Group seeks someone to move ‘cultural plan’ forward
Cultural Council exec director is expected to advance local arts.
RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent
WILKES-BARRE -- Bolstering the arts in Luzerne County requires sound leadership, and the Wilkes University-based Cultural Council of Luzerne County is looking for the right person to lead that effort.
The council is seeking an executive director; one who can take the initiative to implement the new “cultural plan,” according to council chairwoman Shelley Pearce.
According to that ambitious plan, developed last year at the request of the Luzerne County commissioners, securing funding and strengthening the arts throughout the community are top priorities, Pearce said.
She would like to see the council receive a steady stream of funding from the county, similar to the way Lackawanna County supports its Council on the Arts. Funding for the organization has trickled in from a series of grants provided by private companies, such as PPL Corp., and arts foundations.
Pearce said the executive director will be expected to advance the local arts scene in several ways: strengthening the council, improving access to the arts for consumers, assisting up-and-coming artists in promoting their talents and, in general, making the county a better place to live and work.
As a nonprofit advocacy organization, the council served as a “unified voice” for arts in the community for the last two decades, Pearce said. Their most notable contributions include the Miles of Mules displays, Race for the Arts and the Downtown Gallery Walks.
The new executive director will be expected to continue that tradition working closely with the all-volunteer, “hands-on” board of directors who work for local companies and community development organizations.
The council functioned without an executive director for the last several months as the cultural plan gelled.
The selection process does not rule out candidates from outside Northeast Pennsylvania, but Pearce said regional knowledge and relationships are important. In addition, a “genuine desire to elevate access to the arts and culture in the area” is essential to the success of the new director.
Part of the plan for the future includes improving the local arts education programs, Pearce said. It is all part of nurturing the “superbly talented artists and performers from our area.”
Pearce also talked about another effort -- the establishment of a community arts center in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
“We envision that this artspace will house and exhibit visual arts,” she said. It also would provide a place where performing artists and aficionados could gather.
This year, a partnership with environmental organizations and the Riverfest celebration top the event calendar. Kayak tours of the Susquehanna and other events will be sponsored to create “visions of the Susquehanna” exhibits in the autumn, she said.
