Complaint Review: Southwestern Institute for Culture & Art - Bisbee Arizona

This is the first response to any of these false allegations. I am a long time employee of this organization, and anyone that worked within the organization or attended our events knows that these ripoff reports / and topix posts are libel created by and angry neighbor.

Unfortunately recently since the organization has voted to list the bulding and continue our mission elsewhere many of our perspective buyers have happened acorss these illegitimate reports and taken a step back. As a community organization we have voted, after years of ignoring the misinformation, to go ahead and respond to these posts made about our volunteer staff and our non-profit entity.

We consistently held many community programs. We offered life skills and rehabilitation clasess, art classes, technology classes, art exhibits, artist residency programs and also worked closely with the local Restoration Museum to hold an annual Storytelling Festival.

All the financial records for this organization are public record. All of the ADEQ records are public as well. The building underwent extensive mold and asbestos abaitment via a certified specialist. All grants recieved were either for buidling renovations which have been completed, or for specific Arts and Cultural programs which were held and completed. There was never any "General operating monies" given to the organization. Every grant and donation is in public record. This aggressor and pursuer of consistent harassment to our organization had us audited by the IRS, by the ADEQ, and even had our grantors investigate and verify that the funds granted were appropriated correctly. We spent a large deal of the years 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 dealing with investgations and false allegations. We were found to be in complicance by every agency that checked in on us. In fact the Bisbee Public schools were found to be out of compliance for Asbestos, and other harmful material becuase of the inspector that was called about our building. Once the investigation was complete it was found that 536 Tombstone Canyon Road, Southwestern Institute was the only school building in the city that was up to code.

There are many allegations spanning rip-off-report, voy.com, topix.com, and probably many others. These allegations range from the existence of lead paint and asbestos, to as far out allegations as our board members "cooking meth" and being "snitches for the police" there have been many accusations of misappropriation of funds and grant monies, and the accusation that we "never did anything in the buidling" and that it was just a place for board members and employees to live.

The building was under extensive renovations from the purchase date in 2000 up until we started events in 2002. We completed and matched the terms of the state grants enabling us to install brand new roofing on all 3 buildings, this after patching the original roof by hand with the help of volunteers. The replacing of doors and windows, as well as the removal of thousands of tons of unsanitary garbage and rotting school supplies left by the school district at time of sale.

Below is a list of many of the events held by Southwestern Institute for Culture and Art between 2002 and 2009; there may be many other events held and spaces provided for community programs, these are the ones we were able to catalog from our offical calendars. Many of these events were heavily advertised in the local papers and there are records of all of them taking place:

01/13/2001 – 11/09/2009

Weekly Project Exploration Art History Tours

03/25/2002 – 05/21/2002

Kids Learn Technology Course with Yarrow Eddy

04/23/2002 – 10/12/2004

WTP Life Skills Courses

04/23/2002 – 5/15/2003

WTP Computer Work Skills Courses

06/01/2002 – 07/27/2002

Kids Art Summers featuring Patricia Rhodes, Richard Byrd, and other local artists

06/05/2002 – 09/12/2002

Technology Swap Meet

10/02/2002 – 11/04/2002

Exhibit of Member Artists

11/07/2002 – 3/01/2003

Computer Literacy & History Courses by Stephen Skalarow

08/23/2004 - 10/2 2004

Mural Classes with Rose Johnson

08/15/2004 - /11/15 2004

Joe Barth Leather Studio and bi-weekly classes

08/26/2004  -  12/25 2004

Window Art Exhibit City Park building Bisbee

10/02/2002 – 10/15/2004

WTP Wood Working Workshop

10/01/2004 – 11/14/2004

Art Classes at Imagine Charter School

08/03/2004 – 11/7/2004

Pat Rhodes Water Color Painting Classes

08/03/2004 – 11/7/2004

Molly Ratchet Mask Making Classes

08/03/2004 – 11/7/2004

Simple Rug Weaving Classes

08/03/2004 – 12/15/2004

Young Inventors Club After School Program

08/03/2004 – 11/7/2004

Joy Stewart Memoir Writing Workshops

08/03/2004 – 11/7/2004

Sandy Shirley Teaches Art Gourds

10/08/2004 – 10/09/2004  

Kids Gem Hunt

10/08/2004 – 10/09/2004 

Fiber Arts Workshop in Conjunction with Fiber Arts Festival

11/01/2004 – 12/05/2004

George Bellinger’s Collage Workshop

11/16/2004

Richard Byrd Photo Exhibit

03/02/2005 – 05/12/2005

Young Enterprise 2005 After School Program (STEM education)

