By Gia Hale
Hollister
– Nonprofit art advocacy organization San Benito County Arts
Council is looking for an executive director in order to begin
offering services to the community.
Hollister – Nonprofit art advocacy organization San Benito County Arts Council is looking for an executive director in order to begin offering services to the community.
“This is an opportunity to start a brick-and-mortar business that will serve all people of San Benito County,” President Mike Smith said. “We aspire to bring people together of all ages and artistic interests and complement tourism and local businesses.”
Incorporated as a nonprofit in January, the arts advocacy group hopes to produce and promote local art and artists of all genres. The group was formed after Smith issued a challenge to the art community to take an active role in encouraging artistic activity in San Benito County.
“The response was outstanding,” Smith said.
Those interested met and organized a board of directors comprising many prominent community leaders and local artists including Vice President and professional actor Cesar Flores; Treasurer, singer/CMAP cable TV personality Suzanne St. John-Crane; Secretary and impresario Dan DeVries; local visual artist Gayle Sleznick; RitchieValens.com owner Connie Lemos; and textile artist Vicki Morris.
“One of the biggest needs we’ve found in the county is the need for a council to coordinate different musicians and artists throughout the county,” DeVries said. “To work on having a lot of communication going on between events and to publicize them.”
The board has been meeting monthly, and since incorporating in January has developed a business plan and a preliminary budget.
“We are at the point now where we are waiting for some seed funding which should come in any day now,” Smith said. “It took us a little longer than we thought it would, but better late than never.”
DeVries said filling the position of executive director will be instrumental in moving the organization forward.
“An executive director would be able to devote the time to coordinate different events, to handle publicity and advertising, and to take the lead in procuring funds that would make the council economically viable,” he said.
Smith said the new executive director must be equally prepared to present informational meetings to local businesses and service clubs as well as produce talent shows, concerts, lectures and workshops.
“The key to raising money for the arts,” Smith said, “is to promote local businesses for special events and to relate all functions to the local economy.”
In addition, the executive director will reach out to other arts groups in the community and assist the board with qualifying local groups for grant funding in the future.
Smith said the arts council would like to have the position filled by Oct.1. They are looking for candidates with a solid background in the arts, preferably with a bachelor’s degree in the arts, and capable of writing grant applications. Persons interested in applying for the position should e-mail a resume to
sb***************@ya***.com
with a cover letter explaining personal background in the arts. All correspondences will be considered confidential.
For more information on the San Benito County Arts Council, visit its Web site at www.sanbenitoarts.org.
