities of the Internet the Art Village doesnt have to be a singlebuilding. Why not combine the Art Village, and a few other things like the smallbusiness incubator and other functions, at a surplus / retired public school? While

an area may not be able to produce enough artists to fill every one of the schoolrooms available, a mix of artists and businesses should be able to fill the rooms,and provide a safe mix in case the economy makes a change against a pure ArtVillage.

Conditions that might affect one group should not hit the other as hard, andwhat one needs the other may supply. After all, in a way an artist is a smallbusiness, and as such, need support as much as any other small business.

If you have only a few tenants, by itself that would be a problem. But with anumber of different possible renters the problem may well become a shortage ofavailable space.

Really, I feel this is not a problem. Most features attractive to one groupwill also be of interest to the other.

An everyday example would be a loading dock. No artist is going to handcarry off a 10 ton block of stone. So, expect a move to have a shipping dock onsite, if there is not one already.

In turn, such an item suggests a need for some kind of shipping function,connected to a temporary holding area - - in effect a warehouse in function. Fromthere, its a short step to possibly forming a shipping company, if needed.

An Art Village can have a support function in other ways. For example, asimple product might be a plaster of Paris block for pottery use (a wedging block).

A 3$ block of plaster of Paris goes for about $ 100 in a standard pottery catalog.The Art village can provide there items and others for, say, teachers giving localpottery classes. The teacher could get low cost items for setting up his class, thepeople attending could have an opportunity to buy such low cost items as well.The act of using the Art Village as a base of operations provides several real world


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benefits - teacher has a reduced cost in first time setup and could even get amodest profit on such items.

And the ability to make such devices means the handicapped person couldtry most aspects of pottery for well under a hundred dollars. This would stretch

limited funds for a handicap training program.

Pottery support

There are several pottery support functions the village can supply.Another possible support function would be the mulling of clay. This is best donein large lots, and stored / stockpiled in plastic 55 gallon drums. The need toprocess a large lot of clay would justify and support the purchase of a high capacityMuller (a specialized machine for conditioning pottery clay).

However, the weight of such clay restricts where a clay stockpile can be

stored (second floor storage is NOT suggested for this, even if you can get itupstairs!).

A list of possible Art Village functions

Its suggested that an average school has around 20 full size rooms.Some of the uses given here would not take up a full room, so this is only anindication of the possible usage level of a building.

Teaching areasOne or more of the rooms may be retained in the original form, for holding

classes.

Mail box center-The post office does not mind if a mailbox location is set up locally - indeed,

this may free up the pressure for boxes in the local post office. This could bothprovide a local jobs, and a service to the community.

Employment firm -And just where would that firm locate?. Well, I know of a place, centrally

located to the local area, with lots of parking, and lots of office space, and anumber of locations and small businesses needing workers right at hand. Humm.. . At least one local job right there.


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Local Bookkeeper -Having a number of small firms in one place would be of interest to a

bookkeeper. An on site bookkeeper could offer a lower cost service to the ArtVillage firms, all gathered in one place. This would provide a local job.

Receptionist -A school starts off with offering access to a number of firms, but through a

receptionist - a gatekeeper in effect - that can be a contact point, even though thehead of the company is not present at the time. If nothing else this could providea Helping Hand service (see League of Woman Voters for details) to thecommunity.

Glassblowing

Both glassblowing and pottery have a need for kilns, but the type of need isclose but not identical. It might be possible to use the kilns for both functions withmodern insulating materials and programmable controllers to cut down onproblems in building or running them. There could be problems with some of thecompounds baking out and contaminating that particular kiln, so a kiln may or maynot be shareable between the two crafts.

It may also be possible to use other money saving approaches - forexample, with an idea of the volume of work needed, you can plan ahead for thenumber of kilns ultimately needed, and change the design. Know that and youmight be able to build the kilns in a group (the walls touching) to save on the heatlosses through the walls, reducing operating costs.

If possible, try to collect artists that have overlapping needs or functions.At least, have an idea of the process or functions that do truly overlap, so thoseneeds can be meant as well.

As a typical example this report assumes (but does not require) an ArtVillage renter who might be building a glassblowing studio.

For example, a woodworking artist might be used to make some of thetraditional glassblowing tools and molds, which are wood.

A "hot shop" is the most difficult of any glass craft venture, conversely itwould provide the greater returns. Lesser glassblowing function shops (beadmaking, lamp work, blowpipe glassblowing, scientific glassblowing,) would providealmost as many benefits as well. The complex with a glass making furnace at itscore (a hot shop) has a number of features that could be shared with other artists,or small businesses. These features include heat output of a furnace also beused to other, somewhat more mundane uses, like some of the excess heat flow


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going to a lumber drying kiln outside.

However, activities of a lampworking shop (an intermediate step to a full hotshop) has many of those features as well. For example, a hot shop orlampworking shop might take a step forward and go directly to a tank of cryogenic

oxygen to run glassblowing torches. As a low use level tank normally ventsexcess (not drawn off for use) oxygen, so this same cryogenic oxygen tank couldrun one, ora number of torches at about the same cost. In short, a cryogenic tankwould support a number of torches without shortening the lifetime use of the tank.This could include a oxy-acetylene cutting torch, as well. Such torches as thoseare a useful tool, welcome in any shop.

For that matter, any artistic function that involves directed heat wouldbenefit from access to glass blowing torches themselves. Because of the natureof glass, glass blowing torches have to be a superior design and function - they area great improvement to standard torches. They will work very well for any effort

that needs directed heat.

Along the way to making the plans for the Art Village I saw the possibility ofother features. The existence of these features depends in part on the buildingsize, the local grounds, and the building features.

For example, a school that had industrial arts classrooms would be set upfor woodworking or metal shop work. Those firms that wish to do woodworking ormetalwork would be glad to move in to such an area.

The Art Village would also benefit from the presence of an auto mechanicsshop, if one was there before.

Related Art village support itemsCommunity fax machine, community copier, other items. Other possible

functions - Depending on demand, there might be an Internet caf, probably in thecafeteria, or possibly a room off the library.

Indoor (heated) Storage areas -

Any unused rooms can be rented out as storage areas. This alone wouldprobably take up any leftover slack.


