WHO WE ARE
We are Aiken Performing Arts Group, Inc. (APAG), a volunteer not-for-profit 501 (c)3 organization with two major focuses, the presentation of quality professional entertainment to Aiken audiences and the delivery of Educational Outreach programs to the student population of the greater Aiken area. APAG is a major contributor to the quality of life in Aiken and its surrounding communities.
APAG — THE PRESENTING ORGANIZATION
APAG presents shows and concerts by performing artists of recognized professional excellence at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. During an annual season running from September through April, the Company offers a popular “Subscription Series” of four concerts featuring a variety of performers from around the world. In addition, APAG offers non-subscription shows under the heading “Portfolio Concerts” and occasional “Salon Concerts.” Staged in smaller, sometimes non-traditional spaces. Salon Concerts are designed to encourage a shared musical experience by bringing artist and audience together in a more intimate environment.
APAG maintains working relationships with talent agencies in the United States and Canada. During the past three years its representatives attended major national and regional artist showcase events in New York, Louisville, Baltimore, Memphis, and Pittsburgh. APAG, in partnership with the University of South Carolina Aiken, presented the National Symphony Orchestra to Aiken in Spring 2008. The concert and its accompanying educational programs was the largest event of its type ever held in the Aiken area.
From its beginning APAG has been guided by the entertainment preference of its audience. Information and suggestions gained from the annual survey of individual subscribers plays an important part in future planning and artist selection. APAG is dedicated to the single proposition, “Our Audience Comes First.”
APAG — THE EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
APAG is one of the largest providers of educational outreach programming in the CSRA. Please see our Educational Outreach section for details.
APAG – THE QUALITY OF LIFE
APAG contributes directly to the “Quality of Life” of the Aiken area. The organization contributes important underlying support to the economic development of the Aiken area. In the landmark study of the relationship between the arts and business, the Rand Corporation recognized “Quality of Life” as an important issue in the decision making process utilized to determine new plant and industry location. “Quality of Life” is a major decision factor in recruiting middle and upper level business persons to relocate and remain in a new community.
The presence in Aiken of convenient upscale professional entertainment by some of the best performing artists in the country offers residents a local option to travel to more distant central cities to enjoy the same or similar performances. An immediate benefit emerges from the potential substitution of a local performance for the time and risk spent in such travel. More importantly for the Aiken economy, the retention of money otherwise spent for meals, accommodations, and fuel traveling to distant locations provides a measurable inflow of dollars into restaurants, and other local businesses.
APAG is an important contributor to the image of Aiken as a good place to live and do business. The organization impacts both the cultural and the economic vitality of the greater Aiken area.
FINANCIAL DISCUSSION
The five principal sources of APAG revenues are as follows: Ticket Sales, both annual subscriptions and individual performance tickets, Corporate Sponsorships, Contributions from individuals and corporations, Ancillary Income, and Grants. During the past three years, APAG received several small performance grants through the Southern Arts Federation and two small operating and support grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission. Although APAG has a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Aiken, it receives no direct monetary support for its operations, concerts, or programs.
To date, APAG has been able to operate successfully within the 40/60ratio standard to the theater industry, that is, 40% of revenue from ticket sales and ancillary income, 60% from sponsorships and other contributions. Educational Outreach program support is primarily received from contributed sources. Aside from agent fees and artist contract expenses, APAG is responsible for a wide range of other expenses including, among others, artist accommodations and meals, printing and mailing costs, showcase attendance, lighting, sound, theater rental, City seat tax, piano and instrument rental, newspaper advertising, and transportation to various outreach venues.
