 Realize Bradenton logo | |
| Founded | November 2009 |
|---|---|
| 27-1330078 | |
| Location | |
CEO / Executive Director | Johnette Isham |
| Staff | 5 (2019) |
| Volunteers | 300 (2019) |
| Website | realizebradenton.com |
Realize Bradenton is a nonprofit organization in Bradenton, Florida responsible for implementing the Cultural Master Plan for downtown Bradenton. It was created in November 2009 with a mission to develop and promote downtown Bradenton by making it a unique and preferred cultural destination for residents and visitors. [1]
The idea for an organization to undertake cultural planning was a key recommendation of the 2007 Downtown by Design planning process, an initiative sponsored by the Bradenton Culture and Business Alliance and the Knight Foundation. This initiative resulted in the Realize Bradenton Cultural Plan which was created from April 2008 through March 2009 and involved engaging over 1,500 community members in research and planning including interviews, focus groups, public forums and hearings, community surveys, economic impact studies, market research, cultural organization capacity assessment, and research into comparable cities and programs. [2]
The nonprofit organization was created in 2009 to spearhead the execution of the Realize Bradenton initiative resulting from the study and planning phases of the project. In September 2009, former Ringling College of Art and Design Vice President, Johnette Isham, was named Executive Director of the group, and in November Realize Bradenton Inc. achieved its formal nonprofit status. Its newly appointed board of directors, chaired by Vernon DeSear, approved the organization’s mission to work on behalf of downtown cultural development. [3]
The organization's stated mission is "Develop and promote downtown Bradenton by making it a unique and preferred cultural destination for residents and visitors." [4] This mission is based on leveraging the existing strengths of the downtown area:
To carry out this mission, Realize Bradenton acts as a connector between and among its cultural partners in downtown, its sponsors and corporate partners, and the city in the form of the Bradenton Downtown Development Agency. The DDA carries out the role of place-making in Bradenton, whereas Realize Bradenton subsequently fills the role of place-branding. The inter-connectivity of the two groups goes beyond financial considerations. Vernon DeSear, a member of the DDA board, is also chairman of the Realize Bradenton board. [8]
Realize Bradenton's promotion of downtown happenings has not only led to increased attendance, but also lured new promoters and events to the area including American Craft Endeavors’ popular premiere art fair (previously an annual event in downtown Sarasota, St. Armands Circle and Siesta Key for more than 20 years) which debuted in downtown Bradenton in February 2010. [9]
In the spring of 2011, Realize Bradenton won a sizable grant from the Knight Foundation to fund Project Art Connects, a collaboration of top students from local high schools, undergraduates from [New College] and [Ringling College of Art and Design], art and history teachers, local historians, environmental specialists and visiting artists. By utilizing elements of art and social media, the three-year project is meant to form a bridge that connects the community’s past with its present and future through a series of civic, historical and cultural exercises. [10]
In September 2012, Realize Bradenton created the "Downtown Ambassadors" program, consisting of volunteers who guide and inform visitors about the city's Riverwalk, McKechnie Field, Village of the Arts and other attractions. The program boasts more than 100 volunteers who assist with events and the promotion of the downtown area. [11]
Realize Bradenton received Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Future of the Region Award on April 26, 2019 alongside The City of Bradenton. The award recognizes the collaboration between the two entities for the Creating Together Project, a community outreach effort to ignite community participation in the planning and design of the Bradenton Riverwalk eastward expansion. The Riverwalk expansion is a new segment of the popular park that currently spans 1.5 miles (2.4 km) along the riverfront in downtown Bradenton.
