This project also focuses on the Oklahoma Contemporary Art Museum in a more local capacity. The following is the financial calculations and reasoning why a free bus system to go to and from the art museum for low income communities will greatly benefit the museum and strengthen its ties with the community in an affordable fashion.
Initiative Explanation:
The expressed mission of the Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center’s is to spread creativity, encourage, and enable creativity and artistic expression through education, exhibitions, and performances for all audiences. The diverse programing at the arts center has quality attractions for most ages and backgrounds. With this in mind this initiative is targeting those who cannot make it to the arts center to partake in the offerings. This could be because they can’t afford to ride the public bus which is not free in the area, or they live too far from an available bus stop.
With the ability to engage these groups of people directly and then literally pick them up and provide them transportation to and from the Arts Center many new guests could potentially be reached. This will target those communities who do not have access to bus routes. In reviewing the current bus system routes, you can see that no free bus stop is very close to the Arts Center and also do not cover all areas of the city. Leaving many without an affordable option to commute to the center.
To help these underserved communities, we will also include the option of a considerable discount to the few events and classes that cost money at the Arts Center. With all other opportunities already being free this will allow these community members to engage in all activities available at the arts center. This will build a relationship with the Oklahoma Contemporary but will also give them an opportunity to be creative, learn skills, and see arts that may not have been previously available for these communities where they are from. This initiative is in direct support of DEI commitments as it directly serves the communities DEI commitments support. This will be a big opportunity in favor of long-term relationships.
This initiative total is $137,612 for the entire first year. This includes a bus $50,000 or less, decals to brand the bus for the arts center, a radio for dispatch communications, a program director, a dispatch/ route planner, a bus driver, and finally, gas and annual bus maintenance. This will drop to an annual cost of $89,112 minus the money made from renting out the bus when it’s not on its bus route. This could be as much as $16,000 in an ideal year, with the peak of the season of course being during the summer months.
The likely source of capital will be a grant for the initial funding and bus purchase for this initiative and will last a sufficient amount of time until it will be continued by donor support for as little as $50,000 a year to continue the relationship with this community. Once the budget becomes low the initiative could be continued to be funded by a few options of another grant, a partnership with an organization willing to fund the program, or possibly a loan if no other options are available. The initiation of this program will result in extra cash funds in the budget with an extra opportunity of income from bus rentals. It is also an excellent source of publicity and advertisement as the bus drives around the city.
This initiative has several risks associated with its operations. The biggest external risk is the liability of an accident and injury happening during community transport. This could be extremely costly and put a negative blemish on the public outlook of the arts center. Other external factors of significant impact are fluctuating gas prices as well as sudden vehicle maintenance costs. Gas use of the bus will also build and increase the art centers carbon footprint. This may be considerable in size over a period of time. Internally, the funds to cover sudden maintenance costs to the bus could be easily covered and prepared for. This initiative will rely on a strong team with communication and planning skills to map out efficient bus routes. Other sources of help and even financial support could be organizations in these communities or even other organizations that seek to serve these communities. This could find the bus routes as well as help find community members interested in riding the bus to visit the arts center. In the events that the program does not reach its intended audience and is not successful, the sale of the bus will be initiated to liquidate the equipment asset to salvage the funds of program upon its closure.
Initiative Financial Calculations:
This link downloads Excel charts calculating the feasibility of this multi-year initiative from best to worst case scenarios:
Thomas Petty Portfolio 