Mission Statement:
First Person Arts transforms the drama of real life into memoir and documentary art to foster appreciation for our unique and shared experiences. We believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that sharing our stories connects us with each other and the world.
As I reflect on the past 10 years, three things strike me: 1) our mission and vision have remained remarkably consistent over time; 2) by nurturing artists, from established professionals to the newly minted, we have become an engine that fuels artistic growth; and, 3) by giving voice to the stories of everyday people, we are embracing a growing and increasingly more diverse community. Our flagship First Person Arts Festival remains the only festival of its kind, featuring distinguished memoir and documentary artists, as well as emerging artists who are pushing the boundaries of traditional forms. Our year-round classes, StorySlams, Story Circles, and public art projects provide outlets for people at all levels of experience to engage in the creative process. Our programs are also a launching pad for gifted storytellers to Our flagship First develop their talents and build their careers. Audiences, donors, private and government funders have supported us generously and enabled our growth. The most crucial of these is the William Penn Foundation, which has granted us nearly a million dollars in capacity-building support to date. Its support has allowed us to grow and professionalize our staff and implement the recent leadership transition. During the fall of 2011, the board conducted a national search for a new Executive Director to succeed me. They hired Jamie J. Brunson, an experienced arts manager and playwright, who assumed the position after I stepped down in December. I could not be more pleased with their choice.
Person Arts Festival remains the only festival of its kind, featuring distinguished memoir and documentary artists, as well as emerging artists who are pushing the boundaries of traditional forms.
vicki solot
jamie j. brunson
What began in a home office with a one-person staff and a four-person board has grown to a full-time staff of six with a 12-person board that operates out of a professional office suite at One South Broad Street. Over the years, we have served more than 32,000 audience members at live events, have a social media following of over 4,000 people, and have received support from over 1,200 donors. I consider myself lucky to have had the chance to launch and lead First Person Arts. Now, I feel confident turning it over to a leader, board, and staff in whose sure hands I know it will thrive. Vicki Solot, Founder of First Person Arts
photo credit: Becca Jennings
“The evening featured some profoundly good storytellers…The most telling thing about the whole evening, though, was the camaraderie among Slammers and listeners… It feels just right.” Philadelphia City Paper “I remember Vicki Solot first telling her vision for a festival of memoir while sitting on my office sofa eleven years ago. Seeing what it has become strikes me as a feat, a wondrous, magnificent accomplishment. Now let’s see where the talented Jamie Brunson takes this marvelous creation.” Helen Cunningham, Executive Director, Samuel S. Fels Fund
“There are many wonderful programs that I have observed in my years in Philadelphia. I’ve seen programs stay and go and there’s a reason why some programs stay. I think it’s because they’re capturing something very important and because they approach the work with real creativity. First Person Arts has been able to carve out a niche that is unusual and universal and because of that, they’re here for the long term.” Jane Golden, Executive Director, City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
“It is great to see an organization that values innovation and is working hard to make their mark through the power of the personal and the art of storytelling.” Will Elias, Red Tettemer + Partners
“I am stunned to think back over the great experiences I’ve had thanks to First Person Arts - the food I’ve eaten, the stories I’ve heard, and all the events that have stirred my soul with a sense of shared humanity.” Charles Gilbert, Director, Ira Brind School of Theater Arts, The University of the Arts
programming
Sonia Sanchez at the 2010 First Person Festival. Photo credit: Erika Vonie
Artists from many disciplines – authors, filmmakers, visual and performing artists - present work drawn from real life experience and participate in discussions, workshops, and other interactive experiences that immerse the audience in their stories. Since 2002, the Festival has presented more than 584 artists. They include such well-known artists as poet Sonia Sanchez and photographer Zoe Strauss, winners of First Person StorySlams, emerging artists creating ground-breaking and original works, celebrated authors, storytellers from the thriving stand-up storytelling genre, and radio personalities. As FPA has prioritized reaching a diverse base of audiences, Festival artists and attendees have represented a wide-range of artistic styles and cultural groups. The 10th Anniversary Festival (sponsored by Harmelin Media and Penn LPS) ran for 10 days. Over 2,400 people attended –an 18% increase over 2010 attendance and a 271% increase over our first Festival in 2002.
programming
classes workshops
FPA offers writing, storytelling, and performance classes during the First Person Festival and throughout the year. Sessions range from half-day workshops to six-week classes taught by local and visiting artists.
Over the past ten years, we have provided over 50 classes and workshops, serving approximately 432 aspiring writers, storytellers, and performers.
