1998 Annual Report
The &dina Arts and
Humanities CmnmissWn
lCNB
nl JC~]I
Revk- )w
Established in 1966, the Salina Arts and Humanities Conunission is the
policy-making body of the Arts and Humanities Department of dle City of Salina.
As an organization, SAHC is dedicated to the development of commuruty through
the use of arts and cultural resources.
Putting together the pieces of people and community is basic to the work of the
Salina Arts and Humanities Conunission. Often working without a net or moving
beyond the textbook, the Conunission is challenged to be uniquely responsive to the
development of community through broadly based initiatives. This work is.
"£ramed and fed" by the arts - which provide a unique commentary on life's
complexities, while responding to basic human needs and values. We are often
called to build coalitions of people - different people holding hands with many
different people at different times - bringing the work ill community full circle. The
integrity of this process is deep, inclusive, mnovative, responsive to local resources,
and instructed by the outside world - creating, connecting and challenging the
community to grow.
Creating.. .
new conversations and opportunities
for growth and change
ConnecTIng. . .
to a tapestry of people,
witllln and beyond the arts
Challenging. . .
our community to create n-esh ways of
seeing, learning and being together
Tk Commission s Guideposts:
We invest in
Community
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by upholding
Lifelong Education
and embracing
Quality Experiences
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People to People
Horizons Grants
Program
The Horizons Grants Program invests in COI1lInullÍty ù1r(mgh
broad-based partnerships \\lith: individual artists, arts organizations, social service
agencies, schools - at elemental)', secondary, and urlÍversity levels, governmental
agencies, public entities, volunteer organizations, religious institutions,
and non-profit agencies.
The Horizons Grants Pro¡."ralll awards local dollal'S on a yearly basis from
individual alld corporate donors who al'e members of Horizons 50, alld the
City of Salina. Local artists (Developing Artists category) ,md orgal1ÌZations
(Special Projects alld AdvallCement & Challge categories) subnlÍt proposals which
are then reviewed by professional evaluators, who make recommendations to
Salina Arts alld Humal1Ìties Commissioners. TIle ComnlÍssioners ùlen awal'd
grants on a competitive basis. The criteria used to detern1Ìne funding is based on
the development of quality alld ùle potential for gTOWÙl of the applicant artist or
orgal1ÌZation, as well as commur1Ìty ll1volvement and impact. TIle Horizons Grallts
Program is a cornerstone of the future!
In 1998 ùle Horizons Grallts ProgTam involved 80,000 people in eight
Special Projects Grallts, eight Developing Artists Grants, and two Advancement
& Change Grants.
"In February 0/19981 ww a 111£Illher o/ti/£ arant (evaluatimJ m¡Z/;u! teamJòr tI/£
HlJTiwns JtO~TaIll. 1jàU7ul tI/£ culturallifè ;Jtl/£ corm.nzmit;J to be Ir:.uly reIllL'.lrÁ.uw!£.
Here in rural KmlS(Ij are JOll/£ art instdutimlS thai colllParejàuorably' 10 Ifwse ill
ll/£tropolikm are(lj arolllul tlU' counby - illfad, the world! 1 aPPlaud I!U'
C;mlllissioll'S jóslering alan mterœtiue aþproœ}¡ 10 I!/£ arLs. "
Lucretia vTfmu, Program lvlmzagl.T, Sáentzfic & Cultural Distrid, Dmvt'r, ColoradD;
Eualuatm; Aduanæm£llt & Change.
Smoky Hill River
Festiva I
"A (wning togetha to s!zare gvod )joel, t11ltTlazim/£nt, duldren \
awl tI/£ arLs. A )'t'Clrly expentnœ Ihal1lookfonuard to zilllì/£diale(y the jinish.
Whi!£ slaruling In t!œJòod line late Sunday aflenw()n, 10utT!ællrd 0If[ man y~y 10
arwtha, 'VU:ll, [ P7IÔ¡ fll !zave my la¡ll//£al jrir Ihis year'.! Fe.!Úval.' [Ihil/!; (1YT)JOIIt'
wantJ to IIU¡!œ t/'(; Fhtzva! !mt (1;elT 7111lilile '- amI !/ak's 10 !/five iL mil. " '
G¡rls FÙn; Lam/Ii{.,;, Kansm; FeJliiJ1l1 E-dÚ.hitor
For twenty-three years the Smoky Hill River Festival has offered a wide range of
wonderful ways to explore the stories of life, art alld community ùIrough creative
perfOnllallces, all artistic marketplace, atmosphere, food and fun - ,ùl set in beautiful
Oakd,ùe Park. 'llle Festival presents ùlree days of discovery, engaging a wide
diversity of people of all ages, then spilling into activities that happen
year 'round to continue the COl1ll11m1Ìty celebration.
