The easiest metrics for declaring the Festival a success are numerical—how many artists respond to the Call for Art and how much art is sold—and by these we can see if we have fulfilled the first part of our mission: to encourage the creation, enjoyment, and purchase of erotic art.
But the deepest value of the Festival is nearly impossible to evaluate (if it can even be discerned.) How do we measure a personal or cultural evolution? Heck, how do you measure an evolution at all?
We do have one way to measure the evolutions that the Festival instigates—we look at our volunteer pool, how it forms and morphs. The festival-goers who join the volunteer crew. The volunteers who take a 4-hour shift one year, and give 40 hours the next year. The dedicated shift volunteers who become leads. These expanding commitments show us we are affecting personal evolutions.
While the Festival is a program of the not-for-profit Foundation for Sex Positive Culture, the Festival is expected to be self-supporting. We are pleased to report that the generous support of our volunteers and Festival-goers has supplied the seed money for the 2015 Festival. Our patrons—including you, dear supporter—took home more than $29,000 in visual art this year. That’s 24% of the exhibition. More than double the average for other one-weekend festivals.
Subtly incorporated into our mission is our desire to build a space where people can be authentic, where people are allowed and encouraged to encounter and Reveal true, authentic selves. We did this in 2014, and we look forward to joining you in 2015 to continue our work.
Thank you, each of you and all of you, for being a part of making Seattle Erotic Art Festival, and helping us make our dreams happen.
With love and respect,
Leila Anasazi and Sophia Iannicelli
Exhibition Curator and Festival Director