RENO - Because art builds communities, the Nevada Arts Council is examining the efforts, wants and needs of towns across the state as it builds a three-year plan to support local efforts.
The Arts Council is launching a series of local arts town meetings to engage in conversations with Nevadans. Staff plans to explore the cultural needs of large and small communities, the role of the arts in the Silver State and to evaluate NAC's role as a state agency. Information gathered at these meetings and through an online survey will help shape the Arts Council's strategic plan, "Values & Vision, 2016-2019," said Susan Boskoff, Nevada Arts Council executive director.
"Everyone - artists, educators, parents, elected officials, business people and concerned individuals - is invited to our arts town meetings. We've designed them as an occasion to acknowledge community vitality, discuss local challenges and set cultural priorities, as well as to gather information to update the NAC's strategic plan," Boskoff said.
The town meetings offer a chance to have a one-on-one dialogue with Arts Council representatives as they update the current plan, which is then submitted to the National Endowment for the Arts, the agency's national funding source.
In addition to the local meetings, the public may contribute to the conversation as part of a survey that seeks comments on local arts activities. For those who cannot attend an arts town meeting, or want to comment on specific issues, the 2014 Values & Vision Survey is available online in English and Spanish on the Nevada Arts Council's website at nac.nevadaculture.org. Print copies are available by calling (775) 687-6680.
Arts Town Meetings are co-sponsored by a variety of local nonprofit organizations, businesses and government entities. Rural meetings scheduled begin in Hawthorne from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 18, Mineral County Public Library, 110 1st. St., co-sponsors Mineral County Economic Development Authority and Mineral County Council on the Arts; contact Shelley Hartmann (775) 945-5896.
In Austin, the meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 24, at Austin Town Hall, 135 Court St., sponsored by Lander County, contact Joy Brandt (775) 964-2447. In Eureka, meet from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Eureka Opera House, 31 S. Main St., sponsored by Eureka County; contact Andrea Rossman (775) 237-6006. Ely meets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Art Bank, 399 Aultman Street, co-sponsored by Bristlecone Arts Council and the Ely Renaissance Society; contact Virginia Terry (775) 235-7417.
The group meets in Winnemucca from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 7 at Winnemucca City Hall, 90 W 4th St., co-sponsored by the City of Winnemucca and Northern Nevada Arts Council; contact Jean Kinney (775) 625-8356. In Elko, meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at the Western Folklife Center, 501 Railroad St., co-sponsored by Western Folklife Center and Northeastern Nevada Museum; contact Charlie Seemann, (775) 738-7508. Go to the Nevada Arts Council's website for the complete current schedule.
The Nevada Arts Council, a division of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, is the agency charged with ensuring that state and national funds support cultural activity and encourage participation in the arts throughout Nevada. In addition to providing hundreds of grants to arts and community-based organizations, schools, artists and local municipalities throughout the state, the Arts Council coordinates a variety of statewide programs and activities such as the annual Poetry Out Loud recitation competition for high-school aged students, traveling exhibits, artist residencies, workshops and cultural assessments. For more information, please visit the department's website at nac.nevadaculture.org/.[[In-content Ad]]