In 2011, FPA offered a workshop for Mural Arts Program participants whose lives have been affected by suicide. An FPA writing instructor helped participants chronicle their stories; then professional actors presented excerpts of their writing to a sold-out Festival audience in a dramatic reading. Writing workshop participants. Photo credit: Nathan Irvin
programming
In 2006, First Person Arts began offering competitive storytelling events monthly at L’Etage Cabaret. Since then, 2,379 stories have been shared (and counting). The growing popularity of the Slams, open to anyone who wants to tell a story, led to a second monthly series at World Cafe Live in 2010. The monthly winners compete twice annually at Grand Slams. Curated storytelling programs and other special events feature top storytellers from Philadelphia and across the country.
In 2011 alone, nearly 2,300 people attended our monthly StorySlams, and an additional 1,300 attended special Slams at venues like the Kimmel Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Over 200 attendees told true stories from their own lives at one or more events.
programming
public engagement projects In addition to the StorySlams, FPA provides opportunities for everyday people to engage in public art projects each year. Since 2007, FPA has captured video stories on the street (First Person Story Tour), turned people’s complaints into a musical performance (Complaint Choir), created an art installation at Love Park (The Welcome House), and helped people develop stories about their treasured objects (First Person Museum, funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and the Wallace Foundation).
In 2011, FPA collaborated with the Mural Arts Program to launch Peace is a Haiku Song, a new mural series honoring Sonia Sanchez. More than 500 people participated in the kick-off event at Christ Church during the First Person Festival. First Person Museum participants. Photo credit: Nathan Irvin
emerging artists In 2011, a grant from the Steven Julius Foundation enabled FPA to increase its support of emerging artists, including expansion of the Festival’s new work development series, First Person RAW.
FPA has continuously created opportunities for emerging artists to showcase their work. Since 2002, we have sponsored juried contests, hosted artist salons, and, for the past two years, presented new works by emerging artists at the First Person Festival as part of the First Person RAW series. The 2011 First Person RAW series included Beaut, a movement theater piece by Thomas Choinacky and John Jarboe; Will You Accept This Friend Request?, an original storytelling piece by R. Eric Thomas; and The SHE Project, a poetry, dance, and hip hop work featuring Michelle Myers. A grant from the Pew Center of Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative allowed FPA to begin work on developing a new documentary theater piece about the transformation of the news industry with former Festival artist Dan Hoyle. 2011 First Person RAW artists, R. Eric Thomas (Photo by James Carminati), Thomas Choinacky (Photo by Mary Tuomanen), and Michelle Myers (Photo by David Lee).
FPA has cultivated a strong marketing presence and nearly sextupled its annual event attendance since 2006, reaching close to
8,000 people at live events in 2011. FPA is consistently in the public eye. In 2011, the First Person Festival was the cover story in both the Metro and Philadelphia Inquirer Weekend Section. Since 2002, Philadelphia City Paper has been the official print sponsor of First Person Arts. In 2011, First Person Arts began a new media sponsorship with Al DĂa. The distinctive and popular brand design is the result of a unique partnership with the nationally recognized advertising firm of Red
Tettemer + Partners, a relationship which began in 2005 and is still going strong. FPA’s online presence grew substantially in 2011. Increases in Facebook, Twitter and YouTube followers, plus the addition of a Tumblr feed, have created multiple avenues for the marketing staff to reach out to current and potential audiences. The 2011 online community included over: 42,000 YouTube viewers; 29,000 unique visitors to Firstpersonarts.org; 2,800 Twitter followers; and 1,800 Facebook fans. Volunteers at the River City Festival, spreading the word about the First Person Museum
administration Since its inception in 2000, First Person Arts’ programming has attracted more than $2.4 million in philanthropic support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government sources. In addition, we have received over $600,000 in in-kind donations. The size of these gifts has grown as well, from our first foundation grant made by the Fels Fund ($1,000) to a series of strategic planning and multi-year capacitybuilding grants from the William Penn Foundation (totaling nearly $1MIL) and from initiatives of the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. One hundred percent of our board of directors make meaningful gifts to the organization. (A complete list follows in the Donors section.) This support has allowed us to expand our programming across the entire year, increase our board, hire additional staff, expand office space, and upgrade equipment and data management systems. THANK YOU!
