My Life in Numbers (AKA Why Event Producers Are Crazy)
The Bayou City Art Festivals are produced twice a year — one spring, one fall — by arts nonprofit group Art Colony Association. Executive Director Kelly Kindred distills her life down to the hard figures.
Stakeholders to Whom I Answer
- 12 Board Members
- 4 Emeritus Board Members
- 1 Featured Artist each Festival
- 300 Artists Participating in any given Bayou City Art Festival
- 1000+ Artists Applying to any given Bayou City Art Festival
> - 92 middle school artists
- 50 high school artists
- City of Houston
- 19 Nonprofit Partners
- 20+ Sponsors
- 30,000+ Patrons
- 100+ Members
People Who I Manage (and Who Are in the Trenches Helping)
- 2 Full Time Staff Members
- 0.5 Accountants
- 1 PR Team
- 1 Design Firm
- 1 Concessions Management and Catering Company
- 1 Production Manager
- 6 Contractors
- 5 Operational Committees
- 9 Committee Heads
- 100+ Committee Members
- 1000+ Volunteers
What I Give
- Lots of sweat
- A little blood
- Sometimes tears
- Much more than 40 hours a week at the office
- Hundreds of hours of my personal time attending events, spreading the word about the Bayou City Art Festivals
- Dozens of sleepless nights either working late or worrying
Who Loves Me and Keeps Me Sane
- 2 dogs
- 2 cats
- 1 horse
- 13 family members
- 20 close friends who understand why I disappear from their lives for the three months around festival time twice a year. Yes, that’s 6 months a year.
What I Get
- Lots of satisfaction knowing I’m following my passion for the arts, supporting the arts and community services in Houston, and helping festival artists by providing them a solid place to sell their art.
- Money, but not a ton. I’m not in this to get rich. Far from it. After, all I work for a nonprofit. You work for a nonprofit because you love it, not for the money.
by Kelly Kindred
The 2013 Bayou City Memorial Park Art Festival takes place March 22-24, 2013 in Houston, Texas.