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The Center would house multi-use facilities, such as rooms that could serve as meeting rooms/display galleries/artist's studios/lecture halls/classrooms and one large room with partitions, a stage, and adjoining kitchen that can serve as a banquet hall/community gymnasium/auditorium.
Visiting artists/scholars/artisans will spend up to a year "in residence" at the Center teaching and working on projects. This Center will offer Asian students all over Alabama a "cultural immersion" zone to visit; Birmingham residents an opportunity for education in Asian cultures, arts, and customs; and opportunities to foster intercommunity cooperation, understanding, and friendship in the name of world peace.
The administrative staff would include a full-time grants writer and a full-time events coordinator who shall be available to work with the various tenant Asian cultural groups.
The purpose of the Center is to free its tenant Asian cultural groups from fund raising and facilities management, and allow them to devote their full energies to planning and executing their programs of cultural events and courses. The Center's motto will be "Unity in Diversity!"
Cultural Center Functions
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- To facilitate formation of various Asian cultural associations
- To provide a permanent venue for Asian cultural organizations to plan and present a schedule of cultural events in Birmingham
- To provide member Asian cultural organizations a variety of facilities to present, and means for funding, continuous events and programs
- To educate Asian and non-Asian citizens of metro Birmingham and Alabama In Asian cultures, languages, and histories through a variety of classes and cultural presentations and events within the Center
- To form partnerships with other Birmingham organizations, e.g., Birmingham Museum of Art, the Alabama Symphony, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham International Center, etc. to co-sponsor programs and share resources
- To provide a "cultural immersion zone" in Birmingham for citizens, visitors, business people, and students from Asian countries
Cultural Center Funding
- Grants (government, charitable foundations, cultural organizations)
- Public and private gifts, donations, and bequeaths
- Modest tenant rentals
- Admissions fees for events and programs
- Rental fees for facilities
- Charges for courses and training
- Interest from an endowed maintenance trust fund included in the initial capital project
Cultural Center Administration
- The non-profit Brimingham Chinese Garden - Asian Cultural Center Foundation will raise funds, approve design of, and construct the Birmingham Asian Cultural Center
- A non-profit Birmingham Asian Cultural Center Association shall then be incorporated and its Board shall oversee cultural center operations
- The Board shall be composed of an equal number of members representing the various member Asian cultural organizations, plus four members from the Foundation Board
- The Board would hire/appoint an Executive Director to oversee administration and maintenance staff
- Administrative staff shall include a full-time Grants Writer to obtain program funding and an Events Coordinator/Marketing Director
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Picture from the Calgary (Alberta) Chinese Cultural Centre |
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