staff&board* Staff Founder and Executive Director- Vicki Solot
Marketing Coordinator - Karina Kacala
Executive Director - Jamie J. Brunson
Programming Coordinator - Liz Green
(effective 1/1/2012)
Marketing Assistant - Becca Jennings
Managing Director - Dan Gasiewski
Programming Assistant - Megan Grimm
Director of Development - Nancy Martino
Atwood
Board Members Priscilla Rosenwald, Board Chair
Linda Dubin Garfield
Kristina M. Parker, Board Co-Chair
Yvette Hyater-Adams
Karen Shakoske, Vice President
Don Kligerman
Susan G. Lowe, Treasurer
Eileen Anita Mijlin
Tom Garrity, Secretary
Stephen C. Red
Mia Aronson
Vicki Solot
Peter Bloomfield
Former Joan Band
Taalibah Kariem-White
Jack Silverberg**
Sara Castillo
Margaret Klaw
Rhonda B. Temkin
Vanessa Christman
Nancy Librett
Adam Travia
Kathy Gosliner**
Joseph Lurie
Kimberly Wheeler-
Cathy Gray**
Laurie Beck Peterson
Pamela Harper
Gene Shay**
* as of 12/31/2011
Goodman ** Founding Board Member
DONORS Funders / Sponsors
Al DĂa News Asplundh Foundation Barra Foundation Beau Monde Restaurant / L’Etage Cabaret Christ Church Neighborhood House Found Footage Festival Harmelin Media Honickman Foundation James Oliver Gallery Janney Montgomery Scott LLC KPMG LLP Khyber Pass Pub La Colombe The Latham Hotel The Lomax Family Foundation Nancy Glass Productions Omni Hotel at Independence Park PECO Penn LPS Pennsylvania Humanities Council Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative Philadelphia City Paper The Philadelphia Cultural Fund Quirk Books Red Tettemer + Partners Shire Pharmaceuticals Steven Julius Foundation Temple University Union Benevolent Association William Penn Foundation
Vicki Solot Fund for Creative Innovation
Jane Abrams and John Paul MacDuffie Anonymous Roberta Berg Julia Blaukopf Jean Bodine Lorene Cary Vanessa Christman Eileen Cunniffe Helen Cunningham Dana Dorman Adelaide Ferguson Dr. Julia Foulkes Dan Gasiewski Aaron Goldblatt Janet Goldwater and Branch Coslett Kathy Gosliner Joanne Harmelin Sam Katz Margaret Klaw and Alan Metcalfe Don Kligerman and Marjorie Scharf Dr. and Mrs. Morrie Kricun Nimisha Ladva and David Steingard Albert Lassar Molly Layton Y. Kevin Lee Nancy Librett Susan G. Lowe Dianna Marder Nancy Martino Susana Mayer Rosalyn McPherson Eileen Mijlin Meghan Newman Rick Nichols Jane Pepper Mike Prestergord Marian Sandmaier and
Dan Sipe Gail Schaevitz Karen Shakoske Noreen Shanfelter and Richard Freeman LeeAnn Shiveley Vicki and Evan Solot Shelley Spector Ed and Lyn Tettemer Kay Unger Pitman Trailblazers Circle / $1,000+
Anonymous Betsy and Kurt Asplundh Peter Bloomfield Janet and Tom Garrity Joanne and Jon Harmelin Don Kligerman and Marjorie Scharf Albert Lassar Y. Kevin Lee Susan G. Lowe Kristina Parker Jane G. Pepper Karen Shakoske First Person Friend / $500
Jean Bodine Vanessa Christman Dr. Linda Dubin Garfield Dale and Steve Hoffman Yvette Hyater-Adams Jo Ann and George Merritt Jenkins Steve Red Priscilla R. Rosenwald Lyn and Ed Tettemer Vicki and Evan Solot First Person Associate / $150
Jane Abrams and John Paul MacDuffie
Anonymous Roberta Berg Todd Collins Eileen Cunniffe Anna Maria and Dr. Richard DiDio Adelaide Ferguson Dan Gasiewski Dr. Mindy Goldberg and Charles Rose Drs. Algund Hermann and Julio Kuperman Charisse R. Lillie Eileen Mijlin Nancy Martino Rosalyn McPherson Dolores Miller Elizabeth Miller Veronica and Paul Moul Sarah Ricks and Thomas Dolgenos Gail Schaevitz Goldie Solot Stacey Spector and Ira Brind Martha and Dr. Morris Swartz Anne and Richard Umbrecht Miriam W. White First Person Member / $75
Christina Aborlleile Barbara Attie and Jeremy Heymsfeld Ryan T. Barlow Francesca Bayak Pilar Berguido Jamie Barton Bischoff and Daniel Gibbon Kate Leuschke Blinn Barbara A. Bloom Christian Bygott Cynthia Claus Karen R. and Stewart Cohen