These "Festival Year 'Round" happel1Ìngs involve al'tists who have appeared, or will
appear, at the Smoky Hill River Festival. Festival Yeal' 'Round projects place artists
in ùle community working to develop artistic "threads" that are then woven into ùIe
Festival itself. For exalllple, installation artistJalle Beatrice vVegscheider worked WiÙl
Salina children to explore the envirOllliIental aspects of her works through the
creation of barmers that were then displayed at the 1998 Festival.
Making the ,Festival happen is all ,umual endeavor involving over 1500 volunteers.
Most recendy, the Festival has been the platform for exploration into ways to
develop commmlÍty tllrough Public Art - giving attention to ùle visual aspects of our
town. Some 1998 Festiv,ù llÍghlights: ùle prenlÍer of a new Festival venue - ùle
Storytelling Stage; artist John Salvest's "Kindling" installation: Mehndi painting; and
Festival Favorite entertainers Rawlins Cross, Robert Faust, J\iIaskmaker alld
Saturday llÍght headliner Béla F1eck & The F1ecktones.
: Creating...
'~ awareness of and a vibrant marketplace for the arts
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ConnecTIng. . .
people to artists and to each other in celebration
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Challenging. . .
the community to build and strengthen interaction
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Creatine!. . .
.........
opportunity to cultiv3J:e what
wasn't before
ConnecTIng. . .
building new collaborations through
a web of relationships
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/
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Challenging. . .
our commmrity to see the 'big pictrne'l
/
J)1II11!{)'!or, s!o!7és Illht AlLIlmlÙm Oulbm/,
Arts Educa1-ion
Creating a conmlUnity context for lifelong lean1Ìng, Arts Education is a
signifìcallt area of work. TIle partnership betwcen al'tists alld educators, facilitated
by the Commission, enriches both the lean1Ìng process alld the school community.
~nlÍs process of "Arts Infusion" involves and supports a wide range of cultural
resources in ÙIC schools. A model of quality alld possibilities, the Infusion process
brings ùle arts to kids who may not oùlerwise experience ùlem; cullivatcs Ù1C next
generation of artists ,md users; challenges alld trains artists, organizations, alld
. schools to work in pal'tnership; and empowers kids to create!
The second platform of ùle COlllillÍssion's Arts Education ll1Ìtiatives is a slllcere
commitment to ùle llItcgration of the arts lllto everyday life. Involving fanlllies in
our artist rcsidcncy progTalns is all llnportant part of the work. For exanlple,
children participating in storyteller/writer Priscilla Howe's writing workshops created
questions for ùleir fanlÍlies, helping them to undcrstalld their parents and
gI<U1dp,u-ents as clllldren. Opportunities for lllteraction with artists III workshop
settings are also made available to the COlTll11Unity ù1roughout the year -like the
Smoky Hill River Festival's "Ycar 'Round" lllÍtiatives - bringing artists alld people
together. Oùler programs of thc Comn1Ìssion underscore the presence of arts
leanlÍng- ill ùle commmlÍty - the twcnty year history of Art a la Carte concerts
bringing novice and virtuoso pcrfonllers together ìNiÙl llltergenerational audiences -
the Spring Poetry Series, now in its sixtecndl year, that brings poets of national
pron1Ìnence to Salina (especially in November of 1998 with
U. S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky's "Favorite Poem" project).
In 1998 ùle Arts Infusion Progralll acl1Ìeved over 19,500 student contacts with 60
10GÙ alld regiomù ,u-tiw; working WiÙl 100 teachers. Out-of-region residency artists
included: ]()IlÍ Yagall1Ì, Taiko drUl=1Ìng;jalle Beatrice Wegscheider, visual art;
Paul1âyl0l~ stories of ùle Australiall Outback; Priscilla Howe, fal11ily stories; alld
Christopher Maier, storyteller!d,mcer.
On a wœk-lOlw "Family Stones" resic!£ncy by storyteller Priseilla Howe:
"It WILS wonderjùl! Primlla toll us very neat ston'es and we þlaY,ed somefun games. iWy
mom Jald '1'1/Ù Ù cool homework!' ] wed to not like storylelling,
bul ever since 1 met Fhseilla 1 love it, "
Lowell 5th grader
( CreaTIng... )
l a new generation engaged in the arts; and intergenerational 'I'
exchanges ,
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/ C 1i \
I' onnec ng... ~~
' teachers, artists, students, and arts organizations to each
'~ other and the broader community
---, I
r Challenging... ~
i the community to deepen the range and fYequency of I
,~ opportunity and involvement )
Salina Arts and Humanitics COlIll1Iissioncrs are twelve citizens who express an active
lllterest ill servlllg on dIe Conunission. In addition, a high school student and a city
conlinissioner serve ill a liaison capacity, ComnlÍssioners serving all or part of 1998 are:
Jane Alsop, Mike Cloutier, Debora Cox, Lou Ann Dunn, Tom Gates, Murray Gorman,
Randal Grallarn,James Hall IV,Jeflrey Ingles, Terah Isaacson,
AlanJilka, Charles Kephart, Ellen Morgarl, Kristin Seaton, Kristen Stelljes,
Steve Thompson, Cannen v\Tùson.
