Around 50 Islanders attended the annual Arts MV Annual Meeting on Monday — a surprising number, considering the early hour (8:30 am) and the length of the program (3 hours). Clearly the artistic population represented is a large and committed one.
The meeting featured lead speaker Anita Walker, executive director of the Mass Cultural Council, and five other expert guests from statewide organizations representing the arts. As always, the overall theme was the creative economy, and the focus was on initiatives to support the arts on Martha’s Vineyard.
Ann Smith, executive director of the Featherstone Center for the Arts and steering committee head, and Nancy Gardella, executive director of the MV Chamber of Commerce, facilitated the meeting, and were pleased with the turnout.
This year, the committee decided on a different format. Previous annual meetings featured guest speakers and open discussion. This time around, the expert guests led the participants through a series of brainstorming sessions.
“This was our fifth annual meeting,” Ms. Gardella said after the event. “We knew that we wanted to shake it up and have more engagement.”
After an introduction and pep talk from Ms. Walker, who gave examples of communities with successful arts programs, the audience was split up into five groups, each led by one of the expert guests. Each group was assigned a topic and asked to come up with short term and long term strategies.
After the groups presented their ideas, the participants were asked to vote on their favorites, and were encouraged to form committees surrounding some of the initiatives.
Among the ideas presented were: busker stops, food truck events, public art projects, a united events calendar, a map of the cultural districts, hiring a public relations person, providing transportation to and from events, and of course, providing housing for resident and visiting artists.
Ms. Gardella addressed the importance of supporting the arts on Martha’s Vineyard. “Really it’s about marketing the Vineyard as a premiere arts and culture destination,” she said. “Also, providing a way for businesses to use arts and culture as bait to get people to come back to the Vineyard for the spring and fall. We’ve been very successful with the Fall for the Arts initiative. For a community as a whole, it’s a good thing. Having more visitors supporting local businesses. It’s a win-win.”
For more information on getting involved with Arts Martha’s Vineyard, contact Ann Smith at 508-693-1850.