Financially troubled Fridley arts center needs $15K to stay open

Dire financial pressures and a bit of bad luck have put the future of a nearly half-century-old Fridley arts center in jeopardy.

The North Suburban Center for the Arts needs to raise $15,000 by April 30 or it will cease operations, Executive Director Aly Rhodes said. Even if a last-minute fundraising effort is successful, the money would cover expenses only for the next few months, leaving the center's long-term future unclear.

"It's heartbreaking," said Rhodes, who joined the staff in September and took over as interim executive director in February. "We have gone through several stages of grief."

The center has suspended registration for summer camps and put plans for Burbfest, its largest fundraiser of the year, on hold. Another charitable event at Forgotten Star Brewing, featuring crafts, a raffle and a dance party, is still a go for April 28.

"We have a very good plan going forward if we can get through the next six weeks," said Board Member Ann Bolkcom, a Fridley City Council member. "We just need to get over this hump."

The arts center's financial problems have been mounting for the past two years. In 2021, the Anoka County Board voted to stop paying the center $50,000 annually to host classes, exhibitions, family events and other programs. The County Board also evicted the center from its longtime home in the county-owned Banfill-Locke House.

Anoka County Parks determined the former tavern and farmhouse needed $1.5 million in repairs. The County Board voted to end the arts center's contract as a result.

In 2022, the center moved to a decommissioned fire station it rents from the city of Fridley for $1 a month. At that time, the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts rebranded itself the North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA).

There have been plenty of obstacles to overcome in the new location, including an electrical fire that broke out the day the lease was signed. The furnace had to be replaced, and the center had to pour new concrete floors and remodel parts of the building. The NSCA also became responsible for utilities, which added thousands of dollars in expenses.

"We didn't spend money on frivolous things," Bolkcom said, adding that volunteers donated furniture and put in many hours painting and plastering walls. "There is a lot of love for this place. And a lot of love put in it."

Some missteps may have contributed to the arts center's plight. Rhodes and Bolkcom said the former executive director, Abby Kosberg, failed to apply for grants that would have provided desperately needed income this year, and some required forms necessary to maintain nonprofit status went unfiled.

In February, the NSCA received a letter from the state Attorney General's Office stating that its 2021 Charitable Organization Annual Report, which would allow it to solicit contributions, had not been filed.

"I immediately took action to clean up the mess," said Rhodes, who said she recently hand-delivered outstanding documents to the Attorney General's Office to keep the arts center in good standing. The organization was re-registered as a nonprofit, a March 3 letter from the Attorney General's Office said.

In a phone interview, Kosberg said she worked tirelessly to apply for grants, but in some cases the center was not eligible for them. During her three-year tenure, grant and gift income rose from $65,400 in 2019 to $82,700 in 2020, the organization's 990 forms show.

Kosberg also said the organization's business model that relies on earned income — not solely grants — was "radically rocked" by the pandemic.

"It's disappointing that they are simplifying to that one thing," Kosberg said. "There are a lot of moving parts. It was not for a lack of effort. I tried my best. It's unfortunate they are in this position. I wish them well."

Funding is tenuous for all small arts and cultural organizations, she added in a follow-up email.

All artists have been paid and bills are up to date, Bolkcom said. But three staff members, including Rhodes, have gone months without paychecks.

Fridley Mayor Scott Lund said there has been no talk of using city money to help.

"The city already gives them a pretty good deal," he said, referring to the nearly free rent for the former fire station at 110 77th Way NE. "They are in dire straits. Hopefully they won't close."

The NSCA had its most successful holiday market ever in December. The event brought in a record $15,000, with a portion of that remitted to artists, Rhodes said. And the center is already applying for grants for 2024, she said.

But without more income soon, this month's "Weaving the North" exhibit featuring works by members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota could be the center's last.

"This has been an icon in Fridley," Bolkcom said. "It would be incredibly sad and devastating to close."