Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA) has recently published their 2016 Annual Report, which was mailed to every Mercer Island household, according to a recent press release.

The non-profit’s central theme for this year’s report is “Where We Connect.” The theme relates to MICA’s continued mission to bring the Mercer Island community together through building a gathering space dedicated to the arts. They plan to host a wide variety of arts-related events and programs as a community-funded arts center with support from Friends of MICA.

“[The center] will bring young and old together to enjoy performances in a wide range of art forms — from family friendly, to hilarious, to thought-provoking. It will be a place where children and adults continue to learn and develop their creative potential,” MICA President John Gordon Hill stated in the President’s Message of the annual report.

Following the President’s Message, the 2016 Annual Report covers MICA’s accomplishments and statistics from last year while also introducing the 18 board members. The report highlights their participation in many art and educational events and their partnerships with local businesses, community members, and the City of Mercer Island.

Additionally, readers will find an update on the building process, the formation of various committees, and their 2016 financial report.

MICA formed several committees to create a feasibility study for the building project and for their capital campaign. These include forming a Campaign Planning Committee, working with The Collins Group for a feasibility study, and creating the Campaign Cabinet steering committee. Both committees are composed of community and board members. They also recruited Keith Imper, an arts management professional, to serve as campaign manager. As stated in the press release, MICA has delayed commencement of the capital campaign due to the complex nature of the regulatory process.

The Building Committee spent much of 2016 in studying and planning stages for the center. The report states that “The City of Mercer Island approved a Memorandum of Understanding to move forward with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) in February 2016.” After submitting the checklist in July 2016, MICA says in the report that they have been “responsive to the on-going regulatory process” in preparation for building the center.

In regard to MICA’s financial updates, Peter Hutt, Treasurer, and Dirk van der Burch, Comptroller, explain that most of MICA’s 2016 expenditures “were related to regulatory preparations necessary to build the Center and capital campaign planning. Total expenditures (including capital expenditures) for 2016 were $869,961 funded by early donations to the project.” MICA has raised $5.4M, life to date, in donations and pledges. The total revenue for 2016 was $495,094.

After creating the MICA Calendar of Events this past year, they reported that in 2016 alone, they posted 404 arts-related events. To learn about arts events happening nearby, visit their calendar

at http://calendar.mercerislandarts.org/. The annual report concludes with introducing Students for MICA, a group of passionate Mercer Island students who participate in activities that support MICA. Keep your eye out for them at local island arts events this summer.

To view the annual report online, visit http://www.mercerislandarts.org/2016annualreport.

Questions? Contact MICA by email at [email protected] or call 206-715-7671. If you haven’t received a free physical copy and would like to pick one up in person, visit the MICA office at 7710 SE 29th Street.

***My Mercer Island is a proud Professional Partner of MICA.***