LT2025-013-Punch Projects - Laserfiche WebLink

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Response 2.1 : Why would tourists travel to Kittitas County to attend your evenflactivity/facility? * Since opening the Firehouse Projecl in October 2A21 , we have hosted an estimated 5,596 visitors. Approximately 1 ,121 (20%' of those are from out-of-county and often combine a visit to our gallery and music venue with a visit to other arts organizations in-and-out of the county such as Gallery One in Ellensburg, Twisp Works to the nodh or Mighty Tieton to the south. We are currently open every Saturday and new exhibilions open on the first Saturday of the month. This follows the First Friday Artwalk in Ellensburg, giving visitors the perfect opportunity to make a weekend of ad in central Washington. We are perfectly placed on the scenic byway halfuiay between Roslyn/Cle Elum and Ellensburg. This location has allowed us to connect with river rafters, fly fishermen and bicyclists who have discovered us on their path, enrlching their visit and experience within Kittitas Couniy. We have a history and proven track record of creating exhibitions and creative projects that draw large audiences. For our 2025 general programming, we plan to continue monthly exhibiiions in the main gallery that will attract and appeal to visitors beyond Kittitas County. From May-september we host performers and visitors in our outdoor event and gathering space, and our indoor venue and "snack bar" with food and beer offerings allows us to feature performers, presentations and workshops year-round, ln 2025, we plan to continue expanding our performance programming, providing opporluniiies for local musicians as well as more regionally recognized. We also plan to add more film and movie screenings to our event lineup. Considering our unique mix of art exhibitions in our gallery space, performance on our backyard stage, our new indoor venue and "snack bar," and an upstairs workshop space for lessons and demonstrations, there is a lot to see and experience at PUNCH Projects. Our central location, adjacency to the scenic byway, and rural appeal are perfect publicity talking-points to draw-in new visitors and tourists. 2500 cha.acter linrit Response 2.2: Describe the prior success of your evenUactivity/facility to attract tourists. * Though Kittiias County is a sirong supporter of visual arts, wilh opportunities to visit exhibitions at a small number of gallelies during Ellensburg's First Friday Arlwalk, there are few spaces that combine that wiih food and beverage, live music. film, or performance. Because we are the only venue of this nature in Thorp and close io upper county, we draw a significant number of residents and tourists from Cle Elum and Roslyn. After moving inlo the historic fire house in Thorp in October 2021 , we quickly expanded from just a gallery and exhibition space in ihe front of the building, to an upstairs summer residency space for visiting a(ists in pa*nership with Ellensburg's Gallery One, and a backyard stage for musicians and performers. As we conclude our third year in operation, we have tripled annual attendance from 937 in our first year to 2,961 the past 12 months. ln Sept. 2023, we sta(ed collecting zip codes and "overnight stays" data in the form of a sign-in sheet on our reception desk. This data shows that in the past 12 months, our visitors have booked an estimated 114 hotel nights, for a total of 243 overnight siays by individuals. Considering our past experience of creaiing visual arts events throughout Washington staie and our successful first-three-years wiih our Fire House Projeci, coupled with the demand for a creative venue that merges the arts, live performance, good drinks and food, we feel uniquely poised to create a destination that not only supporis rural vitality in small unincorporated Thorp, but also builds bridges between the urban cultural centers of the Northwest and the smaller communities among ihe fertile landscape from which PUNCH originated. 2500 characler limil Application Questions: Part 2 o 3l lmpact