A few snippets from the field...

Last week I traveled from Beaufort County up to the Pee Dee region and got to hear reports from the field from several LAA executive directors. I plan to share more brief notes as I travel across the state and hear from those of you serving as the umbrella arts organization for your community. 
Click on read more to get a feel for what's happening around the state.--Susan DuPlessis, LAA Liaison



Here are a few snippets from last week about challenges and successes:

Beaufort: JW and Jenny Rone at the Arts Council of Beaufort County have arts incubator spaces for artists actively working to developing businesses. They have just celebrated their one-year anniversary in their 10,000 square foot facility which includes gallery and performance space as well classrooms and working artists space. Last week they hosted an exhibit and had more than 150 attendees. Go to www.beaufortcountyarts.com for more info and a peak at their space.

Hilton Head: Kathi Bateson and crew at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina just closed a successful run of Caberet. They are also continuing to work on building arts participation of young professionals in their community. Go to http://artshhi.com/ for more.

Sumter: Booth Chilcutt has used the principles of participation to encourage the development of a diverse board of directors for the Sumter Cultural Commission that mirrors the community. Several of the new board members are also young professionals. "Great, new young energy," he says.

Lee County: Lee Haw (think "Hee Haw") is a new event produced by The Arts Council of Lee County.

Georgetown: Executive Director Sara Collins is on her way to Chicago! Thanks for all Sara has done in her brief time as E.D of the Cultural Council of Georgetown. The council has posted the opening on its newsletter. www.culturalcouncil.info/

Marlboro: Last week's Book Signing event more than doubled its attendance (from the usual 15 to 32 attendees). Many attendees were new and had not been engaged previously. Ivy McLaurin credits the participation intiative as central to this success. Go to www.marlboroarts.com.

Florence: Frank Crow of the Florence Arts Council hosted the Pee Dee Summit last week. This group meets every three months to discuss arts issues related to its 12-county region. I attended the meeting and spoke on the Board-Staff relationship; Clay Burnette, grants director, attended and updated the group on SC Arts Commission news. What a great model this is for other regions to consider as a way to share and learn from each other as you do your work. Go to http://www.florenceweb.com/ArtsAlliance/ for more info on the arts in Florence.