What is 18th Street Arts Center?

18th Street Arts Center’s mission and vision statements clearly articulate what we are about:

18th Street provokes public dialogue through contemporary art making. 18th Street is a community which values art making as an essential component of a vibrant, just and healthy society.

18th Street is one of the leading urban artist residency centers in the United States, with a unique mandate to encourage the careers of emerging and under-represented mid-career artists. Our primary focus on contemporary arts is accomplished through three programs; 1) A Residency Program organized into three tiers of studio or live/work residencies: long-term for established arts organizations and artists who are active in mentoring young and emerging artists; medium-term, with limits of three years for individual artists; and short-term residencies of one month to one year for visiting artists. 2) An Exhibition and Public Events Program that focuses on emerging and under-represented mid-career artists and provides public exhibitions, installations, publications and other opportunities to expand opportunities for the community to experience cutting edge contemporary arts. 3) AnInternational Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program for artists and curators that fosters inter-cultural collaboration and dialogue.

Co-Founded by artists Susanna Dakin and Linda Burnham, 18th Street Arts Center came into existence in 1988 as a complex of artist live-work spaces and the headquarters of High Performance Magazine. The complex of five buildings once incubated Judy Chicago’s groundbreaking feminist “Dinner Party” installation. The Center was conceived of as an inter-generational, inter-cultural, multi-disciplinary beehive—a creative cluster of studios, galleries, offices, and public spaces, housing artists working in the visual, performance, and media arts. Today, 18th Street Arts Center is a respected destination for national and international artists wishing to publish, perform, work and/or exhibit in Los Angeles County. The National Endowment for the Arts, Getty Foundation, Guggenheim, MacArthur, and Rockefeller Foundations have all recognized the excellence of18th Street artists.

Where can I learn more about your recent activities?

Please visit other parts of our website to learn more about our artists-in-residence and our arts programming.

Are you a charity?

Yes. 18th Street Arts Center is charitable corporation organized under the laws of California, USA.  We are physically located in Santa Monica, California, USA.  Fully audited, the 18th Street Arts Center is listed as a charitable organization at Guidestar (www.guidestar.org) and its partner sites. 18th Street Arts Center has 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in the United States.

Why should I donate to 18th Street?

18th Street Arts Center has supported artists for 20 years, filling a major gap in the infrastructure artists need to succeed. Our long and medium-term residencies offer a time-and-space residency model for artists and arts organizations to pursue their work while building skill sets which advance their careers. Our short term residencies are developed around an ‘engagement’ model, which encourages artists and curators to creatively involve the public by working with specific themes aligned with current social, economic and environmental concerns.

Which projects do you support?

At our Santa Monica facility18th Street hosts residencies for local, regional and international artists; offers a broad array of arts programming and exhibitions throughout the year, free-of-charge to the public; provides affordable studio and office space for arts organizations; and collaborates with the Santa Monica Division of Cultural Affairs to provide arts programming in local neighborhoods.

How is 18th Street run?

18th Street has a permanent staff of four, led by the Executive Director, Jan Williamson and Artistic Director, Clayton Campbell, as well as periodic interns and volunteers. The Board of Directors articulates the mission and vision of the organization, reviews and helps to develop long term plans, provides oversight, and supports our fundraising efforts.

How is the revenue spent?

Our network of supporters help:

1. To continue the provision of 40+ artist residencies, exhibitions and public events annually;
2. To support the continued operation of 18th Street as an arts facility (by paying for operations staff and facility maintenance);
3. To respond to requests from the community;
4. To pay for financial, administrative, legal, and fundraising expenses.

The primary instrument of accountability that we use to report our activities to our supporters is our annual Audit. We can provide a copy of our Audited Financials should you wish to study our financial condition and planning in more detail.

Who funds 18th Street?

18th Street Arts Center’s revenues are comprised of both contributed income and earned income. Contributed income sources include government grants (from city, state, federal, and international sources), private foundation grants, occasional corporate contributions, event fees, and donations from the board of trustees and individuals. Contributed Income represents approximately 54% of total revenues.