Realize Bradenton was recognized with the American Planning Association's "Outstanding Public Interest Group of the Year" award for their efforts to improve the vitality, prosperity and success of the Bradenton community. At the time, Kathie Ebaugh, principal planner for Lee County Department of Community Development, was quoted as saying "Realize Bradenton is the kind of community development organization that we all wish we had in our communities. It supports the efforts of the city's planning department by engaging the residents, business people, and visitors in community planning activities and public events. In doing so, Realize Bradenton improves the quality of life and livability of the city for all." [12]
Realize Bradenton was recognized with the Tampa Bay Business Journal's "2014 Public & Societal Benefit Nonprofit of the Year" award on June 5, 2014. The award recognizes Tampa Bay-based 501(c)(3), non-foundation community organizations benefiting residents of Greater Tampa Bay who are fiscally responsible and accountable with regard to program outcomes. [13]
In October 2010 Realize Bradenton produced the ArtSlam event as part of the Festival sARTée — a fringe festival complementing the Ringling International Arts Festival. Thousands attended the public arts festival along the city's Old Main Street as various creative teams of artists and performers competed for the public's votes while completing art installations or performing throughout the daylong event. The Bradenton Herald characterized ArtSlam as "a wildly successful event, brought about by Realize Bradenton."
The event was so successful that it has become an annual event in Bradenton with progressively larger festivals held in October 2011 and 2012. With the addition of the Bradenton Blues Festival to the Realize Bradenton event schedule in 2012, the 2013 ArtSlam was pushed back to the spring of 2014 so that the festivals will be more evenly spaced with ArtSlam in the spring and the Blues Festival in the fall. The 2014 ArtSlam was held on March 8, 2014 with record attendance. [14]
In December 2012, Realize Bradenton produced the inaugural Bradenton Blues Festival featuring a lineup for national and regional blues artists performing at the city's new Riverwalk park which opening in October 2012. "Harry Potter" book series illustrator Mary GrandPré produced an iconic soft-geometry style poster for the event, the proceeds of which went to support local children's music programs. [15] The festival attracted a sold-out crowd of over 3000, and the event has become an annual attraction in Bradenton.
One of the causes championed by Realize Bradenton (and the city's Downtown Development Authority) which came to fruition in 2012 was Bradenton Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a one-and-a-half mile long park on the south bank of the Manatee River bordering downtown Bradenton. It consists of a skate park, day-dock, botanical walk, pavilion, great lawn, splash park & playground, and amphitheatre which opened on October 18, 2012. It serves as a public space as well as a venue for the Blues Festival and other events throughout the year. [16] The attraction was created by renovating existing park space along the riverfront at a cost of $6.2 million in both public and private partner funds. [17]
Bradenton is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Downtown Bradenton is along the Manatee River and includes the Bradenton Riverwalk. Downtown Bradenton is also home to the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.
Sarasota is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sarasota is a principal city of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 U.S. census, Sarasota had a population of 54,842, up from 51,917 at the 2010 census.
The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 17th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of 3,175,275 as of the 2020 U.S. census.
Ringling College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College before their separation in 1933.
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota (SCF) is a public college with campuses in the Manatee and Sarasota counties of Florida. Part of the Florida College System, it is designated a "state college" because it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees than community colleges. SCF is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1957 as Manatee Junior College, it was known as Manatee Community College from 1985 to 2009.
The Kresge Foundation is a philanthropic private foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan, United States. The foundation works to expand opportunities in America's cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development efforts. The Kresge Foundation is one of wealthiest charitable organizations in the world, with an endowment of $4.3 billion as of June 2021.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is a large multi-venue performing arts center located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.
The Experimental Skeleton is a non-profit artistic organization in Tampa, Florida that promotes visual arts throughout the area.
Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area.
The culture of San Antonio reflects the history and culture of one of the state's oldest and largest cities straddling the regional and cultural divide between South and Central Texas. Historically, San Antonio culture comes from a blend of Central Texas and South Texas (Southwestern) culture. Founded as a Spanish outpost and the first civil settlement in Texas, San Antonio is heavily influenced by Mexican American culture due to Texas formerly being part of Mexico and, previously, the Spanish Empire. The city also has significant German, Anglo, and African American cultural influences. San Antonio offers a host of cultural institutions, events, restaurants and nightlife in South Texas for both residents and visitors alike.
The Jacksonville Riverwalks are a network of multi-use trails and open space developments along both the north and south banks of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The roughly 2-mile (3.2 km) Downtown Northbank portion travels alongside the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, Jacksonville Landing, Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, CSX Transportation Building, and extends into the Brooklyn district. The 1.25-mile (2.01 km) Southbank portion of the trail connects local landmarks such as Friendship Fountain, Museum of Science and History and Riverplace Tower.
