SAGE for a Creative Community Fund
Agency Endowed Funds at WYCF
This story is from our Fall 2023 newsletter. See the full newsletter here!
Jill Benson, Executive Director of the Sheridan Artists’ Guild, Et Al, (SAGE), is passionate about taking stories from artists and sharing them with patrons. “Art has gotten so diverse, so many people have artistic talent,” says Jill. “In the Sheridan-Johnson community there are arts everywhere, from an eye doctor who plays piano downtown to local businesses displaying art from SAGE. Our organization is a way our community gets to relate to each other in a deeper way,” says Jill.
Jill, the artists, and fans of SAGE take pride in all that they bring to the community. Through art classes, exhibits, and education programs, SAGE keeps the community vibrant, happy, and healthy.
Classes offered to the community include printmaking, painting, and drawing for different levels of experience from beginner to advanced.
As a nonprofit who received longtime support as a grantee, SAGE later established an endowed fund with WYCF. This is a “forever” fund for a nonprofit. It benefits SAGE with annual grant payouts and provides them with sustainability and security. Donors can help grow the endowment with legacy gifts.
Jill credits the Wyoming Community Foundation for the ease of SAGE’s operations and programs.
“I’ve been really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” say Jill. “That’s because of our endowment with WYCF – it allows us to support our operations.”
Because of SAGE’s endowment with WYCF, Jill can focus on connecting with the community and the people who want to make it better.
“We now own our space, which happened in 2016,” says Jill. “The Wyoming Community Foundation helped with that, and we can just focus on growing. Our kids’ camps, for example, exploded this summer with full rosters, and that’s the first time that’s happened.”
SAGE offers the Sheridan-Johnson area a Community Arts Education Program. The technical classes and artist talks provide ongoing creative opportunities for all ages and ability levels.
“We were able to grow this program, bring in more people, and a more diverse group of jurors because of WYCF,” says Jill. “WYCF was key in helping us with that.”
Classes offered to the community include printmaking, painting, and drawing for different levels of experience from beginner to advanced.