This Friday marks the two-weeks-left point of Wild West. While I do get a little misty-eyed at the thought of our beautiful exhibit going away forever, I’m also incredibly excited about what springtime and beyond has in store for us at the Arts Center.
For one, we’re going back to having art exhibits in the building, which I’ve really missed the past two months. In April we’re featuring the Danville Learning Disabilities Association’s Hands That Touch the Heart exhibit and Ela Ladwig, a local equine artist with large, colorful, and dynamic work. These two exhibits couldn’t be more different, which is what I love about the Arts Center—we’ve always got a variety of different art to experience. Just as my body craves the Vitamin D that’s on its way with spring, my soul is craving Vitamin Art!
In even more exciting news, our Arts on Main Gift Shop is being retired so we can revive our Artist-in-Residence program. We lost our resident artist studio because of an expanded need for office space (totally worth it—we hired the best Development Director out there!), but decided to bring the program back after the dust from Wild West settles. While we love being able to offer arts supplies, crafts, and other toys to the public, it’s not as important as offering a living, breathing, working artist to the public! Our first artist in residence is Mark Wilhelm, a sculptor, painter, and graphic artist with a razor-sharp sense of humor and a bold, memorable style. I can’t wait to see what he’ll create while he’s here with us!
In a surprise twist, even creating my marketing budget has been exciting (I’m easily as stoked as this sea-turtle, if not more). While the word “budget†and the process of generating one generally makes me want to poke my eyes out, I’m closing in on a finished product which reflects a whole year of exciting and interesting programs, exhibits, community events, and classes. Some highlights include brand new ballroom classes in April, a Jazzitude concert in May, Arts Exploration Camp in June and July, monthly Friday night ballroom dances starting this summer, and a bigger and better than ever Lil Red Wagon contest as part of the Great American Brass Band Festival. Add to that planning for Danville’s Irish Festival in July and Dantastic Race in August and you have a plate full to bursting with the best Danville and Boyle County has to offer–and that’s only the first half of the year! Spring, the Arts Center is ready for you to be sprung!