Annandale Art And Textile Center

TO PROVIDE A VOCATIONAL WEAVING PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT, JOB SKILLS, AND VOCATIONAL SKILLS.

THE ANNANDALE ART AND TEXTILE CENTER (AATC) IS A 501C3 NON-PROFIT THAT PROVIDES A VOCATIONAL WEAVING ARTS PROGRAM CALLED "HEART OF THE LAKES WEAVERS", FOR ADULTS AGES 18-60, WITH A VARIETY OF LEARNING STYLES AND ABILITIES. IN 2023, AATC HAD 10 WEAVERS AND 2 INTERNS. IN ADDITION:- 250 - THE AVERAGE FABRIC YARDAGE PRODUCED PER MONTH BY HEART OF THE LAKES WEAVERS.- 911 - ONE OF A KIND WOVEN TOWELS SOLD.- 569 - UTTERLY UNIQUE SEASONAL WOVEN TREES PURCHASED.- 3422 - WOVEN ITEMS SOLD.- 1116 - PIECES OF ART AND FINE CRAFT SOLD, ALL CREATED BY AREA ARTISTS.- 17 - NUMBER OF MILES OF THREAD PRESENTLY IN USE ON 18 LOOMS.

AATC ALSO OFFERS OVER 30 CLASSES FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND 173 CLASS REGISTRANTS IN 2023, PRIMARILY FROM OUR FOUR COUNTY AREA AND ACROSS THE STATE. THESE INCLUDE ACRYLIC PAINTING, FOUR-SHAFT WEAVING, ACRYLIC MIXED MEDIA, NEEDLE FELTED LANDSCAPES, SPINNING, INTRODUCTION TO WATERCOLOR, TAPESTRY, SKETCHBOOK JOURNALING, CERAMIC WALL POCKETS, CARTOONING & ILLUSTRATION, KROKBRAGD WEAVING, BLOCK PRINTING AND AN EVER EXPANDING CATALOG OF PUBLIC CLASSES CLASSES.AATC HAS A NEWLY OPENED ART CENTER, ADJACENT AND CONNECTED TO AATC, THAT WILL BE HOSTING A WIDE VARIETY OF CREATIVE CLASSES AND GATHERINGS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE NEW CENTER WHICH, WAS COMPLETED IN MARCH OF 2023, OFFERS 650 SQUARE FEET OF DEDICATED SPACE FOR CLASSES OF ALL TYPES AND MEETING SPACE FOR CREATIVE GROUPS IN THE AREA AND BEYOND.THERE WAS ANOTHER SUCCESS, WHICH HAS BEEN ONGOING, BUT ADDITIONAL PROGRESS HAS BEEN SEEN DURING THE PAST YEAR. THERE HAVE BEEN MARKED POSITIVE CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND COGNITIVE WELL BEING OF THE WEAVERS THAT SEEM TO CORRESPOND WITH THEIR DEVELOPING ARTISTIC ABILITIES, SPECIFICALLY WEAVING. AATC HAS NOTED AN INCREASE IN COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING REFLECTED IN DEVELOPMENTS IN VOCABULARY, PROBLEM SOLVING, AND SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS FOR A NUMBER OF WEAVERS. THESE INCREASES SEEMED TO CORRESPOND WITH REFINEMENT OF THEIR ARTISTIC WEAVING SKILLS. AATC ALSO NOTICED IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS IN SOCIAL AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AROUND THE COMMUNITY. MANY OF THE WEAVERS HAVE BOWLED TOGETHER AS PART OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS BOWLING TEAM FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE BOWLING COACH NOTED THAT UP UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO, THE TEAM BOWLED TOGETHER IN SILENCE. NOW THEY HIGH-FIVE, SING, DANCE, AND CHEER ONE ANOTHER ON. THEY HAVE BECOME A STRONGER COMMUNITY. IN THAT WAY, WEAVING IS NOT ONLY THE PRACTICE OF CREATING A PHYSICAL PIECE OF ART, BUT IS ALSO A PRACTICE THAT BRINGS AND KEEPS PEOPLE TOGETHER, AS IT HAS DONE WITH THIS TEAM OF WEAVERS. AATC ALSO SEES THIS INCREASED SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN THE GENERAL POPULATION THAT COMES TO THE WEAVING CLASSES.

AATC CONTRACTED WITH A PERSON TO EXPAND OUTREACH EFFORTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AND OTHER COMMUNICATION CHANNELS. ADDITIONALLY THIS PERSON COORDINATES CLASSES AND SPEARHEADED THE SELECTION AND ROLLOUT OF A NEW REGISTRATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THIS DAILY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WORLD, THROUGH SIGNAGE IN THE STORE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST POSTS OR THROUGH THE NEWSLETTER, HAVE HELPED BRING PEOPLE TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND THROUGH THE DOORS. 1. AATC'S EMAILED NEWSLETTER WHICH IS SENT TO CLASS PARTICIPANTS, DONORS, CUSTOMERS AND VOLUNTEERS HAD A 55-60% OPEN RATE DURING THE PAST YEAR. THIS OPEN RATE EXCEEDS THE AVERAGE 45% OPEN RATE FOR THIS METHOD OF OUTREACH.2. AATC'S FACEBOOK REACH WAS 39,200 THROUGH THE DECEMBER 21, 2023, A 169.7% INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR3. AATC'S INSTAGRAM REACH WAS 4,500 FOR THE SAME PERIOD, AN INCREASE OF 295.5% OVER LAST YEAR.4. AATC'S WEB TRAFFIC WAS UP 247% YEAR OVER YEAR.IN AUGUST 2023, WCCO FILMED A SEGMENT AT AATC ON THE UPLIFT PROGRAM WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FOOT-TRAFFIC, SALES, DONATIONS AND OVERALL ENGAGEMENT LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY.