Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Bill Reynolds, treasurer for the Colfax Arts Council since its inception in 2006, will give up the bookkeeping job and step into the position of Arts Council president Jan. 1, 2013.
“Bill is the right one to take on the job,” said Debi Anderson, president of the council for the past seven years. “I was so glad to hear him say he would do it.”
Anderson will take on the job of Colfax Chamber of Commerce president next year and noted it will be exciting to see new ideas and leadership in the Arts Council. She intends to stay fully involved in the Arts Council and its projects.
Reynolds, minister of the Catalyst Church in Colfax and an artist in his own right, believes the Arts Council has launched a couple of successful projects with its annual street banner painting project and with the Meet the Artist series at the library. Those are programs that will definitely continue, he noted.
In an Arts Council meeting Dec. 11, members discussed the strengths and weaknesses of today’s CAC.
On the strengths side, the council has enjoyed success with projects it has sponsored, including completion of a mural designed by Dick Gebhardt, CAC member and artist in Colfax; art classes for Colfax and area children; pre-loved art sales during the Autumn Harvest Hullabaloo; the H’Art of the Palouse banner contest; and the free monthly Meet the Artist series that highlights area artists during the fall, winter and spring months.
Cooperative activities with the Chamber of Commerce and Whitman County Library have also been a benefit to all three entities and to the community. Reynolds and the council want to continue cooperative projects with the chamber and library and possibly add City of Colfax and area schools.
On the “needs improvement” side, the council determined its main weakness is a lack of manpower. More active participants are needed to help with present projects and to make future projects possible.
Reynolds said an example is the hanging, moving and occasional removing of art banners. A team of people willing to keep all the banners on the street, move banners from the central city blocks each year to make room for the new banners and occasionally shift position of banners to change their visibility could help make the drive-through art show a hook to draw people to Colfax.
Another need is additional members. While the community has enthusiastically embraced CAC projects, an increase in membership, active or simply supportive, would improve the funding needed to maximize projects. The CAC is primarily funded by modest membership fees each year.
Examples would be the hiring of artists to teach specialized art classes; do public artwork such as murals or sculptures; produce significant prizes for art shows and competitions; or obtain equipment needed to stage an art exhibit, theater production or concert.
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