Earned Income includes rent from organizational and artist tenants at the site, as well as fees for related services (e.g. parking, laundry, utility payments). Other earned income includes periodic contracts, interest, and fiscal receivership fees. Earned income represents approximately 46%of total revenue.

What are the specific goals 18th Street want to accomplish?

18th Street has a new strategic plan that targets the following goals:

Focus on Individual Artists: Encourage the development of emerging artists who explore and advance the boundaries of artmaking.
Focus on Arts Organizations: Support emerging arts organizations which contribute to the vitality of a thriving arts community.
Focus on External Partnerships: Build dynamic organizational partnerships to advance the Center’s philosophy of artmaking.
Focus on Local Community: Engage the community in understanding and appreciating the role contemporary art plays in transforming society.
Focus on General Public: Provoke broad-based public dialogue about social and political issues through the lens of contemporary art.
Focus on Successful Center: Stabilize, focus, and expand the Center to meet the exciting mandate of a newly-articulated mission.

In the upcoming year, we plan to expand the number of residencies we offer to local artists, and to push the boundaries of cutting-edge visual and performance arts. We are also exploring new ways of engaging people like you in the arts process, through opportunities to interact with our artists as they make new work. We will also expand our hours and programming, giving you someplace to be other than stuck in your car in commuter traffic in the early evening.

How will 18th Street’s plans be affected by the global economic crisis?

18th Street gets about half of our operating funds from earned income (including from rents and other fees, which are all subsidized below market rates and in great demand), so we don’t expect to see too much of a downturn on that side. Some foundations supporting 18th Street have indicated that they will continue with multi-year funding that has been promised, others have indicated their capacity will be diminished. We will continue to explore new sources of foundation support—although we realize that foundation giving may shift from arts and culture organizations to those providing basic necessities such as food and housing.

Where we can make up the difference is by increasing the number of individuals, like you, who support our organization. Your donation is incredibly important to us.

How do I donate?

To donate, please visit our Support page.  You can donate using any major credit card (including VISA, Mastercard, Discover or American Express) through our secure PayPal link.  You can also send a check to 18th Street.

Send checks to:

18th Street Arts Center
1639 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Our preference is for checks in U.S. dollars, drawn on U.S. bank accounts. Checks in currencies other than U.S. dollars, or from bank accounts outside the U.S., can be very expensive for us to process, which reduces the value of your gift. If you do not have a U.S. bank account, you can maximize the value of your donation by giving via Paypal or wire transfer.

Can I make a stock donation to 18th Street?

18th Street accepts stock donations. You can make a donation by transferring stock from your brokerage to ours by providing your broker with our name, investment account number and DTCC clearing number.

Merrill Lynch
1424 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Acct.# 24504042
DTC#:  5198

We also accept stock certificates endorsed with a signature guarantee.  Please notify 18th Street prior to sending the certificates and then send certificates as follows:

18th Street Arts Center

c/o Merrill Lynch
1424 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Acct.# 24504042
DTC#:  5198

Are my donations tax-deductible?

18th Street is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Please contact us with specific questions or refer to your tax professional for the details of tax-deductibility.

If I make a donation, how do I get my tax receipt?

All donors will receive a receipt by mail provided a return address is included with the donation within two weeks of your gift. Anyone who donates by PayPal or credit card will also receive an email tax receipt as long as their email address was included with the donation. You may also request a tax receipt for your donation by writing to us at office18thstreet.org (please include your contact information, the method you used to donate, and the amount of your donation).

Can I give you a targeted or restricted donation to be used for something very specific?

Charities based in the United States, including 18th Street Arts Center, are required to honor restrictions requested by donors. This means that if you specify your donation needs to be restricted for a specific use, we will either honor your request or return your donation. But before you decide to do that, please consider that unrestricted donations are much more useful for us. Every restriction imposes administrative overhead and planning costs, and increases internal complexity. If you would like to discuss your donation options, please feel free to contact Jan Williamson, Executive Director.

Is there a minimum donation?

No. We want everyone to be able to support 18th Street.

What is your privacy policy?

We honor the privacy rights of our donors.  We do not share, sell, or trade your contact information with anyone.

How can I contact 18th Street?

See the About page for contact details.

top