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Day care center-A day care function is a natural add on to the Art Village, and given the

conditions today there is a real need for it. I feel sure this is a feature sure to begiven a positive vote. If this was K to grade school originally, the playground

directed toward younger children should be a bonus. Adding a day care functionwould insure the items already in place are put to full use. Plus the kids wouldlove it.

Caterer support -Of special interest to a local catering firm would be the full function, up to

code commercial kitchen. A bonus is the day to day steady customers the sitewould provide for that service.

The daily customers are the artists that want to eat on site, plus the parents

who want to spend quality time with their children in the day care center.

Mail box function-Some towns have outgrown their post offices - there is an acute mailbox

shortage. A local Mailbox are Us firm would be welcomed, and could support thefunctions of the Art Village as well.

Phone Answering service -The school has the office space and the phone lines already in place* to

support this function. There will also be a inter classroom intercom system thereas well.

* (standard widespread phone company policy is to run *all* local phone lines intosuch a building)

This may also include DSL (Internet) access in some cases, or some othercases high speed Internet access

Facially support items -They would include functions like a loading dock, compressed air, oxygen

systems, Stores on site, shared kilns for pottery and glass or other functions,inside storage, outside storage, and art display areas. Also the informationprovided by the collected Art Village files is also available.


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Other functionsThe Library area should still have the bookshelves in place. I would

suggest against it being broken up, as there are probably better, more positiveuses for it in its original form. One such use would be to hold art books donated tothe Art Village.

Local townspeople could donate books to provide raw materials for thegeneral library. Such a facility will be slowly restocked with donated books andcould also attract grants for books. It will also provide a place for a retired coupleto start a paperback business store.

As there will be office space on site, with the possibility of use by a numberof local firms

The auditorium is something that should not be broken up. There are anumber of functions possible in the original space that would work best with theroom in its original form.

Still more Other functions

Depending on the building and grounds - the display of artwork andcommunity projects. This might include local functions that were using thegrounds before the Art Village was established.

The Art Village may also be a business anchor for some functions that area bit hard to describe. For example; retirement homes have a number of people

joining them, with a number of still valuable items they might wish to donate.Frequently they might have life experiences, tools, musical interments or similaritems for donation to the Village.

Life experiences? Yes. I suggest you read the Fox Fire books tounderstand this.

In some cases the Village can be a clearing house to do nothing more thanbring such people together.

Emergency functions and community support

Local support of the community is another possible function of the ArtVillage - for example, stand by church for use in case the original becomes


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damaged. Community support can also come from providing a location for theRed Cross, or for groups providing community support.

* (The Red cross states one of the needs for disaster center is a large building, ofcourse, but other items like storage space and available communications is also

given as a needed item.)

As support for the Art Village, I have collected a large and diverse amount offacts and information I plan to make available as a special data base. Thisinformation, presented as an Internet data base, could provide support to artistsworldwide. In effect this would create a virtual Art Village almost overnight.

Having a good showroom is one possibility, and having a number of artistsshowing their wares in one place will tend to justify trips from patrons, encouraging

extended visits by patrons, providing benefits somewhat like having an upscaleshopping mall in the area.

* Do you have an incredible, new idea that could change your community, country,or world?

* Are you an entrepreneur who won't rest until your idea has been brought to life?Or a leader who has recently started an organization to do just that?

If so, apply for an Echoing Green Fellowship. You could receive up to $90,000 inseed funding and support to launch a new organization that turns your innovativeidea for social change into action.

Follow in the footsteps of the founders of Teach For America, City Year, and over400 other social change organizations and apply online by December 1, 2006.

Watch the video: http://www.echoingg reen.org/ video

---

The Art Village


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Here are some notes on the project I call the Art Village. Because there isnothing hidden about it, a wide range of people can contribute to different parts ofthis project without problems. Because there are no secrets, a person can workto promote it openly and there will be no duplication of effort. Youll needsomeone to manage a list of tasks for people to pick from.

The Art Village is a local, 'do it yourself' art colony that also has aspects of asmall business incubator and other community services. Why ? To give back tothe community.

Ok, whats a small business incubator? Consider, a home based businessthat starts to get bigger begins to outgrow the basement. Too big for thebasement, too small for a building, where can it go? Thats one reason the Art

Village has a small business incubator function, as in a way, artists have a similarproblem.

The groups uses the Net to maintain contact between users or chapters in akind of 'federation' of artists and small businessmen.

Depending on the decisions of local chapters, even non-members will havesome access to those chapter files. The Art Village is not based on secrets, butmakes day to day operations open to all.

Of course, a lot of this will depend on the correct use of the Internet. Thereare hundreds of search engines and indices, but only eight that really matter.They are:

Yahoo!, AltaVista, Excite, WebCrawler, MSN, Infoseek, Lycos, and HotBot.

All the others might account for 1% of traffic, combined. So, if yourepositioned in the top eight, youre doing fine.

In any case. I would like to open up the possibility of you joining me in thecreation of a combination small business incubator and art colony. That is not thefull extent of the project, but it will do for a starting point.

Now we need a lofty statement of the project, a theme statement. Thestatement of Art Village theme might be; "To create an supportive environment forartists."


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Ok, and to help promote the existence of the Art Village there are somecorporate activates to go with that.

The Art Village chapter you work with is local, but it (hopefully) will becomea part of a national group without loss of identity or effectiveness.

There is a possibility that after we contact xxx older computers will bedonated to the Art Village

Art Village Recycled computers project

Aardvark Computer Service, LTD5360 Arapahoe AvenueBoulder, CO. 80303303-447-3457

Alpha Institute1017 Perth Street

Aurora, CO 80011303-343-4114Colorado Materials ExchangeWebsite: http://www.colorado.edu/cure/COMEX/Campus Box 207Boulder, CO 80309303.492.4330FAX 303.492.1897Email: [email protected]

Computers for Kids303-367-9374Computers for LearningWebsite: http://www.computers.fed.gov/


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202- 501-3846

Computer Recycling CenterCyert Hall, Room B25

Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA 15213Contact: Marc Bartholomew, Coordinator412-268-8609Fax: 412-268-8192E-mail: [email protected]

Computer Recycling Project479 Bartlett StreetSan Francisco, CA 94110

Dale Tersey - Director415-695-7703Email: [email protected] clearinghouse for older computers to go to educationand nonprofit programs to further computer literacy.

