Hello friends,

Being a part of the Wonderland project is an extraordinary experience. Wonderland was started with a goal to provide learning and growth opportunities for the city's creatives, and in the time since we've found that those opportunities exist for the Board, as well. Fortunately, the support and guidance of a solid team of fund raisers, developers, attorneys, city officials and consultants has helped keep us on track, along with the well wishes of hundreds of supporters who share our vision of a creative community that's more collaborative, productive and sustainable.

We're inspired by the big and small organizations in Columbus that are already proving the viability of this vision, from Wild Goose Creative to the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the many committed and passionate individuals who've provided assistance to Wonderland through the simple act of emailing a question to one of our staff members, or stopping a Board member at an event or on the street to share thoughts and suggestions. The constructive ideas and critiques in these interactions have been encouraging and truly valuable as we prepare for a big year ahead.

Now that the IRS has completed its thorough evaluation of Wonderland and the milestone of 501(c)3 non-profit status has been achieved, we're working quickly but diligently to create a home. Our focus is on best positioning Wonderland to be a viable and sustainable part of the city's creative scene for decades to come.

We've fielded questions from many about the two facilities we're currently investigating and the details of related negotiations, and we've made a promise to be as transparent as possible with the community. We can tell you that we have entered preliminary negotiations with property owners, that our consultants at Robert Weiler & Co. are examining all physical aspects of each space, and that the timeline for completion of this process is not entirely in our control. We are dedicated to developing a building we can own outright, and will be sharing more details once we’ve exited the window where broad dissemination of that information will no longer compromise negotiations.

Our team of Board, Staff and consultants is bringing extensive collective knowledge to this process. The faith we have in the vitality of Columbus' creative community is what fuels our efforts. We greatly appreciate the faith that's reciprocated as we move forward. In the meantime, feel free to keep bending our ears about how Wonderland can best serve its constituents.

Brady Konya

Ben Maiden

• Co-chairs, Wonderland Columbus Board of Trustees