Cultural Council Sets Stage for 2008
Written by Shelley Pearce
Wednesday, 05 March 2008
New Executive Director Mike Burnside Receives Unanimous Vote
The region’s arts scene currently has unprecedented potential as a result of events in 2007, and years of dedication on the part of the directors of the Cultural Council of Luzerne County and many others.
Museum initiatives, including proposals by the Historical Society, the Cultural Council, and several other nonprofits, have helped to create a collective momentum that made clear the need for a comprehensive cultural plan for Luzerne County.
Subsequently, at the request of the county commissioners, the Joint Urban Studies Center engaged AMS Planning and Research Corp. of St. Louis to conduct a yearlong analysis of our community to determine areas for potential growth. The research culminated in a comprehensive Cultural Plan for Luzerne County, which outlines opportunities to strengthen our position as a community that values and promotes arts, culture, and heritage.
The Plan’s recommendations include:
• Establishing dedicated funding sources for the arts and culture (similar to efforts in Lackawanna County, now a model for the state of Pennsylvania)
• Nurturing partnerships between arts and other sectors
• Improving arts education programs and leveraging higher education resources
• Developing a shared community exhibition facility
Corporate donations and a grant from Luzerne County enabled the Cultural Council to hire an executive director to implement this Cultural Plan. In response to the position announcement, we were fortunate to receive many applications from individuals with a wide array of backgrounds and expertise, including attorneys, professional fundraisers, and of course, artists.
After careful review of all applications, the board unanimously voted to hire Mike Burnside, an area native with extensive business experience who is passionate about the arts and about Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Burnside will lead the effort to implement the Cultural Plan, and will oversee one of the Council’s initiatives this year—a wide-ranging collaboration with arts, educational,environmental, and wellness nonprofits toinfuse arts into the annual Riverfest Celebration, on June 20 and 21.
Other events will include a May 30th guided trip to the Roberson Museum, in Binghamton, N.Y., to experience the “Visions of the Susquehanna” exhibit and, in collaboration with Susquehanna River Adventures, guided kayak tours specifically for artists (who may have never previously boated) for afternoons of painting, sketching, and photography.
The Cultural Council will also sponsor a statewide juried exhibition, “Inspired by the Susquehanna,” a culminating exhibition that will open at the Luzerne National Bank in downtown Wilkes-Barre, in late September.
For more information, please call 570-408-4439 or visit our website, which includes a free artist directory, at www.cclcarts.org .