Computers and Education Computer Recycling1700 19th Street,San Francisco, CAPhone: 415-643-6200Fax: 707-570-1192WebsiteFax them on your school letterhead stationery and request their Declaration Form.

Verified http://www.giftsinkind.orgGifts in Kind InternationalWebsite: http://www.giftsinkind.orgTele-fax library: 888-288-4043PO Box 18002Merrifield, VA 22118-0002Email: [email protected]

National Cristina Foundation1-800-CRISTINA (274-7846)


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203-406-8000Fax: 203-406-9725181 Harbor DriveStamford, CT 06902-7474Email: [email protected]

PC Brokers1911 11th Street, Suite 105Boulder, CO 80302303-449-2267Fax: 303-449-2267WebsiteTo be included in their list of non-profits looking for computers, please mail or faxthe following information: Organziation name, address, phone number, hours ofoperation

Organization description, mission statement, and how donated computers wouldbe usedNon-profit status (are donations to the organization tax deductible?)Description of the lowest end computer that would be useful, and if non-workingsystems are acceptable

Provider's Resource ClearinghouseRobert D. Ridgeway, Executive Director303-296-8580Fax: 303-296-86253100 Blake StreetDenver, CO 80205-2307Email: [email protected]

Some day to day details

In the beginning its projected to be at least partly housed in a unused orsurplus school building, such as the building currently in Cumberland City, Tn.

I include this information as an example because the Tennessee Board ofEducation claims there are no surplus schools anywhere in Tennessee. None.Hummm However, personal experience cant support this. In a way, this isan example of what you will find.

In any case, the lack of a surplus school building is not a deal stopperbecause of the nature of the Art Village - aspects of it can be done with a numberof other buildings, of almost any type. Surplus school buildings are nice, meetingmany requirements - but are not a total requirement.


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As you may already know there are a very few art colonies in westernTennessee, and only a few in the areas over the state boarder. I feel thiscondition can be reversed to the benefit of all parties involved. The plans I havewould combine the day to day operations of the Art Village with the needs of thecommunity. Its just that if the first building managed by the Art Village is a surplus

school, there is a better possibility of positive returns showing up sooner.

Im picking on a school building because it seems to be a good place for theArt Village to start out in. A school is a large, well made, centrally located,unused, multifunction building that the town is probably still paying off on.

A number of the projected functions, particularly the community supportfunctions, may be reasonably based in such a building. True, I cannot promisepositive revenues flow for the building, but the act of putting it to use will soon

reduce most of the negative effects of an empty, unused building. This use hasanother positive side effect, an empty, unused building ages faster than a buildingin use, and that part will stop. Use as an Art Village location would preserve forthe town the building for other uses when or if the Art Village moves out.

There is a positive effect to the community in getting even a small positiverevenues flow for the building. There are also the positive effects of gentrification*happening to a town that supports such a project.

(*Gentrification the process of transforming an un-prosperous neighborhood ofbuildings needing repair into a more prosperous one, for example, throughinvestment in remodeling buildings or houses.)

In this case, to explain gentrification one person quipped When the artistsmove in, the rent goes up.

Of course, whatever hiring the Art Village does is going to be local. Themoney spent on these activates is going to stay local. The money generated bythe functioning Art Village will tend to stay locally as well.

A school building is often owned outright or long term leased by the town.While circumstances vary, this usually seems to be the normal state of affairs.

The Art Village does not have to be located in any one place. As a matterof fact, there is a strong suggestion in the long run a single location might workagainst the full function of the Art Village.


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Why does the Art Village eventually need to be in several places? In partthis is due to the nature of the artists themselves, and their requirements. Thespectrum of Artist ranges from artist as hermit, wanting a studio location with novisitors, to the other extreme, the performance artist, who not only wants a studio,

they want it in a central, well traveled location, and are almost ready to kidnappeople off the street for a on demand audience. There are too extremes here.Clearly one building cant serve these two extremes, to say nothing of the shadesof artists in between. But there is no law requiring all Art Village functions to behoused in one place, or in one building. Yes, you might expect that would beneeded, but recent developments (the Net) have changed that.

How can the Art Village be in several places? The short, noncomplexanswer is by doing any linking needed over the Internet. The hardware andsoftware to do this already exist in several forms, all off the shelf and alreadyowned or purchasable by the artists themselves, if that is called for.

Possible Art Village functions

What artist support functions, you may ask. Well... For one, keepingtrack of local restrictions that artists may encounter.

A support function of the Art Village is to put a break on some of the scamsan artist gets hit with. The Art Village can pass on the experiences of one artist toother artists. This may not stop the first instance of a brand new scam, but it doeslet the existence of the scam be known, and perhaps even alert authorities to whatis happening.

One important function of any Art Village is to pass on the experiences ofone artist - good or bad - to all other artists. Because they would all be on theInternet, that is possible.

This function will grow in effectiveness as more Art Village chapters comeon line in different areas.

Art Village as tourist attraction

Come in and see artists at work. And shop as well.


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Art Village as a Stores provider

Company store function - sell lower cost items to the people who have cometo tour the grounds. One possible way to do this is to have some of the mundanethings often needed by artists purchased in bulk and held for later use. This

function will generally be known as stores. The member artists are not requiredto buy from the Art Village stores section, but the lower price, location, and freshnature of the materials should encourage this.

Local services

Of course, there are other support functions the Art Village provides. Forexample - a loading dock.

A What?

A loading dock is seldom needed by a single artist, but it is projected to havea full use schedule with a number of artists on the site, and might also be put to useby the town and locals if needed.

In other words, an artist may need the loading dock only once a month, butthe requirements of 30 artists or firms in the Village means near daily use for thisfeature. The existence of a loading dock might be of use to local people as well.

