What Really Happened in Houston at Bayou City

As the new interim executive director took on the reins at the Bayou City Art Festival in Houston late last year, it became apparent to Susan Fowler that the organization was stretched beyond financial viability. This is a festival that depends on an admission charge that had been negatively impacted by the weather.

Four festivals back to back with rain had drained their savings  that were in fact a literal rainy day fund because the Bayou City Art Festivals are outdoor events. 

The Art Colony Association, which hosts the Bayou City shows, needed to do something fast to keep the popular festivals alive and well.

When the Board of the Art Colony met in January they put the wheels in motion to expand the event from 300 artists to 450 artists plus several other changes that they hoped would lead to financial stability.

We'll be speaking with the Executive Director Susan Fowler and Operations Director Kelly Kindred to learn 

• how a board of directors oversees an organization and its' fiscal responsibility 
• how the decision to increase the size of the show was made
• how they went about implementing the Board's decisions
• how important are booth fees to a show
• other sources of funding a non-profit event
• how successful were the changes that they made to the Spring show
• what they learned from this experience
• what to expect next from this festival