Budgeting the Art & Innovation Showcase

Hard numbers, local cider, and the discipline of keeping the lights on while the frames go up.

Why the ledger matters more than the spotlight

Every October we turn the old Pekin library annex into a gallery. Last year the wood frames I cut in my shop cost $312 in lumber and varnish. The scholarship fund took 18% of ticket sales. No drama, just columns that add up.

Black-and-white photo of wooden frames stacked in workshop light

The three-line budget I teach every mentee

“A frame that costs too much never hangs. Same with an idea that burns the fund dry.”

Local anchors that keep us honest

The cider press at the county fair gives us our real deadline. When the apples come in, the numbers have to be locked. That’s how we stay rooted in Pekin soil instead of chasing distant horizons.

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