Well, the first week of April is over and I’m dusty, paint-splattered, footsore, and mentally drained. That’s the result of the whirlwind of dismantling exhibits, reorganizing and de-cluttering what feels like every closet and cranny of this 11,000 square-foot building, repainting of multiple galleries, and long-term planning for next fiscal year that have been happening all at once. Though all Arts Center staff are a bit dazed and more than a little exhausted from this week, it’s just the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store in the coming months.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I’m still in the throes of developing a marketing budget, which is no small task when you consider how many different programs, events, classes, and exhibits I’m expected to promote to the right people in the right way at the right time. More importantly, the budget process forces me to understand what are the most important events and programs, where my marketing can be beefed up, and how I can work better with all the facets of the Arts Center (fundraising, programming, and education) to get our message out there and help more people discover all the great stuff we’ve got going on all year long. Of course that is supposed to happen whenever I’m not writing emails, repainting a gallery, moving stuff into storage, interviewing artists, designing posters and flyers, writing e-newsletters, or googling cute animal pictures for social media posts (I have an addiction, I know).
If this spring has taught me anything, it’s that everyone at the Arts Center is always going full steam ahead. I thought I was busy in the summer prepping for the Dantastic Race; then I thought I was busier during the fall as we planned Wild West. Now I’m busier than ever getting ready for not only spring and summer events, but also planning the rest of the year out! At the moment I feel as though I’m standing at the wheel of the ocean liner that is the Community Arts Center, gazing out over an ocean full of events, exhibits, and classes. I’m a little overwhelmed at what all is out there and not entirely sure how I’ll navigate the various currents and swells…but I’ll embrace the unofficial motto that the Arts Center’s crew lives by: “Full Steam ahead!â€