A small business incubator

So I project the function of the 'Art Village' be combined with the function ofa small business incubator as well - to provide the largest number of renterspossible, and to make the venue as useful and complete as possible. Having twosomewhat different groups (art and business /economics) would let the Village goafter grants that may change in their availability and importance, as time changesthe political and economic landscape.

Artists support other artists

Another possible empowerment is to have a collection of artists withactivities that naturally support each other. I plan to offer more than just the rentalof space, as I have encountered in a number of ways the possibility of blending thedifferent needs of artists.

In short, I hope to encourage artists that have overlapping needs or


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functions then help those overlapping needs get filled. The report assumes, butdoes not require, the project being started in a rural area. The project might belocated in a surplus school or similar building at this point a surplus school isprobably the best starting point.

I use the word surplus school in quotes, as after talking to the Board ofEducation I am assured there are no surplus schools anywhere in Tennessee -except that I live in Steward county, Cumberland City, with just such a schoolbuilding not more than two block from my house. Opps. This school hasnt hada graduating class in at least 19 years now. For a time it was rented out for acommercial use after it was closed - but is not surplus, its claimed by the Board ofEducation to still be under lease by the community. To date I have not been ableto find a term that will help me find the location of such buildings that clearly doexist in other places as well. A little burecacucy stonewalling seems to be goingon here. Other people may have better luck on this.

But with the baby boomers reaching maturity, there are more and moreschool buildings closing down across the nation.

In the beginning, size is probably more important than type, but all detailsneed to be considered. To paraphrase a famous phase, If you have a building,they will come. Fine, but what they do when they get there is at least partlyshaped by the building.

With the abilities of the Internet it doesnt have to be a single buildinganymore. Why not combine the Art Village, and a few other things like the smallbusiness incubator and other functions, at a surplus or retired public school?While an area may not be able to produce enough artists to fill every one of theschool rooms available, a mix of artists and businesses should be able to fill theavailable rooms, and provide a safe mix in case the economy makes a changeagainst a single feature of the Village.

Conditions that might affect one group should not hit the other as hard, andwhat one needs the other may supply. After all, in a way an artist is a smallbusiness, and as such, need support as much as any other small business.

If you have only a few tenants, by itself that would be a problem. But with anumber of different possible renters the problem may well become a shortage ofavailable space in the Village building. Really, I feel this is not a problem. Mostfeatures attractive to one group will also be of interest to the other.

An everyday example would be a loading dock. No artist is going to unloadand hand carry off, say, a 10 ton block of stone. So, expect a move to have ashipping dock on site, if there is not one already.

In turn, such an item suggests a need for some kind of shipping function,and temporary holding area - in effect, a warehouse in function. From there, its ashort step to possibly forming a shipping company, if needed.


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An Art Village can have a support function in other ways. For example, asimple product might be a plaster of Paris block for pottery use. A 3$ block ofplaster of Paris goes for about $ 100 in a standard pottery catalog. The Art Villagecan provide there items and others for, say, teachers giving local pottery classes.The teacher could get low cost items for setting up his class, the people attending

could have an opportunity to buy such low cost items as well. The act of using theArt Village as a base of operations provides several real world benefits - theteacher has a reduced cost in first time setup, and the Village and the teachercould even get a modest profit on selling such items.

Of course, the Art Village will from time to time host seminars and classes,so some of the rooms in the Art Village will start out as classrooms, and will stayclassrooms - no conversions needed there.

Given that finding an average is a bit hard, I will go out on a limb a bit and

say an average school has 20 rooms, more or less.Also, there is not a standard size room, or a standard size use, might Itwould be best that we go on a one use, one room standard.

Other facts threaten to get in there. For example, do you need publicaccess to the room?

Starting a new Montessori school is a complex process

You should understand from the beginning that the name Montessori refersto a method and philosophy, but not a copyright protected name or franchisingprogram. In many parts of the world, anyone who wishes to can open a schooland call it Montessori with no knowledge of how an authentic program isorganized or run. This is sometimes embarrassing for those of us as educatorsand parents who understand all too well the difference. Most of these schoolsfail, but often not before they harm the general image of other Montessori schoolsin their community.

Montessori schools are different, profoundly different, from the familiartraditional classrooms that most of us attended in our childhood years. Those ofus who have spent years around Montessori children know that Montessori works!While the average person has heard of Montessori, most know little about it andhave conflicting impressions of what Montessori reflects. This is nothing new orunique to our country. It has been the case since Dr. Montessori opened her firstschool outside Rome in 1907.

Some people rave about Montessori, others think that parents must benuts to put their children in a Montessori school.


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Some are firmly convinced that Montessori is too rigid and robs children oftheir creativity, while others object that it is completely unstructured and withoutany academic standards.

"Isn't Montessori the sort of school where they allow the children to do andlearn whatever they want, whenever they want? Perhaps it will work for yourlittle Sally, but I'm afraid that if my Danny were left to his own devices, he'd neverchoose to do a lick of schoolwork! He needs order, structure, a small-class size,and discipline!"

Having spent more than thirty years leading Montessori schools, I've triedto help parents sort all this out so they could reassure themselves that Montessori

isn't going to leave their children academically handicapped unable to make it inthe real world. Most of the parents that I've know are sympathetic andenthusiastic, but it is still difficult for them to defend their decision to send theirchildren to Montessori when the rest of the world seems so completely committedto a very different approach to raising children.

Having made the decision to purchase this book or attend our course in starting anew Montessori school, you are presumably seriously considering the idea ofopening your own school.

This is a daunting task. It requires a great deal of work, the investment of a year orlonger, and a considerable amount of money. It is not something to be undertakenlightly.

But, like any knowledge, it is easier to learn if you have a guide who has beenthere before. While this book cannot do your homework for you, nor avoid thenecessity of putting in countless hours of hard work, planning, and decisionmaking, it should make the nature of your journey more easily understood, andmay actually make the process easier for you and your fellow founders.

You will have a long list of decisions to make and milestones toaccomplish, including:

1. Either becoming trained as a Montessori teacher or hiring a Montessori teacherwho can organize and open the program2. Developing a business plan3. Finding a site for your school


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4. Securing the permits and zoning required to operate a school in your area5. Gathering the capital needed to purchase the Montessori materials for eachclass, along with office equipment and other costs6. Recruiting the families7. Establishing the day to day systems to run the school

8. Creating a school culture in which everyone, students, teachers, and familiesunderstand and follow a set of set of basic ground rules.

