Contributed by Teddy Deane
Since 2009 a small volunteer committee has been meeting to discuss the possible formation of a San Juan County Arts Council. On Thursday, November 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Waterworks Gallery (315 Spring St, Friday Harbor), the community is invited to gather to discuss this proposal and to offer comments and suggestions on the potential role of an arts council in the San Juan Islands community.
“A San Juan County Arts Council could be of enormous benefit not just to the arts community, but to the economic health of the community as a whole,” noted Teddy Deane, who is leading the organizing group.
The organizing committee believes that where arts flourish, a community prospers, and lives are enriched. The proposed arts council could serve both artists and the community by facilitating the exchange of information on artists, arts events and projects in the area; by sponsoring concerts and collaborations; offering workshops; coordinating public arts projects; and supporting art in the local schools. The arts council could provide a focus for grant funding from the State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, offering economic development opportunities and support for artists and cultural projects. The coordinating activities of an arts Council would assure that the arts continue to reflect local interests and foster local participation as well as increase the importance of the arts as a stimulus to the tourism industry that is so vital to the local economy.
The public meeting offers an opportunity for artists, gallery owners, theatre personnel, musicians, and all those who are interested in the arts to provide needed input on how an arts council could best serve the needs of both artists and the community. Everyone with a concern about sustaining and growing the arts in the San Juans is urged to attend and offer comments and suggestions.
I am so happy to hear about this, but cannot make the meeting. Will you accept e-mail input? If so, please provide contact information. Thanks!
I am interested in joining this effort. I am an active working artist living on Orcas. The limiting issue for me is the fact that there is no ferry service that coordinates with your meeting. That pisses me off! It makes it impossible to participate and the council needs to have members from all the Islands. What are you planning to do to correct this error in planning? Surely this group has to have varied members from each island community. Judy