We, the Madison Area Arts Council, have been actively promoting our community for many years, actually decades, fostering the Arts & Cultural opportunities that makes Madison special to so many of us.
I’m often reminded of our past efforts, the Joffrey Ballet, the Guthrie Theatre, and of course our past Firehouse Gallery, I can never go a week without hearing of these past events. The passion, the excitement that is shared, these moments that we’ve all had, are incredibly special, and important to building and creating a vibrant community. We are all fortunate that we have been able to be some part of our organizations history and programming.
Over 4o years of history, rumors always persist that we are in fact the oldest active Arts Council in South Dakota, we continue to grow, change, and that’s great. Over this past year, this council has been incredibly active, with a renewed mission and focus on community-accessible and community-oriented programing, which is free & open for everyone. Few organizations pride themselves on being free & open, programming is never free after all, yet we are completely believing that you, our fellow community member, will continue to support our efforts.
Our monthly Chautauqua Series, which has been ongoing since July of last year, continues to grow and develop, and is always a surprise to see what happens. We’ve been featuring local, regional, and even nationally known artists, sharing themselves, through free & open workshops, demonstrations, presentations, and even performances. If you have not had the opportunity to be part of the Chautauqua Series programs, then there is no better time than now.
Our newest venture, is the resurrection of our Community Arts Center, which will become the home for all of our programing, and a treasure for many years to come. We’ve had a tough go as of late, but we remain committed to making this happen, and we’ll never back away from this effort, no matter the difficulties. We’ll be featuring open-studio workshops, arts education, artist showcases, beyond the fact that we essentially operate the organization from this new home. A lot of announcements will be coming in the next several weeks, including a new name, so here’s your opportunity to be part of some bigger than all of us, and be part of your community!
We’ve been passionate, we’ve often been loud, but we remain committed to being your voice and advocate for the Arts & Culture here within the Madison Area and beyond. Now, more than ever, we need you, join us, stand with us, let’s make some noise, and together, we’ll continue to grow!
Just a reminder, our website continues to grow and develop, be sure to follow us, add your comments, pictures, videos, links, there’s a lot to do!
Chris Francis, President, Madison Area Arts Council