TIle stall of the Salina Arts arId Humanities Commission:
Marùla Rhea - Executive Director
Lana Jordan , Arts Operations Manager
Sharon Benson - Program Director/Education
K~arla Prickett, Program Director/Arts Services
Darlene Stollmann - Secretary/Office Manager
Jmc McComb Struble, Marketing Director/Graphic Designe:' and illustrator
Ted \Vaiss arId Carol Gonz,ùe:, - Bookkeepers
Chris Young, Fr,m Hutchinson arld Maxine Strawn, Office Volunteers
Rob FilIlSl, a:rtisl zll miLJi1lœ
Sluryidlzllg Slag!:, SlIwk)' Hill River Ft'Jtiuaj
BeautijÙI zllIjJmJÙJllistiL styli: qlllit by' S/¡£/Til Bù:bcrl)'
For quescions or details. please contaCt Ole
Salina Artl and Humanicies Commission
211 West Iron, PO Box 21S1
Salina. Kansas 6ìJO2.21S1
phone ìS5S26-ìJlO, fax ìS5,S26,ìm
e,rnail: sahc@midusa,net
website: \\1\ìY.midusa,nerismok\hilli1mfesci\'al
Fesci\aldates: June 10,11.12 ~'13,1i)i)i): JuneS, 9,lO~ 11.2000
Co m m u n itv.
Services C:1na
Progrc)ms
]1le Salina Arts alld HmmulÍties ComnlÍssion touches the community through
vvide-rallging services alld progralllS. Somc of these progral1lS al'e traditiOllS of long
stallding - like Art a la Carte concerts, happening spring alld fall for the last twenty
ycars. . TIle Salina Arts alld Cultural Calendal' is also one way that the ComnlÍssion
works to keep cultural happel1Ìngs accessible to the commmlÍty. TIle Calendar is a
fi-cc, kmr-monùl publication of 10GÙ ,md area events, including nlidclle-to-l1Ìgh school
arts events, area muscunlS, galleries alld meatres, wim a circulation of 10,000.
TIle ConmlÍssion is responsive to commurlÍty needs, as evidenced by the ulÍtiation
of conmlm1Ìty "ListcllÍng Sessions," alld provides leadership in maintau1Ìng a variety
of nctworks for ùle region. TI1C strong conviction that the arts are, alld should be,
all unportallt pmt of our everyday lalldscape pelmeatcs ,ill ComnlÍssion
progr<mm1Ìng alld is mmlÍfested through arts education ulÍtiatives, ùle
Smoky Hill Rivcr Festival, and especially dlC Horizons Grallts Prog:~anl. Technical
assistance is anoùler important aspect of the Commission's service delivery. Most
recently, a revised alld refol11Iattcd version of the Arts Referral Guidc - a directory
of area perfol11lÍng, visual alld literary artists - was produced.
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Creating. ~
a network of aware]~
connec1in(]~. .
people to arts resourc~~s and
to each other
Challengin~]. . .
ongoing community conversation
of, for, and about the arts )
The Smoky Hill
Museum
Working to preserve and interpret the history of Saline county ;md me region,
tlle Smoky Hill Museum is Salina's nationally accredited 11Ìstorical museum.
1998 was a yeal' for Museum-on-the-Move! The year began wiÙl me Muscum still
occupying tIle tempor,uy space on Sallta Fe, with the move back to the
newly renovated buildulg in Mmch through the incredible efforts of the staff,
volunteers, and city crews,
A great deal of "bel1Ìnd ùle scenes" work still continues in me creation of a new
cxl1Ìbit plml for tlle Smoky Hill Museum. Many members of the community,
including me Friends of tlle Museum, have been ulVolved in the exploration of me
future "look" of the Museum's gallery space, wim me goal of creating a
long-tenn exllÍbit plan. 1998 also brought challenges in finding new
leadership for ùle Museum following the resignatIon of the director
of long standing, Torn Pfannenstiel.
A sig1lÍfÌcant accomplishment this year was thc establishment of a student
ultel11s1lÍp progr,ml Ul tI'aÌIlÍng studcnts to work Ul the museum fielel. PartIlers are
Kansas State UI1Ìversity alld KmlSas Wesleyan UllÍversity.
Other highli<Thts ulcluded these exl1Ìbits - Q¡jilts: Cloaks of Culture,
~£rmwny & Uánnlh; Cm¡/mporary Q¡jiltJ; New G7ztum.l;
So 101£ Uáwla See 17/£ Good Stuff and Salir/£ CJUnry Off to Uár.
( Creating. " . "ì
a context for the past that informs j
our present
C 1i '\
onnec n~d'" I
~ people with a S~1SC of tIlls place /
I Challengin~~. . . \,
the community to move forward I
with recognition and understanding I
\'-------- of what has gone before ~