Our Spring Meeting at Saratoga Arts was a great success!

More than 35 arts leaders joined us on Monday, April 18, 2011
at Saratoga Arts in beautiful Saratoga Springs, New York.

         Our day began with an overview of Saratoga Arts. Executive Director, Joel Reed gave us a very inspiring presentation on some of the planning and development issues the center has faced over the years. Thoughtful succession planning set the stage for a smooth leadership transition a few years ago. Recent work developing "First Night - Saratoga" created a fun, community-wide event that was also an excellent source of revenue for the center.

      Amy Williams, of the Arts Center of the Capital Region, in Troy NY, presented "Thinking Creatively about Earned Income". Amy shared some of the solutions they have come up with to effectively use their many spaces, generate new revenue, cover their overhead costs, and provide great community programs in the process! Community partnerships are a key element of her strategy for win-win results.

      NYMACC Board Trustees Kathie Kudela, Patti Lockwood Blais, and Hilary Oak shared some updates on recent developments for the organization. Highlights included developing a more useful website, and an introduction to our brand new membership brochure. We also looked ahead to the upcoming regional meeting in Potsdam on June 27 and the Fall Conference at Minnowbrook on September 25 though 27. The Board Transition Team is busy working on plans for hiring a new executive director and relocating the office to a site that is more central to the state. Members were invited to provide feedback to the board and suggest topics for the Fall Conference.

       A special component of the day was a meeting with NYSCA program officers Lisa Johnson and Leanne Tintori Wells, and Deputy Director Megan White through the electronic magic of Skype. This was a new experiment for us and after a few technical issues we had a great conversation about the Decentralization Re-Grant program, Arts in Education, and staff changes at NYSCA. Lisa, Leanne, and Megan expressed their appreciation and support for all the cultural work that multi-arts centers do in communities. across the state

      A favorite part of all NYMACC gatherings is the chance to share food and conversation with other members and friends in the Arts.  We enjoyed a delicious catered lunch and lots of time to network and gather information in a relaxed setting. Many thanks to the staff of Saratoga Arts for all their work helping NYMACC to offer a productive and inspiring event. (More photos will be coming soon!)

Tell us what you think!!
If YOU attended our Spring Meeting in Saratoga, we would love your feedback. Please take a moment to complete our short evaluation survey. Click here. If you took photos please send us copies!

If you missed this one your next chance to join us will be at INTERSECTIONS - NYMACC Regional Meeting on June 27 in Potsdam, NY. Click here to read more about it and register today!

And don't forget to come to Minnowbrook, September 25 though 26 for our Annual Fall Conference! Registration will be available soon...

Our Spring Meeting in Saratoga Springs was supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and the members of NYMACC.

Visit NYSCA to learn more about all they do for the Arts!