Like so many, the year wasn’t what we expected at The Volland Store, but with the unexpected our thinking was pushed to adapt in new ways – one that encouraged focusing on the future and the kind of world we want to inhabit, on our mission and our long-range strategic planning. This year has brought a fresh perspective that has rippled into a transformative experience. We believe that art is more important than ever. It nourishes our souls, gives us comfort, and makes us hopeful. At this critical moment in our country’s history artists will play a fundamental role in helping us to heal our divisions, and they will be crucial in leading us to a better place. Artists will make a significant contribution to understanding the things that divide us and revealing the things that connect us.
With the receipt of certification from the IRS in May, the Volland Foundation became an official nonprofit 501c3. The tax-exempt status of the Foundation will make it possible for us to uphold our commitment to support the arts, science and humanities by building an interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Program at Volland. Over the last months, with the support of Fieldworks Consulting, we have designed a residency framework to initiate a pilot program in 2021. Our concept is to offer one-month residencies in the ecologically unique landscape of the Kansas Flint Hills. We believe that artists are indispensable to society and that Volland is distinctively positioned to offer an experience of land and rural culture by giving time and space in the tallgrass prairie.
Recently we undertook a facilities development process to assess the spaces needed for the programming we envision. The fifth-year architecture students in the Design+Make Studio of K-State’s APD Department are developing a facilities plan for the Volland Store and Grimm-Schultz Farmstead. Laurie Hamilton, owner of the Grimm-Schultz Farmstead, has a vision to create living and studio spaces that will eventually merge into the Artist-in-Residency Program at Volland. Together the properties encompass 46 acres in the scenic Flint Hills, intended to be a campus for supporting creative practitioners of a variety of disciplines. Laurie has generously pledged this historic stone farmstead to the Volland Foundation as part of a planned gift.
The energy and promise that fills Volland today is a direct result of the interest and enthusiasm you and many others in our community have given since its inception. We are excited for what the future holds and we hope to have your support. We would be grateful if you would join us in this effort and consider making a year-end gift to the Volland Foundation or renewing your membership, perhaps at an increased level of investment. We greatly appreciate your support of Art and Community.
Warm Regards,
Patty Reece
To donate by check
please make checks payable to Volland Foundation
Mail to:
Volland Foundation
PO Box 144
Alma, KS 66401
Your contribution is greatly appreciated!