In most cases, Montessori schools tend to exist on a very fragileyear-to-year existence if they lease space or have less than 100 students payingan appropriate tuition that allows you to do the job right. They tend to becomefinancially more comfortable and stable at 150, and, despite a commonmisperception that larger schools necessarily lose their sense of community,experience strongly suggests that an enrollment of between 250 and 400students on one campus is ideal.

Some people prefer to organize a school made up of two or more smallercampuses (less than 200 students).

Many think of Montessori as an early childhood program, and are reluctantto venture into the more difficult and expensive venture of establishing anelementary program. Montessori as a method extends up through the secondarylevel, however in communities where parents (or the local department or ministryof education) expect to find a traditional education, it is common to seeMontessori schools that stop at age 6 or sometimes age 10 or 12.

A major challenge is to gather sufficient funds to appropriately capitalize your newventure.

A second is the great lack of trained and experienced Montessori leaders who arewilling and capable of building and running new schools. Often schoolscompromise with either a parent or other non-Montessori trained educator whoseems to share the Montessori philosophy and vision, or an experiencedMontessori teacher who is anxious to learn how to lead a school.

The Center for Montessori Leadership

You may be interested to know that Montessori is sometimes known as the"school for entrepreneurs." This is because this highly unusual approachencourages children to be independent, resourceful, and self motivated. Itteaches children to think for themselves, to think outside of the box, and to think


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about others. Unlike traditional schools, which drill children to memorizeinformation and give it back on demand, Montessori teaches children to become

joyful scholars and innovators, traits not loved in authoritarian schools, but highlyadmired in some circles of enterprise.

Starting a school is a complex process, like opening any business. Hereis a somewhat expanded list of tasks to be accomplished.

Exploration of a wide range of models used by successful schools Definingyour schools identity and core values Deciding on the legal structure of yourschool Securing the licenses and permits that you will need to operate Resolvingany zoning issues with your prospective school location Conducting some sort ofmarket study Development of a business plan Finding facilities for your schoolPreparing a financial plan, which includes: Determining your potential income

Setting up your initial budget Establish systems and policies for managing yourfinances Establishing your student - teacher ratios Projecting salaries Projectingenrollment - tracking enrollment patterns Setting tuition and fees Gathering capitalor financing Projecting cash flow Determining your staffing requirements andrecruitment strategies Defining the skills and interests describe your ideal staffmember? Where will you find your staff members? Establishing the salaries thatyou can offer Recruiting new students and retaining them over the yearsEstablishing a sense of community Establishing policy Developing a plan for youreducational leadership Curriculum Development of a plan for program evaluationCoordinating several different classrooms Communicating to families about theirchildren's development Organizing parent education programs Health and safetyissues Developing a plan for internal and external public relations Setting up andworking with your board (nonprofit schools)

Every year we offer a wide range of online distance learning courses on the entiregamut of designing and leading a Montessori school through our Center forMontessori Leadership.

Our online Montessori Leadership Courses use state-of-the-art distance learningtechnology. Today, the options available to us include:

v Recorded talks presented as video files that students can see whenever theywant on their computersv Recorded talks downloaded as MP3 files to participants IPodsv Videos of school campusesv Sample forms, files, and a host of documents, from parent handbooks,curriculum guides, enrollment agreements, health forms, and so on that may it fareasier to structure a school effectively from the startv Digital images of ads and brochures used by schools


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v Recommended lists of materials, suppliers, and budget templates.v Files that will be helpful in preparing your business planv Video recordings of radio ads designed for schoolsv Audio recordings of cable TV ads designed for schoolsv Links to excellent school websites

v Reflections on their schools experience shared by admissions directors andHeads of Schoolsv Case studiesv Online EBooksv Links to excellent marketing resources on the webv Thoughtful dialog among the participants done online in forums and in liveconference callsv Collaborative projects and assignments that will lead to specific resources andoutcomes helpful to each participants school

Check our website, www.montessori.org or look in the current issues of

Tomorrows Child or Montessori Leadership magazines for a list of upcomingseminars.

For example, three times a year we offer an intensive eleven-week course onstarting a new Montessori school. Here is some basic information.

The Montessori Leadership InstituteBuilding A World-class Montessori School - Step by Step

Dates: Fall, 2006 (October 2 - December 11)

Location: Your office or home, on your computer!

Time: Set your own schedule, working on weekly learning activities and projectsthat will directly benefit your school next year. You should expect to invest at leastten hours a week reading the extensive course materials, viewing online videopresentations or listening to audio mp3 files on your IPod, collaborating with fellowstudents and Montessori Foundation, Tim Seldin, and working on thedevelopment of your new school. While schools can vary to a great degree,almost everything covered will be directly applicable to your school, if not in yearone, in the near future.

Do you have vacation planned during this period? No problem. While it isbest to participate with the entire group in ongoing discussions, You can eitherwork from your hotel room, or catch up when you return.

Some of the advantages ofdistance learning


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No travel and hotel costs

Course are spread out over eight weeks

You can set your own weekly schedule - there is no need to be on line at aspecific time

Multi-modality presentations video and audio which you can replay wheneverwish

A printable ebook copy of Organizing A New Montessori School by Tim Seldin(1400+ pages)

Access to an extensive collection of resource files that will be invaluable inorganizing your new school, including business plans, finances, staffing,

marketing and admissions, facilities, educational program, parent relations, boardissues (nonprofit schools), ownership issues (for profit schools), banking relations,insurance, risk management, health and safety, fund raising, and much more.

A collaborative community of colleagues

The course blends experience, wisdom, and practical application focused on yourschool

Individual coaching from Montessori Foundation President, Tim Seldin

Course description

A school is nothing but people. It lives in their hearts and minds. A greatschool is group of people acting in accordance with a common set of beliefs andvalues, who feel a sense of commitment to each other and to the institution.

Organizing a new Montessori school is a daunting task. It requires a greatdeal of work, the investment of a year or more, and a considerable amount ofmoney. It is not something to be undertaken lightly.

