Arts Exchange Meetings

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Puppeteer and storyteller Yostie Ashley infused art into our meeting about the arts.

Lunch provides another opportunity for networking

and more networking across county lines…

Charleston, Sept. 10, 2011–The Charleston Regional Arts Alliance created its second annual event called “OPEN” to showcase area arts organizations, their seasons, performers and staffs.  Arts consumers were invited to join the day for sample tastes of the year ahead.  By all accounts, organzations reported that this was a successful way to present arts opportunities  to the tri-county region. Congrats Jessica Bluestein and team for organizing and pulling off this happy day.  

 

Allendale, July 21, 2011–The Arts Exchange,  a meeting of seven counties in the lower part of the state, met Thursday, July 21, 2011 at the Salkehatchie Arts Center in Allendale, S.C.  The  following counties were represented with one or more attendees: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Colleton,Hampton and Orangeburg.

Also, arts councils from each of the counties were represented. Attendees played a variety of roles in their communities as board members, staff and community volunteers.    

After introductions around the room, our topics included a brief review of the new Long Range Plan for the Arts in South Carolina 2011-2020; the importance of Cultural Planning; and creative funding ideas.  The following ideas were captured during the creative funding conversation:

1. Use your available resources to “push your mission further down the road.” (Trimming operating costs, new revenues from rentals, collaborations with other nonprofits: example–Colleton Co. Newsletter; use your own physical labor to get the jobs done: examples: mowing grass, painting sets)

2. Use capable volunteers appropriately: example— sponsorship development

3. Internship possibilities fromCollegeofCharleston, SCAD

4. Create a central online calendar of events where everyone can add their own events

5. Use Boy Scouts for projects so they can earn badges

6. Engage civic groups like Rotary to assist your organization

7. Artists and arts organizations need to engage more with developers of their communities (creative cluster, Richard Florida concept)

8. Make bold moves in spite of the economy—Michael Kaiser idea

9. Consider more ways to use children in productions since they bring big crowds

10. Youth Arts Month exhibits—get parents in the door and get their contact information for future engagement

Other topics that were deemed important but not discussed due to limited time included attendance issues and marketing.  

Most attendees gathered for lunch at Big G’s just down the road from the Salkehatchie Arts Center. Following lunch, we gathered at the Salkehatchie Civic Center, an old movie theatre building being converted to a community performance space in downtown Allendale by USC Salkehatchie. 

Many thanks to the Salkehatchie Arts Team in Allendale for providing a wonderful venue for our gathering.

 ATTENDEES by County

 Allendale

Anne Rice, Salkehatchie Arts Initiative

Terri Boone, Salkehatchie Arts Initiative,

Frances Chavous, Salkehatchie Stew

Warren Chavous, Salkehatchie Leadership Institute

Lottie Lewis, Allendale Arts Council

Hannah Swoap, intern from Greenville

Joseph Alston,  Docent for African American History Month

Alex Cone, Community Volunteer Salkehatchie Stew

Janice Gordon-Roberson, Right Now Pathways  

Bamberg

Cindy Hurst, Bamberg Arts Council  

Barnwell

Libby Still (attending for Dana Bell), Barnwell Arts Council  

Beaufort

JW Rone, Artworks in Beaufort

Yostie Ashley, Roster Artist & Story Tellers Network

Mary Briggs, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra

Tim Hager, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina

Colleton

Philip Slayter, Colleton County Planning

Maggie Hendricks, Colleton County Arts Council

Chris Bickley, SC Artisans Center, ColletonCounty

Gale Doggette, SC Artisans Center, ColletonCounty  

Hampton

Audrey Hopkins, Bridging the Gap Resource Center (aka Mt. Moriah Outreach

Rob Harrelson, Hampton Arts Council

Jamie Norris, Hampton Arts Council

Orangeburg

Beth Thomas, Orangeburg Arts Council

South Carolina Arts Commission

Sara June Goldstein  & Susan DuPlessis