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Cerimon House Annual Report | 2015

C E R I M O N H O U S E

CerimonHouse.org

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We Enter the Year of “Home”

As always, it’s a pleasure to pen our Annual Report, to reflect on the achievements of our

Humanities organization, and to have the chance to share how much we enjoy presenting and

hosting many events here in Portland. We are full of gratitude that so many colleagues and friends -

from the many reaches of the nation - have contributed their time, expertise, and resources to our

operational and capital campaign efforts.

It’s January of 2016 as I write this, and for the first time since renovation ‘ramped down’ in early

November, we are now settled-in to our own building. From blueprint to footprint, we now mop-

our-brow, and regard The Year of Restoration as both invigorating and (to be fair) a bit enervating.

But we did it! And look: the walls really are reconfigured, this floor is indeed properly laid, the

electricity is bright and new, and the colors on the walls are rich. A 93-year old old building

breathes again, and is restored. Cerimon House is here, to serve the community. We are home.

I tip my hat to our magnificent Board of Directors and staff, and the many volunteers. I hold them

all in the deepest admiration. Even in the midst of all of the construction (…in what seemed like an

entire year in which we were covered in paint and drywall dust…) we adapted and managed to

create and present several signature programming events, and even host a world class art

installation: the West Coast premiere of: The Art of Charles Addams. In fact, the paint was only

drying on the walls for the Opening Gala this last October, when we hung the 52 original pen & ink

drawings of the renowned Mr. Addams.

And now we step into 2016 in which we anticipate programming exactly as we always imagined we

would; presenting and sponsoring cultural performances and educational workshops on ecology,

psychology, philosophy, race relations & diversity, science & health, and community involvement.

The rentals include topnotch music recitals, yoga classes, PTA meetings, men’s meeting groups,

women’s knitting circles, and on & on. We hang our second art show: “Home: the Art of Betty

Chilstrom”: a collection of vivid oils of Portland houses, buildings, bridges, trains, and boats. And

there seems to be nothing more befitting, in this, our year of “Home.”

And next? It’s on to the planning of this next year’s strategic plan, working with professional grant

consultants, and preparing the large-scale summer play reading in our newly established Artist

Residency Program for which we received a local RACC cultural arts grant. Onwards. Towards our

7th birthday and a remarkable new year.

Warmly,

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Randall Stuart Founder & Director

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MISSION STATEMENT

Cerimon House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Humanities organization that provides a community and cultural

center where people can connect through the arts, education, exploration, and celebration. We curate

conversations with teachers, leaders, and philosophers to deepen understanding, and engage the minds and

hearts of our attendees. Through performance and discussion, our Salons & Symposia Series provides space

for artists to create, perform, and engage audience members to discuss works on a variety of social topics.

Cerimon House provides a safe, inclusive, and nonviolent convening space for our NE Portland

neighborhood, the greater Metro area, and beyond.

Our organization is named for a Shakespeare character in the play Pericles of Tyre, who is beloved and

known for her personal strength, intuition, charity and altruism.

OUR HISTORICAL INSPIRATION

Among other Humanities projects, we take the legacy of the Circuit Chautauqua as an early inspiration. The

Chautauqua experience was a highly popular turn-of-the-last-century educational movement in the United

States, bringing entertainment and culture to the whole community. Speakers, teachers, musicians, and

specialists of the day travelled by train to locations in major cities as well as towns throughout America until

the mid-1920’s.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

As a Humanities organization, Cerimon House believes that the diversity of our community is a fundamental

strength of our region. Our mission is best fulfilled when we embrace diversity as a value and a practice. We

also recognize that various groups of people over time have faced barriers of exclusion, and that the effects

of this exclusion is perpetuated today through current conventions and institutions, as well as in the current

advantages and disadvantages that individuals experience in their daily lives. This pattern extends to

involvement in the Arts and the Humanities. We maintain that achieving diversity requires an enduring

commitment to inclusion that must find full expression in our organizational culture, values, norms, and

behaviors. Inclusion requires more than avoiding discrimination; it also involves taking affirmative steps to

include previously excluded populations in all aspects of the organization, from leadership to audiences. In

addition, Cerimon House will not tolerate nor condone discrimination due to age, race, color, religion, sex,

national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability. We aspire to make inclusion a daily practice,

and diversity a core and abiding strength of our mission.

COMMUNITY | CREATIVITY | CURIOSITY | CEREMONY

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OUR LEAD SPONSORS

Hats-are-tipped and a heartfelt thanks to the following groups and foundations who

believed in our mission and contributed so generously to our work in 2015:

O.O. + L.E. Orrick Trust

WillaKenzie Estate

Concordia Neighborhood Association

SET – A Brand Experience Agency

The Timmons Foundation

The Tee and Charles Addams Foundation

Regional Arts & Culture Council

Work for Art

Pomegranate Communications, Inc.