How to Organize a New and Successful Montessori School is a highlypractical distance learning program designed to provide invaluable guidance andsupport. While we can't do your homework for you, nor avoid the necessity ofputting in countless hours of hard work, planning, and decision making, thisprogram will help you go through the process successfully.

How to Organize a New and Successful Montessori School is in part an


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introduction to the theory of Montessori school organization, finances andoperations, and in part a step-by-step guide and vast library of resources that cansave you countless hours of struggle and aggravation in getting your new schoolstarted on a sound foundation.

The heart of the program is on-going individual consultation with MontessoriFoundation President, Tim Seldin, normally spread out over a year, to help you todevelop your business plan and address your questions and concerns as youbegin to organize your school. Consultation may be scheduled at mutuallyconvenient times.

This online course offers a clear introduction to the issues and tasks involved inthe organization of a new Montessori school.

Topics include:

The Montessori legacy

The fundamental nature of independent schools

Develop and/or refine your schools institutional mission and blueprinta. Board/staff retreatsb. Involvement of other stakeholdersc. On-going institutional self-study/accreditation

Preparing your basic business plan

Finding initial space

Capital needed to get started and survive your first few yearsDeveloping a family-friendly school

Establishing your program model(s)

Curriculuma. Developmentb. Coordination among two or more classesc. Pre-established and spontaneously created curriculumd. Curriculum guides & schedules of key projects, units, and themes

Financial planning and management

Determining your potential incomea. Student - teacher ratiosb. Staff salary scalesc. Projecting enrollment - tracking enrollment patterns


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d. Setting tuition structures and feese. Charge enough to do the job right - Montessori is not a commodityf. Explore every possible source of incomeg. Financial aidh. Collecting tuition

Develop your expense budgeta. Identify your fixed costsb. Establish variable costsc. Equipping your classes

Cash flowSources of capital

Role of the Head

The administrative office

Policy as a leadership toola. Policy as values and perspectivesb. Leadership through policies

Build with the best - Finding the right employeesa. Organizing for results - job descriptionsb. The 3 elements in finding the right fit between applicant and jobc. Staff evaluation - the clinical supervision method

Recruit and retain the right families and childrena. Who are the children that you can serve very well?b. How will you recognize the right familiesc. Marketing strategiesd. The admissions processe. Orienting your new families

Keeping parents (and staff) informeda. Newslettersb. Class and Community meetingsc. People nightsd. Fireside chatse. Parent-teacher conferencesf. Reporting student progressg. Standardized testsh. Homeworki. Parent Ed

j. Tomorrows Child magazine


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Buildings and groundsa. Developing a pattern languageb. Master plansc. Finding space for programsd. Modular buildings

e. Creative strategies to pay for constructionf. Developing a maintenance schedule for the yearg. Janitorial

School lawa. Recordsb. Safetyc. Child abused. Insurance

Creating an atmosphere in which your school will flourish

a. Getting your community involved through volunteer effortsa1. The needs of todays parentsa2. Break projects down into short and easily accomplished tasksa3. Strategic planning

Board-run schoolsa. What does non-profit status really mean?b. The two types of non-profit boardsc. Role and responsibilities of trusteeshipd. Relationship to the head and staffe. Make-up of the board - Selecting trusteesf. Committees of the boardg. Three stages of board development

Board Bored beyond belief!!! What goes wrong with most boardsa. Time spent on the trivialb. Short-term basc. Reactive stanced. Reviewing, rehashing, redoinge. Leaky accountability - Board bypassing the CEO to deal directly with stafff. Diffuse authority - Everyday staff and administrative decisions made at

board level

Developing an effective Board

Getting serious about trusteeshipa. Confidentialityb. Focus not on special interests or self-interest, but good of institutionc. Board spouses and friendship circles


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d. Relationship with CEOe. Evaluation of CEOf. Board self-evaluation

g. Big donors and highly influential trustees on your board

Making meetings work - Board processa. The CEO and staffs roleb. Dos and donts with boardsc. Choosing the issues - setting prioritiesd. Using committees effectivelye. The decision-making processf. E Pluribus unum - encouraging different perspectivesg. Finally achieving unum

Fund raisinga. Annual campaigns

b. Special eventsc. Corporate partnershipsd. Capital campaignse. Planned giving

Planning for your departure or retirementa. Strategies for untangling your finances from the school - land purchases,

etc.b. Empowering an independent boardc. Transitioning to headmaster/headmistress emeritus

Institute Leader

Montessori Leadership Institutes are led by Tim Seldin, President of theMontessori Foundation and Chair of the International Montessori Council. Hismore than 35 years of experience in Montessori education includes 22 years asHeadmaster of the Barrie School in Silver Spring, Maryland, his own alma mater(age 2 through high school graduation). He was the cofounder and Director of theInstitute for Advanced Montessori Studies. He also served as Director of theFoundation's Lab School, the New Gate School in Sarasota, Florida. Tim Seldinearned a B.A. in History and Philosophy from Georgetown University, an M.Ed. inEducational Administration and Supervision from The American University, andhis Montessori certification from the American Montessori Society. He is the authoror co-author of several books and hundreds of articles, including The MontessoriWay, The World in the Palm of Her Hand, Celebrations of Life, Building a


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World-Class Montessori School. Developing a Summer Program for YourMontessori School, Finding the Perfect Match-Recruit and Retain Your IdealEnrollment, Master Teachers - Model Programs, and Organizing a NewMontessori School. He also served for many years on the Board of the AmericanMontessori Society.

Registration:

Leadership Institutes are small group, intensive, and collaborative learningexperiences, and enrollment is limited to 15 participants. Participants will beencouraged to explore issues that they are currently working on at their schools.Many have described the experience as individual school consultation for a muchlower cost, with the added advantage of the shared perspectives and experienceof the other leaders participating in the course.

Registration Fees for Non-IMC Members:

Tuition for the 11-week course is $1,250 for the first person from a school/$1,000for each additional person enrolling from the same school.

Registration Fees for School and Individual Members of the InternationalMontessori Council (IMC).