03/14^/2005

National Arts Advocacy Day Exhibit

04/21^/2005 – 04/23/2005

Diane Iverson Art Exhibit

04/14/2005 – 04/16/2005

Textile Weaving exhibit

06/07/2005 – 06/09/2005

Story Telling Festival in Collaboration with the Bisbee Restoration Museum

06/03/2005 – 07/27/2005

Artist Residence Program - Lindsay Stewart Writing Retreat

07/22/2005

Oral History Interview of John Pintek

07/25/2005 – 07/29/2005

Kids Adventure Camp

07/30/2005

Adventure Camp art exhibit

07/31/2005 – 05/21/2006

Bisbee Chess Club

08/09/2005

Drawing Workshop in conjunction with Annual Bird Festival

09/06/04  – 05/15/2005

Drawing Life Portraits with Ted Breault

10/08/2005 – 10/09/2005

Textile Classes in conjunction with Annual Fiber Arts Festival

10/09/2005

Adult Art Tour Pekiomin Group

11/17/2005

Art Open House 2005 – Various Local Artists

11/04/2005 – 11/26/2005

Textile Workshops at Page school

02/10/2006

Visit from AZ Commission on the Arts Director Bob Booker

03/10/2006 – 03/29/2006

History Guided Tour for Kids

03/31/2006

Mural Project with Anna Carrel

06/16/2006 – 06/17/2006

Lapidary Workshops during Gem and Mineral Show

08/05/2006 – 08/06/2006

Bird Drawing Workshops during Bird Festival

12/01/2006  

Awarded Director of the Year Award by O.N.E. (Organization of Non-Profit Executives) for “Best Small Non-Profit Director”

01/04/2007 – 02/03/2007

Artists Residencies - Sidne Tesky

03/03/2007

Exhibit at Double Adobe Quilt Show

03/07/2007

Weaving Program for Coronado Elementary School

03/23/2007

Weaving Program for Palominos Elementary School

05/07/2007 – 05/13/2007

Artist residency May – Linda , Aimee and Mary Ann Artist Trio

06/23/2007 – 06/24/2007

Victoria Sky Art Exhibit

06/22/2007 – 06/23/2007

Hosted Storytelling Festival in conjunction with Bisbee Restoration Museum

07/09/2007 – 07/22/2007

Victoria Sky Mural Workshops for Kids

10/01/2007 – 10/02/2007

Hosted Storytelling Festival in conjunction with Bisbee Restoration Museum

12/10/2007 – 12/20/2007

Hosted Special Education Children’s trip

12/10/2007 – 12/13/2007

Representative attendance of ‘Teach your Children Well” conference

03/19/2008 – 03/21/2008

Housed Firefighters while Fighting the Moon Canyon Fire

04/17/2008

Historical Filming of  Bisbee Restoration Museum

05/8/2008 – 05/29/2008

Hosted Storytelling Festival in conjunction with Bisbee Restoration Museum

10/10/2008 – 10/13/2008

Oil Painting Class

10/23/2008

Hosted Storytelling Festival in conjunction with Bisbee Restoration Museum

05/09/2009

Exhibit Phoenix Art Museum

 June 1^st 2009

Spoke on Arts Integration at Phoenix Department of Education Conference

07/13/2009 – 07/18/2009

Tapestry Workshop

07/28/2009 – 07/29/2009

Volunteers Work Day

09/04/2009 – 09/05/2009

Hosted Storytelling Festival in conjunction with Bisbee Restoration Museum

09/13/2009 - 10/23/2009

Artist Residency - Susan Corl

10/1/2009 – 10/31/2009

Displayed at US Capitol Christmas Tree Exhibit in Phoenix

11/18/2009 – 11/20/2009

Arts Education Partners in Innovation Wigwam Resort Phoenix

 Since 2009 we have gone on to pursue our mission statement all across the southwestern US, with tutoring programs, as well as literacy programs in schools and community centers. The once very strong board comprised of Bisbee's community leaders has lost several of it's board members to cancer, old age, and other ailments. A board that was once a dozen well known figures has been reduced greatly and the current board members have voted to move our organization into smaller quarters. SO that we may focus more on our mission and less on the upkeep and restoration of the initial building we founded in. If you have any questions you are free to look up our facebook page and contact us there. Thank you for taking the time to read our response to absurd and unconfirmable allegations that were made by people that had nothing better to do than to disrupt the working of a once flourishing community organization. 

-Representatives from SWICA

The Southwestern Institute for Culture & Art, Inc., 536 Tombstone Canyon, Bisbee, AZ  85603 is also known as:  Southwestern Institute for Culture and Art, Inc., Southwestern Institute, Southwestern Institute of Bisbee, AZ.  Carmen Clayton is also known as Carmen W. Clayton of Bisbee, Arizona, Carmen Watts-Clayton of Bisbee, Arizona, and Carmen Clayton of Bisbee, Arizona.  The selling ID on eBay is:  southwesterninstitute.