Concordia University

FAO Schwarz Family Foundation

The Colavin Ortiz Giving Fund

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The following citizens served on the Cerimon House Board of Directors in 2015:

Kevin Yell – Board Chair Randall Stuart - Secretary

Will Patton – Vice Chair Mariel Pastor - Director

Sharon Nielson – Treasurer Keith Pitt – Director

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2015 Financial Management

2015 was an exciting year for Cerimon House, as we worked diligently to complete a vigorous

renovation project on our building. In a year when our doors were closed for nine months, we

proudly produced 5 Salons, 3 Community Engagement events, 2 educational workshops, 1

fundraising gala, and hosted a world class art exhibit. We maintained our grant funding and

increased programming income by almost five times the amount generated in 2014. Our income

received from foundation revenue has steadily increased each year over the past three years (as

exampled in the Financial Report chart below), and we anticipate this increase to continue in the

years to come. Due to our construction period in 2015, our assets decreased by 281,000 due to the

cost of the renovation. Our 2016 budget projections anticipate

an exponential increase in programming revenue, grant

funding, and rental income potential.

2015 was a great year for fundraising as we launched our new

Piecing It Together project and The Third Way Staircase program.

We look forward to continuing our fundraising programs in 2016

as well as initiating new fundraising ideas as we pursue local

Business Sponsorships.

Please visit our website to learn more about how you can become

involved in our ongoing fundraising efforts.

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Financial Report

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3 3.9

36.6

27

5 4.7

52.7

29

5

21.8

43.5

36.5

Grants Programming Donations Foundation!Revenue

Income'by'Type'&'Year'(in'thousands)

2013 2014 2015

! ! ! !2015! 2014!

Assets!! 45! 326!

Fixed!Assets! 801! 447!

Total!Assets! 846! 773!

Liabilities! !!!!!!!!!!!!!748! !!!664!

Balance Sheet Summary

(in thousands)

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WITH HEARTFELT THANKS TO OUR DONORS IN 2015

$5,001 + Willakenzie Estate

Colavin Ortiz Giving Fund

Will Patton

$2,500 - $5,000 FAO Schwarz Family Foundation

The H Group, Inc.

Kevin Miserocchi & Robert Klosowicz

Sharon Nielson

Pomegranate Communications, Inc.

Ron Luebbert & Kristina Sanborn

SET – Sabina Teshler

$1,000 - $2,499 George & Frances Carlson

Robin Chilstrom

Charlotte Colavin

Megan Cole

Concordia Neighborhood Association

Michelle Cowing

Ken & Ann Edwards

Melinda Marshall

Doug & Mary Le Blanc

Kathleen Turco-Lyon

Damaris Webb

Bess Spiva Timmons Foundation

$500 - $999 Cheryl Balkenhol

Concordia University

Sara & Ed Goodman

Richard Hay

Kirsten & Chris Leonard

Leonard & Susan Magazine

Shirley Patton

Tomm & Barb Pickles

Keith Pitt

Izetta Smith & Ellen Goldberg

William Wilson

Kevin Yell & Bud Bowen

$100 - $249 Cont. Joseph Desalvio

Rändi Douglas

Adrian Elfenbaum & JoAnne Winter

Diane Elliott

Karen Erde

Cynthia Fuhrman

Merilee Howard

Marcus Hughes

Kate Brickley

Donald Krahmer

Claude Lee

Steven Marshall

Lynn McClenahan

Pat McCrann

Penny Metropulos

Sean O’Skea

JoAnn Johnson

Kristin Patton

Wendy Radford

Norma Reich

Constance Rinchiuso

Paisley Schade

Shoenfeld & Shoenfeld, P.C.

Barbara Spence

Dennis Stovall

Thomas Sullivan

Travis Williams

Michael Winters

$0 - $99 Cynthia Addams

Jennifer Bernard

Duffy Bishop & Chris Carlson

Zoe Burke

Caren Graham-Larsen

Lee Catalano

Bonita Clark & David Meyers

Catherine Fullmer

Jane Geesman

Michael Griggs

Steven Heimerle

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$250 - $499 Desiree & Rocky Gregory

Stephen Guntli

Ellen & Ryan Margolis

William McCraw

Darcy Molloy

Alison Towle Moore

John Robinson

Felicia Von Drak Olsen

Judith Yeckel & Bob Davis

$100 - $249 Pat Archbold & Barbara Stewart

Adair Chappell & Dan McGee

Wallace & Isabella Chappell

Bruce & Cinnamon Chaser

Sandy Kelly Hoffman

Rebecca Holtzman

Susannah Johnson

Derrel King

Michelle Marcyk

Erin Marshall

Terri McMahon

Sylvia Medeiros

Mary Murphy

Fay & Frank Putnam

Anet Ris-Kelman

Russell Rivet

Robert Sicular

Kerry Stubbs

Rosemary Van Arsdel

Nancy Walker

VOLUNTEER AT CERIMON HOUSE

Our events are made all the more memorable with the help of our wondrous volunteers.

If you are interested in being added to a mailing list to receive emails about upcoming volunteer

opportunities, please write to: info@cerimonhouse.org.

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The Cerimon House Salons & Symposia Series explores many subjects of the Humanities.

Please visit our website for more information about our upcoming Salons

and to check out our archive of recent performances and events.

To join our e-newsletter mailing list, please write to: info@cerimonhouse.org.

www.CerimonHouse.org