Attendees sponsored by a school in development that is a school member of theInternational Montessori Council will receive a 10% discount: $1,125 for the firstperson from an IMC affiliated school/$900 for each additional person coming fromthe same IMC member school.

For more information about IMC membership, please call 800-655-5843.

Refunds and Cancellations:

The Montessori Foundation maintains the right to cancel courses if there isinsufficient enrollment. If a course is canceled, all registrants will receive a fullrefund of all fees paid. Registrants requesting a refund prior to commencement ofthe seminar must notify The Montessori Foundation in writing at least two weeksprior to the seminar in order to receive a refund.

Have a question or need more information? Please contact Tim Seldin atthe Montessori Foundation at 800-583-5843 (941-729-9565) for more informationor email [email protected]

Tim Seldin President, The Montessori FoundationChair,


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The International Montessori CouncilPO Box 1302400 Miguel Bay DriveTerra Ceia Island, FL 34250-0130941-729-9565 941-729-9594 (fax)[email protected]

Possible production support functionsPottery and ceramics

Pottery is a popular function that is sure to be in most Art Villages. Anotherpossible artist support function of the Art Village would be the mulling of clay - doneas raw product production. This is best done in large lots, and stored / stockpiledin plastic 55 gallon drums. The need to process a large lot of clay would justifyand support the purchase of a high capacity Muller. A high capacity muller means

the lowest amount of time for a person to be on hand to process the clay. It alsomeans the machine can be left uncleaned overnight without drying up as a smallermachine would. By itself this not a huge advantage, but these things do add up.

A high capacity muller could discharge a log of processed clay directly into a 55gallon drum lying on its side. A plastic open top 55 gallon drum is a great way tostore processed clay.

A high capacity muller requires the kind of high capacity power lines the ArtVillage would have if it started as a school. A facility with industrial wiring andpower can support the power usage of such large machines.

Once mulled, the clay is best stockpiled by storing in open top 55 gallondrums, which among other things keeps the conditioned clay in a ready state.The Art Village will know they will be dealing with a number of such items and willhave speculated equipment for handling and storing them.

However, the weight of such items restricts where a clay stockpile can bestored (second floor storage is NOT suggested for this, even if you can get itupstairs!). A 55 gallon drum of clay is not light. The size of muller recommendedfor the Art Village could easily turn out some 50 or so such containers in a standardbatch.

High speed Internet access company -

Chances are the area does not have the level of Internet access peoplewant. This, plus a growing need at the Village will be a general need for moreInternet access for the firms and artists at the Village. This can be a good reasonfor a larger than normal capacity Internet access line, and an opportunity to


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support a company providing such access. I suggest you look into trying for thenext higher capacity line.

A T1 line will do the job for the immediate period, certainly, but thoseInternet needs are sure to grow over time. You may want to add a second T1 line,

or possibly look at doing a T3 line. An Internet support company? I know of aplace, centrally located to the local area, with lots of parking, great location, lots ofoffice space, and a number of locations and small businesses needing suchservices, all right at hand.

Mail box center-The post office does not mind if a separate mailbox location is set up locally

- indeed, this may free up the pressure for boxes in the local post office.

Employment firm -And just where would that employment firm locate? Well, I know of aplace, centrally located to the local area, with lots of parking, and office space, anda number of locations and small businesses needing workers right at hand.Humm. . .

Bookkeeping firm -Having a number of small firms in one place would also be of interest to a

bookkeeper. An on site bookkeeper could offer a lower cost service to the ArtVillage firms, all gathered in one place. Sure saves on gas that way.

Other servicesA school starts off with offering access to a number of firms, but through a

receptionist - a gatekeeper, in effect - that can be a contact point even though theperson is not present at the time.

Economics of scale

Both glassblowing and pottery have a need for kilns, but the type of need isnot identical. It might be possible to use the kilns for both functions with moderninsulating materials and programmable controllers to cut down on problems inbuilding or running them. There could be problems with some of the compoundsbaking out and contaminating that particular kiln.

It may also be possible to use other money saving approaches - forexample, with an idea of the volume of work needed, you can plan ahead for thenumber of kilns ultimately needed. Know that, and you might be able to build the


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kilns in a group (the walls touching) to save on the heat losses through the walls.

If possible, try to collect artists that have overlapping needs or functions.At least, have an idea of the process or functions that do truly overlap, so those

needs can be meant as well.

As a typical example this report assumes (but does not require) an ArtVillage renter who might be building a glassblowing studio. A woodworking artistmight be used to make some of the traditional glassblowing tools and molds, whichare made of wood.

A "hot shop" is the most difficult of any glass craft venture, conversely itwould provide the greater returns of any glass venture. Lesser glassblowingfunction shops would provide almost as many benefits as well, including the needfor kilns to anneal glass. The complex with a glass making furnace at its core has

a number of features that could be shared with other artists, or small businesses.These features include heat output of a furnace that also be used to other,somewhat more mundane uses, like some of the heat flow going to a lumber dryingkiln outside.

However, activities of a lampworking shop (an intermediate step to a full hotshop) has many of those features as well. For example, a hot shop orlampworking shop might take a step forward and go directly to a tank of cryogenicoxygen to run glassblowing torches. As a low use tank normally vents excess(not drawn off for use) oxygen, this same cryogenic oxygen tank could run one, ora number of torches at about the same cost. In short, a cryogenic tank wouldsupport a number of torches without shortening the lifetime use of the tank. Thiscould include a oxy-acetylene cutting torch, as well. Such torches as those areuseful in any shop.

For that matter, any artistic function that involves directed heat wouldbenefit from access to glass blowing torches themselves. Because of the natureof glass, glass blowing torches have to be a superior design and function. Theywill work very well for any effort that needs directed heat.

Along the way to making the plans for the Art Village I saw the possibility ofother features. The existence of these features depends in part on the buildingsize, the local grounds, and the building features.

For example, a school that had industrial arts classrooms would be set upfor woodworking or metal shop work. Those respective firms would be glad tomove in to such an area.


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Related Art Village support itemsInternet caf

There are support items such as a community fax machine, communitycopier, and other items. Other possible functions - depending on demand, there

might be an Internet caf, probably in the cafeteria, or possibly in the library.

