Akron Soul Train

“Kasota artist management, llc. Kasota performs the back office operations such as payroll, hr and financial management. The organization's president, nancy brennan has an ownership interest in kasota artist management, llc.”

“The 990 is distributed to the board of directors for their review.”

“The board of directors reviewed financial reports and approved agreements and significant transactions during the year monitoring for conflicts of interest. All conflicts of interest were addressed by the board of directors in compliance with the conflict of interest policy”

“Compensation process for officers compensation was reviewed and approved by the board based on an analysis of the fair value of such services in the local community. Officers are not compensated.”

“Governing documents were made available upon request”

“Akron soul train (ast) is a multidisciplinary residency program that provides 12-15 artists each year with paid residencies. Our mission is to offer ohio-based visual, performing, and literary artists the space, time, and financial resources they need to create and present new work to the public. Along with fostering creative exploration, artists are tasked with designing a public program that engages the greater akron community. These programs, which relate directly to the artist's residency work, may take the form of performances, panel discussions, artist talks, demonstrations, or hands-on workshops. Ast collaborates closely with each resident to help fully develop their community event and to identify potential akron partners for cross-collaboration and audience engagement.”

“This narrative highlights the vital contributions and dedication of our volunteers throughout 2023. The akron soul train (ast) board is an all- volunteer group composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds in the arts and business communities of akron, ohio. The board plays a key role in ast's governance and success as a startup nonprofit arts organization. In 2023, the board consisted of seven members, each bringing valuable expertise and insights to the organization. Meeting quarterly for 90-minute sessions, the board focused on strategic planning, financial oversight, and overall governance to guide ast's growth and development. Beyond governance, ast board members were deeply involved in fundraising and community outreach. Leveraging their networks within summit county, they built support and awareness for ast's mission, participating in various events throughout the year to promote the organization's vision and impact on akron's cultural landscape. Ast also operates a volunteer artist residency selection committee, which plays a crucial role in selecting artists for our residency program. This seven-member committee meets during the second half of the year to review all applications. Two individuals on this committee are also on the board of directors. Their diverse expertise ensures a thoughtful evaluation process, considering both the artistic quality of the proposals and the potential impact of the public programming on the akron community. Each application is meticulously reviewed, with attention to originality, artistic excellence, and relevance to ast's mission. In 2023, ast hosted two major off-site community events: one fundraiser and a public performance by an artist in residence. Both events were made possible by the support of five dedicated community volunteers, whose efforts were instrumental in their success.”

“Since its inception in 2016, akron soul train has awarded paid residencies to 74 artists and supported an additional 16 through projects created for our capsoul gallery. To amplify artists' voices and engage our broader community, we produce interdisciplinary programs alongside the 12 artist- led initiatives we host annually. In 2023, we provided stipends to 13 artists in residence and one emerging artist, showcasing their creative work to the public and hosting 13 community programs. Additionally, we supported 31 store artists through marketing efforts and consignment-based sales in our gift shop and one fiscally sponsored artist in 2023. We are also committed to building collaborative partnerships that align with our mission of creating a destination where greater akron residents can engage with artists and participate in the creative process. In 2023, we partnered with 11 community organizations: curated storefront, summit artspace, stewart's caring place, akron public schools miller south, center for applied theatre and active culture, university of akron cummings center, earthquaker devices, nightlight cinema, akron children's museum, highland universal gathering place/arts together, and jilly's music room. Our recent data highlights some key achievements we are proud of. Since launching our online application process in 2018, we've seen a 34% increase in artist residency applications. In 2023, total in-person attendance grew by 233% compared to 2022, and the number of bipoc attendees rose to 37% of total attendance-an increase of 28% over the previous year. We also conduct anonymous post-residency feedback surveys, both after each residency and two years afterward, to evaluate our impact and ensure we meet artists' needs. Testimonials from these surveys confirm that our program is making a meaningful difference. "an unexpected outcome of my ast residency has been an increase in questions and interest from my audience which has improved my ability to verbally speak about my work and contextualize it for others." "my performance was just featured on npr's "science friday", a nationally aired radio program. In addition, i sold multiple pieces of artwork and received great feedback from the attendees at my exhibition and performance. I also connected with a number of artists, curators and art collectors." "i gained exposure to a new audience and locale, courtesy of my involvement in an artistic ast community. This not only heightened my visibility within my peer group but also presented a novel experience of crafting content for instagram postings. My time interacting and presenting at the miller south art school was particularly significant. Developing a new production with a specific thematic focus allowed me to make a meaningful impact on the audience, providing a platform to share both my art and the intended message. This venture proved immensely gratifying for both myself and my art form, bharatanatyam."”