Carolyn Coker Joann and Walter Conn Michaelle Cooke Frances R. Davies Susan DiPronio Ujwala Dixit Helen and Leonard Evelev Dr. Elise Freed-Fagan and Stanley Fagan Amanda Feifer O’Brien Joanne Fischer and Eric Hoffman Elizabeth Flatley Christine Fritton Kendra Gaeta Michael Garrity Kevin Ginsberg Alyssa Goodin Catherine and Gary Gray Marion Halliday Emma M. and Michael Halpert Kathy Harmer Gail Harrington Jessica Hearn Amy Henson Theresa Herring Maxwell Hibbard Dudley Hilton Dana Hirschenbaum Dr. Joy Hockman and Jack Silverberg Lesley Huff Karin Goldman Ruth and William Green Stuart Jablon Thora Jacobson Rebecca Jennings Daniel Jordon Lisa Kastner Jane and Robert Kaufman Louise and Robert Kidder
Margaret Klaw and Alan Metcalfe Carol Lerner Ruth Levikoff Michael Lieberman Sarah Low Mary Hale Meyer Donna McFadden Roderick MacNeil William Mettler Karen Nicolini Barbara A. and R. Barrett Noone Robin Ortiz Katy Otto Kathy and Jeffrey Pasek Anne Rutledge Karyn L. Scher Stephanie Scordia Noreen Shanfelter and Richard Freeman Lila and Don Shapiro Nieta and Stephen Shapiro LeeAnn Shiveley Scott M. Shrake Theresa H. Smith Charles M. Snell Barbara Solot and Denton Cairnes Dr. Katherine Spelman Richard Jim Stahl Tiffany Strother-Millner Christina and Bruce Tarkoff Johnny Walker Janet and Steven Weinberger Ricki Weisberg Ndege Juliet Whelan Gail Whiffen Merrily J. Williams Terese Zeccardi
$74,577.69
900
7,672
$427,460.89
32,317
Financials
2001
2011
Budget Size
2002
2011
Live Audiences 2002 was the first year of records.
all time
$2,423,190
1,207
$500,916.99
$542,301.68 $8,182
2001
2011
Donated Income (cash)
all time
all time
Earned Income
all time
Number of Donors
Vicki Solot founds Blue Sky Solot and founding board develop mission and first programs Samuel S. Fels Fund makes first grant award
Launch of First Person Festival Philadelphia City Paper becomes media sponsor Time Warner Book Group becomes Festival sponsor Creation of first strategic plan First grant from William Penn Foundation
Harmelin Media becomes a Festival sponsor The Latham Hotel becomes a Festival sponsor Staff grows to three and moves to One South Broad St Launch of Edible World food events
Partnership with Red Tettemer begins Philadelphia Cultural Fund makes first grant award
Pennsylvania Council for the Arts makes first grant award Blue Sky becomes First Person Arts
Launch of year-round programming, including StorySlams University of the Arts becomes a Festival sponsor Neiman Marcus sponsors a fundraiser with designer Steven Lagos
Neiman Marcus sponsors a fundraiser with designer Kay Unger
Philadelphia Arts & Business Council awards the “Business/Arts Partnership Award: Small to Mid-Sized Business” to First Person Arts and Red Tettemer
StoryTour takes over Philly neighborhoods Inaugural First Taste Fundraiser Festival moves to Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater First Grand Slam
Staff grows to five Co-produces the Complaint Choir with Shelley Spector Projects Festival moves to Painted Bride Art Center Philadelphia Magazine names StorySlams the “Best Bar Competition” in the “Best of Philly” Awards
Janney Montgomery Scott becomes First Taste sponsor La Colombe Torrefaction becomes Festival sponsor Co-produces The Welcome House in Love Park with Marianne Bernstein
Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, through the Heritage Philadelphia Program, and the Wallace Foundation support the First Person Museum Tribute to Sonia Sanchez is produced Le Meridien becomes a Festival sponsor Staff grows to seven Festival moves to Christ Church Neighborhood House and other Old City venues Launch of Alan Lerner Social Justice Program Launch of Peace is a Haiku Song in collaboration with Mural Arts Omni Hotel and Al Día become Festival sponsors Philadelphia Theater Initiative, Pew Center for Arts & Heritage supports initial development of a new work by Dan Hoyle Jamie J. Brunson steps in as Executive Director upon Vicki Solot’s retirement
Launch of First Person RAW Launch of Trailblazer major donor program