Brad Anderson or Kaye Quinn
Arts and Humanities
785-309-5770
kay.quinn@salina.org
LOCAL ARTS “SCENE” CELEBRATED IN
SA&H ANNUAL REPORT
Business leaders, educators and families will get a first-hand view of the scope and caliber of arts programming provided by Salina Arts & Humanities in the agency’s 2014 Annual Report, available January 26.
Presented in an informal newspaper-section format that includes more than 30 stories and accompanying photos and data, the report illustrates the significance of arts enrichment for young and old.
“Everyone in our community deserves access to the arts, which is one of our primary goals, as we continue to create the best possible programming and events,” says SA&H Executive Director Brad Anderson.
KWU Professor Steve Hoekstra, former SA&H Commission chairman, is one of several featured columnists in the 2014 Annual Report. He adds, “A community that is healthy in the arts is alive. Whether through the River Festival, theatre, concerts and dance performances, or museum and gallery shows, Salina can be an example to other communities about what it means to be committed to the arts. We are the ‘place to become.’ ”
Raising awareness of the critical need for the arts as part of daily life is a goal that SA&H shares with many other cultural organizations. “We benefit from being part of the SA&H ‘family’ of educational programs,” says Susan Hawksworth, Director of the Smoky Hill Museum. “The Museum also greatly values the partnerships it has built with the Salina Public Library, the Salina Art Center, and other groups around town.”
For nearly 50 years, SA&H has provided arts funding and advocacy for organizations including the Salina Symphony, Rolling Hills Zoo, Kansas Wesleyan University, Salina Community Theatre and the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, plus regional cultural entities that seek advice. SA&H implements a broad range of educational programming, including the summer Arty Mobile Arts Van, USD 305 arts enrichment, the Smoky Hill River Festival, the Horizons Grants Program and the Art a la Carte free concert series.
According to the national Arts & Economic Prosperity III study of FY 2005 that detailed the cultural sector’s economic impact in Salina and 156 other study regions across the U.S., Saline County arts-related spending in that year was valued at nearly $24 million ($23,750,977). That annual “arts investment” represents support for 815 FTE jobs and also generated $2.05 million in local and state government revenue. During that time, nearly 550,000 local and out-of-town guests attended a cultural event or performance, spending from $18 to $32 per person. In the more recent Prosperity IV study for FY 2013 that included Topeka and Wichita but not Salina as select Kansas communities, per-patron spending ranged from $11 to $26 in Wichita and $19 to $32 in Topeka.
Anderson recognizes the efforts of SA&H staff and supportive local business leaders who collaborated to produce the unique and informative Annual Report that celebrates Salina. “The arts are one of the best ways to reflect our history, humanity and vibrancy as a community. Having a diverse choice of expression through the arts provides energy to our citizens and visitors, and is an excellent way to more fully celebrate what it is to be human.”
The hard-copy Annual Report is available as an insertion to the January 25 Salina Journal and also by clicking on the color display ad for salinaarts.com found on various pages of the Journal’s website, salina.com, or at the very bottom right of the salina.com home page, listed as “Salina Arts & Humanities Annual Report 2014” under the Special Section pdf links.
To explore getting involved in Salina’s cultural arts, including visual art, performing arts, public art, and more, visit salinaarts.com. On this site, access publications including the SA&H Annual Report or sign up to receive the free weekly Cultural Connections calendar that features a lineup of arts happenings in Salina and surrounding communities. For more information, contact Salina Arts & Humanities at 785-309-5770 or at sahc@salina.org.
For needed accommodations, please call Kathy Burlew at Salina Arts & Humanities at 785-309-5770 between 8:00 a.m. - Noon and 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Every effort will be made to accommodate known disabilities. For material or speech access, please call at least five working days prior to the event.
Salina Arts & Humanities, a department of the City of Salina, has served a unique role in arts advocacy and support since 1966. The Smoky Hill River Festival, Horizons Grants Program, Smoky Hill Museum, Arts Infusion Program in schools, Community Art & Design, Cultural Connections, and Art a la Carte concert series are among the programs of Salina Arts & Humanities, located at 211 W. Iron Avenue in Salina.