Volunteers hope to enhance the arts in St. Charles
The list of festivals, concerts, displays and sculptures that have highlighted the arts in St. Charles is as long as the city's history.
The list of organizations and individuals involved in bringing the cultural arts to life through the years is just as long.
And that list just got longer.
A group of volunteers committed to promoting and developing the arts to benefit all of St. Charles has created a nonprofit corporation called the St. Charles Arts Council.
Council members view it as a way to work with various other organizations to bring the arts to the forefront on a daily basis in St. Charles.
"The folks who are working to put this council together believe that the arts need to be central to St. Charles, both from the standpoint of the general cultural environment, and also as an economic engine," said council Chairman Elizabeth Bellaver. "We want to expand arts programming, arts-based businesses, arts events; and create citywide events and opportunities for those in all of the arts - literature, music, theater, visual, crafts, graphic, dance and architecture."
Because several organizations such as the Norris Cultural Arts Center board, the St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau, the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, the St. Charles Singers, the Downtown Partnership and others are involved directly or indirectly in the arts, the St. Charles Arts Council views itself as the common thread.
Board member Robert McBride, a retired St. Charles High School principal and current Elgin Community College trustee, sees that as the council's key mission.
"It's not only promoting St. Charles as an arts center, because there is always a lot going on, it's also a way to tie everything together," McBride said. "This can be a real plus economically for the community.
"If we can bring people together for a united effort, it could benefit not only the arts, but other businesses as well."
Members of the arts council have been in contact with the Norris Cultural Arts Center board, the city, park district and schools to introduce the concept and discuss how they could all work together on the arts landscape.
"Our plans are to work with as many arts-based organizations in St. Charles as possible," Bellaver said.
"Ideally, we'd like to put together a major art event that involves multiple all-arts programs, multiple citywide venues, and multiple communitywide artists and arts groups," Bellaver added. "That won't happen overnight, but we're ambitious."
Part of that ambition will be to study other arts council models throughout the area and the country to determine an effective process for working with or within other government entities and business organizations.
According to a council news release, future goals would include a municipal arts center, more working artists and opportunities in arts education, more privately owned galleries, performance venues and art-related businesses.
The city has provided office space for the council at the municipal center, which board member Sue McDowell calls "a very generous offer."
"It's very exciting because we are going to be doing a lot of communicating and talking with many different people and organizations, so that office will be a good place for us to pull of that together," McDowell said.
In addition to Bellaver, McBride and McDowell, other board members are John Abel and Diana Brown. Steering committee members are Carol Abel, Guy Bellaver, Doris Hunt, Gloria Klimek, Edie Glen, John Gawlik, Scott Piner, Grace Bardsley, Peggy Sue Seehafer and Jim Breen. Others working with the committee are Rowena Salas, Jeff Hunt and Val William.
The arts council has a Sept. 27 strategic planning meeting scheduled as discussions will continue about the council's role.
"We will know more about what it will look like and what's to come in the future after these planning meetings," McBride said.