STUDIOS OF KEY WEST FUNDING CHALLENGE OFF TO A GREAT START!

 
 

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Dear Friend of The Studios,

What a fabulous evening [Wednesday] night at the amazing “pre-construction” party in our new building! And what a grand way to kick off our capital campaign! We have now raised over $ 900,000; almost 50% of our overall goal of $2.1 million! We hope to raise as much as we can NOW to begin construction this Spring, and I know with your help we will get there!

CHALLENGE!

In the midst of the excitement last night, we were given a fantastic challenge to raise an additional $ 30,000 over the next 48 hours. Jonathan Ingham has promised us $ 5,000 towards our building campaign IF we can find another 5 people to donate $5,000 each within 48 hours! We already have 2 pledges of $ 5,000 so just need 3 more!

Giving is easy, and can be done a number of ways. But don’t delay – the challenge clock is ticking!

  • Visit www.tskw.org and click on “Our New Building”. You can make a contribution, and also find more info about the project.
  • Call the Box Office at 305-296-0458 with your credit card or to set up scheduled payments
  • Mail or drop a check off at the Armory, 600 White Street, Key West FL 33040
  • Email Jed Dodds at [email protected] with any questions or to discuss major gifts.

We believe that a newly renovated contemporary art center in the heart of downtown – just steps from our partners at the Tropic, Waterfront, Customs House, Red Barn, St. Paul’s and others – will be transformative. Beyond that, as a simple business move, the case for our move to 533 Eaton Street is clear:

  • Our current lease runs out July 31. The Armory provides neither enough space, nor the right kind of space for our programming needs, and the cost of rent and maintenance is inordinately high. Finding a new home was the only sensible path.
  • Our new home at 533 Eaton Street gives us TWICE as much square footage, with room for dedicated, professional spaces for Exhibitions, Workshops, Performances and Artists’ Studios. No more having to “flip” the one room at The Armory 3 times a day! And we will be able to significantly grow our programming to raise more revenue and meet the community’s needs.
  • Once we’ve renovated the building our mortgage payments will be 25% LESS than our current monthly rent!
  • The building is a solidly built concrete structure which will be significantly less costly to maintain than the beautiful but frail wooden Armory.
  • An added bonus was finding a perfect building in downtown Key West with greater foot traffic and close proximity to other Cultural Icons.
  • AND we have an asset which we own, so much better stewardship of the funds being raised for capital improvements as we will not be subject to the vagaries of escalating landlord demands!  as well as having a permanent home for future generations, which only increases in value!

It is a smart business move for TSKW, as well as a smart move for the Key West community.

It was inspiring to see so many friends at our event last night, and it’s been equally heartwarming to hear the excitement on the street as people realize what a tremendous opportunity we’ve been given.

Thank you for your love & support,

Rosi Ware

Board Chair