A teen club is another possible function. That is not totally contained to theArt Village.

Local youth club

As requested by local interests or needs.

Local museum

Some locations may have a need for a local museum. This would be onthe public access side.

The local library

Other possible functions - depending on demand, local need, or buildingdesign there might be a local free public library. This would be on the publicaccess side. And there could be a paperback book store

Day care center-A day care function is a natural add on to the Art Village, and given the

conditions today there is a real need for it. I feel this is a feature sure to be givena positive vote. If this is was K to grade school originally, the playground directedtoward younger children should be a bonus. Adding a day care function wouldinsure the items already in place are put to full use. Plus the kids would love it.

With a day care center in place, or just because of the nature of the building,its possible a Montessori school might also find this location of interest.


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Montessori school notesIts difficult to give generalities. It will depend on many factors, including size

of the classrooms (1500 + sq is highly desirable for a Montessori school, althoughmost US states allow a 35 square feet per child ratio). Classrooms should be

large enough to hold24 to 3

0children and all the Montessori materials, and allowat least another 1/3 beyond for floor space for children to work on the floor with

small rugs.

There should be bathrooms in each classroom (not centralized down ahall). This is very important for children under age 6. An all purpose room forindoor play when the weather prevents them from going out. In other word, keepthe gym available for rainy day use by the children.

Bright airy rooms are strongly suggested for Montessori type schools.

Many older schools do not meet current building codes for young children.You may need to install sprinklers, fire doors, etc. Watch out for asbestos,obviously. Lead paint is another possible problem.

Finally you should consider whether your costs of ownership can becovered by a school tenant. Many operate with very limited incomes, which hasto do with a mindset and limited business experience.

Tim Seldom, President, The Montessori Foundation Chair, The InternationalMontessori CouncilPO Box 1302400Miguel Bay DriveTerra Celia Island, FL 34250-0130941-729-9565 941-729-9594 (fax)email [email protected]

Might be able to suggest price as well.

Caterer support -Of special interest to a local catering firm would be the full function, up to

code commercial kitchen. A bonus is the day to day steady customers the sitewould provide for that service.

The daily customers are the artists that want to eat on site, plus the parentswho want to spend quality time with their children in the day care center.

Mail box function-


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Some towns have outgrown their post offices - there is an acute mailboxshortage. A local Mailbox are Us firm would be welcomed, and could support thefunctions of the Art Village as well.

Phone Answering service -The school has the office space and the phone lines already in place* to

support this function. There will also be a inter classroom intercom system thereas well.

* (standard widespread phone company policy is to run *all* such local phone linesinto such a building)

This may also include DSL access in some cases, or some other highspeed Internet access through the phone lines.

Facially support items -They could include functions like a loading dock, compressed air, oxygen

system, Stores on site, shared kilns for pottery and glass or other functions, insidestorage, outside storage, and art display areas for large items like carved treetrunks.

Other functionsA local library

In getting started the Library area would have no books, but the roomshould still have the bookshelves in place. I would suggest against it beingbroken up, as there are probably better, more positive uses for it in its original form.One such use would be to hold art books donated to the Art Village. Another is tobe the local library.

Of course it wont be just art books that are donated. Local townspeoplecould donate books to provide raw materials for the general library. It may startout small, but then, most libraries do that anyway.

Such a facility will be slowly restocked with donated books - It will alsoprovide a place for a retired couple to start a paperback business store.

As there will be office space on site, with the possibility of use by a numberof local firms


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The auditorium is also something that should not be broken up. There area number of functions possible in the original space that would work best with theroom in its original form.

Still more Other functions

Depending on the building and grounds - a use could be the display ofartwork. Another could be community projects or events. This might includelocal functions that were using the grounds before the Art Village was established.

As a business anchor for some functions that are a bit hard to describe. Forexample; Retirement homes have a number of people joining them, but having anumber of still valuable items they might wish to donate. Frequently they mighthave life experiences, tools, musical interments or similar items for donation to the

Village.In some cases the Village can be a clearing house to do nothing more thanbring such people together.

Emergency functions and community support

Local support of the community is another possible function of the ArtVillage - for example, stand by church for use in case the original becomesdamaged (possibly in the gym). Community support can also come fromproviding a location for the Red Cross, or for other groups providing communitysupport.

* (The Red cross states one of the needs for disaster center is a large building, ofcourse, but other items like storage space and available communications is alsogiven as a needed item.)

Sometimes just the existence of the organization is enough to get usefulA heavy duty (industrial) propane fired generator free for the hauling was onceoffered to me. I wanted to take it but was under a general NO! for any newadditions to the homestead. Damn!

Art Village operations:Donated equipment

There may also be donated computers as a part of Art Village operations


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The virtual Art Village used computer center

There is a strong possibility the Art Village will receive donated computersas a part of Art Village operations. I have all ready located a number of programsfor this.

I have collected information I plan to make available as a special data base.This information, presented as an Internet data base, could provide support tolocal people or worldwide. In effect this would boost the virtual Art Village.

The virtual Art Village information center

As support for the Art Village, I have collected a large and diverse amount offacts and information I plan to make available as a special data base. Thisinformation, presented as an Internet data base, could provide support to artistsworldwide. In effect this would create a virtual Art Village almost overnight, opento all.

The virtual Art Village store and Art Gallery

Having a good showroom is one possibility, and having a number of artistsshowing their wares in one place will tend to justify trips from patrons, encouragingextended visits by patrons, providing benefits somewhat like having an upscaleshopping mall in the area.

Of course, not all Art Villages will be in a location to support a great gallery(building not large enough, not located for easy access, act). But that would notstop a virtual gallery from displaying all Art Village art to the public. This could bea natural as a shared resource - one gallery for all Art Villages everywhere - a onestop shopping for art point.

(Because of the function of this service it would not be open to all.)

On being Green


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While Im not excessively Green (ecologically supportive) I do feelecological solutions to problems should be encouraged.

Yours,

David Smith

[email protected]

The main location of the Art Village

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtVillage/

And then, create a kind of stand by area. Call it the Art Village Annex. Like this:

Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtVillageAnnexGroup email address:[email protected]

Documents

The Art Village