Free Lance columnist Mike Smith has a vision. Well, he at least
has assembled the building blocks of a grand vision that he wants
the community to get behind. Smith has organized a meeting on
Wednesday to discuss ways of reviving and organizing the arts in
San Benito County. You should attend.
Free Lance columnist Mike Smith has a vision. Well, he at least has assembled the building blocks of a grand vision that he wants the community to get behind. Smith has organized a meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways of reviving and organizing the arts in San Benito County. You should attend.
The idea Smith has is to get local artists and the community to donate their skills to promote, produce and display the wealth of talent we have in San Benito County. He even thinks that there is a possibility to land grants to build a local arts center that would help do all those things.
What Smith hopes to do at Wednesday’s meeting is to stimulate a dialogue that will lead to a mission statement, leadership and development of a nonprofit agency to provide our county with a lively, unified arts scene. It’s an idea worthy of pursuing not just because the many wonderful artists need unity to showcase their talents, but because the county’s Arts Council fell apart due to mismanagement.
Smith has organized a crew of respected residents to discuss the challenges and opportunities we have, and with the expertise to guide the community in such an endeavor. Wednesday’s marquee includes: Kathy Johnson, who developed the Leadership San Benito program and has experience in fundraising and grant writing, Kathleen Sheridan, who ran the former San Benito Arts Commission and Gary Byrne of the Community Foundation to discuss how his organization helps nonprofits achieve their goals.
We encourage anyone, young or old, who is interested in the arts to attend the meeting and give their input. We also encourage members of the Hollister and San Juan Bautista city councils and the Board of Supervisors to get involved.
The arts enrich our lives in many ways, from helping us explore the world around us, to giving our youth a healthy and productive outlet for their energies. A thriving arts organization would be a powerful and positive force that would enhance our quality of life in San Benito County.
So please attend, give your ideas and help make Smith’s vision a reality; Make this meeting a movement.
