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Carnegie Arts Center reports rising class enrollment, new grants and a $2.8 million endowment
Summary
The Carnegie Arts Center told the Turlock City Council it saw a nearly 50% jump in class enrollment, won the Heartland Creative Core grant for a downtown mural and reported an endowment around $2.8 million, while outlining a three‑year strategic plan.
Lisa McDermott, speaking to the Turlock City Council, delivered the Carnegie Arts Center’s annual report, saying the center expanded programs and saw marked increases in class enrollment and facility rentals.
“Almost 50% higher than last year,” McDermott said of class enrollment, which staff attributed to expanded toddler offerings and a bigger ceramics program. She told council the center’s facility rentals have now exceeded pre-pandemic levels and that the Carnegie balances youth programming with more adult offerings.
The report highlighted several grants and projects. McDermott said the Carnegie received the Heartland Creative Core grant from the California Arts Council— administered locally through Merced United Way and the Stanislaus Arts Council—funds that paid for a downtown First Street mural dedicated in September 2023 and for a temporary mural created with Roselawn High School students inside the Carnegie. She also said a Boyette Foundation Make Dreams Real Fund grant underwrote field trips and outreach for lower‑income and rural schools, and that an endowed gift from the Ralph Shebaesian Trust will fund an annual international music concert.
McDermott gave attendance and finance details: about 1,300 elementary students participated in field trips for a Harlem Renaissance‑era exhibition; the Carnegie’s endowment stands at about $2,800,000 with roughly $100,000 realized returns used to supplement the budget; and the Heartland Creative Core grant accounted for “over $90,000” of both revenue and expense in the reported fiscal year. She said the Carnegie’s board adopted a three‑year strategic plan with pillars of engagement, collaboration and stewardship to expand audiences, deepen partnerships and address long‑term facility needs.
McDermott also previewed upcoming exhibitions and programs, including a Valley Focus spring show featuring artists under 35 and a pop‑up printmakers exhibition in January. She closed by inviting council and the community to upcoming events and offered to answer questions about last year’s operations and the year ahead.
Why it matters: the Carnegie is a long‑running local arts hub that receives public support and grant funds; its programs, field trips and downtown mural activity intersect with the city’s cultural and downtown revitalization efforts.
Sources and context: the highlights and figures above were presented directly to council by Lisa McDermott during the meeting’s presentations segment.