The culture of Augusta, Georgia is influenced by the many different perspectives and histories of its community members, as well as its own history. The large military population of the area as well as the city's rural surroundings have affected the types of festivals and culture produced within the city. Another major influence on the culture of the city is the annual Masters golf tournament held in April of each year. The most prolific cultural medium produced by the city is its musicians, as evidenced by James Brown, Jessye Norman, and Wycliffe Gordon. Though notably, the writer Frank Yerby and visual artist Jasper Johns were Augusta natives as well.
Kafi Benz is an American author and artist who began participation in social entrepreneurship through environmental preservation and regional planning in 1959 as a member of the Jersey Jetport Site Association, which opposed plans by the New York Port Authority to found a new airport in the Great Swamp, the central feature of a massive 55 square mile watershed in New Jersey bounded to the south and east by the Watchung Mountains, 25 miles west of Manhattan.
Friends of Seagate Inc. was founded in the late 1980s by Kafi Benz as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Sarasota, Florida. The historic preservation group lead local efforts protect historic property in the Sarasota-Bradenton area from commercial development. The group later expanded its scope to include environmental conservation. Its most notable project was the preservation of Seagate, the former home of Cincinnati, Ohio, industrialist Powel Crosley Jr. and his wife, Gwendolyn, and its later owners, Mabel and Freeman Horton. In 2002 the organization tried to secure Rus-in- Ur'be, an undeveloped parcel of land in the center of the Indian Beach Sapphire Shores neighborhood, as a local park; however, as of 2014, real estate developers intend to build condominium units at the site.
The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR) is a certified nonprofit arts organization located in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado and serving El Paso and Teller counties. In February 2014, Andy Vick replaced Christina McGrath as COPPeR's executive director. COPPeR receives funding from the city of Colorado Springs and from various grants. It acts as an umbrella artistic service, "the lead entity for centralizing and coordinating information about cultural services in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado." COPPeR conceptualizes itself as an adhesive that unifies the greater arts community to make arts and culture more dynamic and powerful than any one organization. COPPeR invites and engages residents and visitors to draw them into the local arts scene; it advocates for all of the arts; and it builds the cultural community to create a regional brand.
The Glazer Children's Museum is a non-profit children's museum located in downtown Tampa, Florida, next to the Tampa Museum of Art and Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, alongside the Tampa Riverwalk. It is part of the Downtown River Arts neighborhood.
The Tampa Riverwalk is a 2.6-mile-long (4.2 km) open space and pedestrian trail along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. The Riverwalk extends along most of the downtown Tampa waterfront from the Channelside District on the eastern terminus to the mouth of the Hillsborough River and then north along the riverside to Tampa Heights, forming a continuous path that connects a multitude of parks, attractions, public spaces, and hotels. Among the notable points of interest along the Riverwalk are the Tampa Bay History Center, Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center, Rivergate Tower, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Water Works Park, and the Waterfront Arts District which includes the Tampa Museum of Art, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Glazer Children's Museum, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Locations along the Riverwalk play host to many community events, most notably the numerous festivals held at Curtis Hixon Park and the arrival of the "pirate ship" Jose Gasparilla, which moors at the Riverwalk behind the Convention Center during the Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is an 8 acres (3.2 ha) public park located along the Hillsborough river in downtown Tampa, Florida that opened in its current configuration in 2010. It is adjacent to the Tampa Riverwalk, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa Museum of Art, Glazer Children's Museum, and Rivergate Tower. The park overlooks the University of Tampa's Plant Hall, which is directly across the river. The park is in an area known as the Waterfront Arts District.
The Bradenton Blues Festival is an annual festival held in December in Bradenton, Florida. It is organized by Realize Bradenton, a group which promotes Bradenton's Downtown as a destination for arts, culture, history and sports. The performers are both national and regional blues artists. The event takes place at Bradenton Riverwalk, which opened in October 2012.
Bradenton Riverwalk is a 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) public green space located along the Manatee River in Bradenton, Florida, between Business US 41 and South Tamiami Trail. The five-acre (2.0 ha) park opened to the public on October 18, 2012 and features a skatepark, 400-seat amphitheater, playgrounds, and a splash pad. The area is maintained by the city of Bradenton and the nonprofit organization Realize Bradenton.