By Juanita Canzoneri and Amanda Shotts Photos by Juanita Canzoneri Our old gallery walls had years of nail holes in them. One of our members suggested creating new panels during our store renovation that would be "self-healing" and we looked at how another local gallery space displayed their wall art. After researching how to make these gallery wall panels and finding nothing, we decided to share our process. We'll put up another blog post about our installation process.
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by Juanita Canzoneri
Periodically we get emails from people who have visited our store asking if we have any advice to share on how to start an artist's co-op. Our business was started in 1974 and none of our current members have been with us since the beginning. So we don't have any first-hand knowledge on getting a co-op set up. However we are more than happy to answer questions about how our business is currently structured. This week we got these specific questions, to which we wrote the responses that follow them. 1. Do you own or rent the space you are located? We rent our store front space. The current owners inherited the property from their mother. She was a huge booster for our business. 2. How are utilities and liability insurance managed; any information on how the budget or expenses are managed via the co-op is appreciated? All business payments go through the business setup of the co-op. We ran as an S-corp for years and transitioned to an LLC business a few years back. We have a bookkeeper/accountant who handles all our bank accounts, commission payments, and regular business transactions. 3. Do you have an electronic document which outlines the expectations and benefits of joining the co-op? You are welcome to peruse our Membership Application packet at http://www.commonwheel.com/call-for-artists.html You'll find a lot of information there about our membership structures and requirements. 4. Is the co-op organized with a board or leadership structure? We have an 8-person Board of Directors, 4 of those positions are officer (president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer) and 4 are at large. The terms are for 2 years and we have it set up so that 4 terms expire every year. 5. How many artisans participate in the co-op? We have between 30-35 active members. The actual number will fluctuate as people leave and time lapses as we search for someone to take their place. We have a static number of spaces available in 4 media groups--wall artists, jewelers, potters, and 3-D. Please keep in mind that our current structure has changed over the years and not all co-operative businesses look like ours. Also be aware that a co-op is not a utopian business model. If you have any specific questions about how our co-op is structured, please ask in the comments section.
By Julia Wright, Festival Coordinator
by Julia Wright, Festival Coordinator
by Juanita Canzoneri Commonwheel Member since 2004 and Marketing Manager The back part of the Commonwheel Artists Co-op building sits directly over Fountain Creek. From my office area in the Creekside Gallery I get the opportunity to engage with customers about our noisy neighbor. Manitou Springs is within the Fountain Creek Watershed. This watershed encompasses approximately 928 square miles with a perimeter of 160 miles. The headwaters of Fountain Creek begin near Woodland Park on the eastern face of Pikes Peak and join with Monument Creek near downtown Colorado Springs. Monument Creek (and Fountain Creek along with it) ultimately ends up in the Arkansas River near Pueblo, Colorado. The creek is fed by snow melt, runoff from natural springs, and rain water. Ruxton Creek (which runs along Ruxton Ave.) feeds into Fountain Creek at Soda Springs Park in Manitou Springs. In 2013, one year after the Waldo Canyon Fire, Fountain Creek overflowed its banks on 2 occasions and flooded, among other places, the basement of Commonwheel Artists Co-op. In August 2013 water and debris entered our basement through an adjoining property. The water level came to within 6 inches of the basement ceiling. The flood occurred on a Friday afternoon/evening. Several of us headed over to the shop on Saturday morning to see what we could do. We could see the high water mark in the stairwell to the basement and a neighbor had sent us photographs she’d taken through the broken basement window. Inside was a jumble of debris, mud, and what had been the contents of our basement. The removal work started within a couple days and lasted for weeks. That Saturday is still a bit of a blur to me, except for 2 points. As I was walking to the store in my steel-toed boots I passed a family of 4 with bright white tennis shoes on. They were visiting from out of town and hadn’t heard about the flood. We were about a block from the mud zone at that point. Then as I was getting in my car to go back home I noticed a guy on a Vespa driving past me. He had a shovel with him standing straight upright. He obviously came into Manitou to volunteer in the clean-up efforts like so many other people. The sheer numbers of people who came out to help clean was staggering. So much so that the Manitou Art Center (then the BAC) stepped forward to act as a clearinghouse for volunteers and supplies. Again in September 2013 another flood left several inches of water in the basement but the high creek waters damaged some of the support struts under the back part of the building, forcing full and partial shop closure for the better part of 2 months. Tens of millions of dollars in flood mitigation has been undertaken since 2013 by various organizations—CDOT, Manitou Springs, forest districts, and CUSP. To date these efforts have proven effective in keeping the worst of the debris out of Fountain Creek, or at least out of Manitou Springs. Photos of the aftermath and cleanup from the August 2013 floodPhotos of Fountain Creek during the September 2013 flood |
Juanita Canzoneri
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