A Few Words from Debbie

From the Desk of the Executive Director

Fall has always been a time of renewal for me. It signals the start of my year, adoption of new priorities and attention given to a new focus. The changing of the seasons has always inspired me in this way – and I can say without hesitation that this is my favorite time of year both personally and professionally.

Here at the Arts Council, September is proving to be a very busy season. We have a number of grants to generate, an annual fundraising campaign to conduct, an annual meeting to hold, upcoming grant reviews and capacity-building workshops and a new strategic direction to embrace.

It is in this new strategic direction that we are putting an enormous amount of energy. The board and staff have been working since last spring to re-vamp, re-prioritize and re-write as we set the vision for a new strategic plan. We are finalizing the draft to present to the full board on Sept. 24 and will hope to adopt the vetted plan in October. Here’s a quick glimpse into the new goals we are considering:

EDUCATE

We will strengthen the capacity of artists, arts and cultural organizations and arts educators by providing professional development opportunities.

COLLABORATE

We will form partnerships and collaborative relationships that position arts and culture as integral to developing creative communities.

ADVOCATE and COMMUNICATE

We will promote, communicate and be an advocate in support of arts, culture and creativity in the capital area.

CELEBRATE

We will recognize and celebrate outstanding achievement by art supporters, local artists and arts and cultural organizations.

ADMINISTRATE

We will be an innovative and creative organization that draws its strength on being sustainable, while at the same time maintaining the highest professional standards in our internal operations. I continually state that this organization has a strong and stable foundation, and we are moving more securely into being a local arts agency that clearly embraces a service-oriented approach. The work we undertake to build an alliance of individuals, organizations, and creative programs and events, will make lasting impact as we support, strengthen and promote arts, culture and creativity in the capital region.

Deborah E. Mikula

Executive Director