Arts Extension Service nurtures arts and crafts in Western Massachusetts
By Robert Lynch
There is a unique organization in Western Massachusetts that could change and strengthen the arts world on the community level throughout the state. It could, if it survives.
The organization is called the Arts Extension Service. It was developed through the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This group is trying to reach, instruct, and assist a small, dedicated core of people within each community, a core that is interested in bringing the arts home.
“Nothing would please me more than to see quality craft shows, professional artists’ workshops, theatre and dance performances, or whatever art form a community favors actually happening right there in town,” says Stan Rosenberg. Rosenberg is the individual originally charged with the responsibility of developing the program.
Ric Kataoka, also of the Arts Extension Service, added, “We encourage the community arts organizations, the core group that we help develop, to look at the arts from a broader viewpoint.”
In the community the primary concern of AES is that people can get out to see and appreciate an art form that they will enjoy and that they will support. Because of this, the people and the arts councils that are assisted are encouraged to cultivate a wide variety of arts and craft interests. Kataoka points out: “It is not so important what type of art we have as long as we have art and it is good art.”
It is apparent throughout Massachusetts and throughout the country that most people in most towns have little or no exposure to anything more artistic than scrambled reception on color television. “The level of arts activity in most communities ranges between minimal and non-existent, but there are people who are concerned about the lack and who are willing to change the situation,” insists Kataoka.
Locating The People
Finding those people, however, seems to be a major problem. On last Oct. 15, AES scheduled a course to begin in Community Arts Leadership. Because of support by the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, the fee was negligible and the promised training was an unbelievable package for members of any art-starved town. Specific skills to be discussed were “How to Start an Arts Council,” “How to Find and Book Artists,” “How to Write Press Releases and Make Profitable Use of All Media,” “How to Develop a Budget,” and on through funding, incorporation, first projects, and just about every possible management situation. In addition, an extensive program had been incorporated into the course dealing with personal leadership needs, problems, style and skills. This “Leadership Training Workshop” was designed to help both in organizing such a multi-faceted operation as an arts council and in dealing successfully with people in such an all-volunteer situation.
The course was scheduled but almost no one showed up. The course then had to be canceled. “I can’t believe that we exhausted all of the interested people in New England in last year’s workshop,” said Rosenberg. “I guess the problem is that we didn’t use a hard enough sell for the course this time.”
Little Funding
It later became evident that the real problem was with the funding, one of the basic skills that the AES itself teaches. It seems really ironic but the people at Arts Extension had to ignore their own first rule and sacrifice program development to the more practical work of finding money. They came to the conclusion that it was more important to keep the AES group alive and able to teach others the right way of doing things than to keep working on programs and go out with a blaze of glory. The result was a poorly advertised first class that drew too few participants but the AES organization had survived. A generous grant from the William H. Donner foundation has ensured their survival temporarily.
The Community Arts Management course will be offered again, beginning Wednesday. In the meantime, the Arts Extension Service will continue to develop new ideas, work with existing councils and arts organizations and start advertising its services a little more extensively.
Other valuable programs at AES include a consulting service in management or technical problems that may arise. In such a situation, the experts will give specifics upon request concerning publicity, design, or funding.
The Arts Service people also enjoy the advantage of the University as co-developer. Because of this, they can handle bookings of regional artists including arts faculty from the University and the Five College area. In addition, they can keep area organizations appraised of University events and provide a tour service to the campus for such programs, many of which are free.
Success In Belchertown
One example of success can be seen in neighboring Belchertown. A year ago, there was no arts organization, there were no arts events. Now the community has enjoyed an arts and crafts festival as well as a number of smaller programs and courses, such as a very successful quilting class.
The festival was a week-long celebration of nightly events topped off by an arts and crafts exhibition complete with a guitar strumming minstrel. A wheelchair parade was also featured that enlisted the participation of the people from the Belchertown State School in this community event. Every artist, craftsman, organizer, and worker was a Belchertown resident and every event was free to the public.
The community for the first time in many cases discovered the wealth of talent and interest hidden within the town boundaries. How the community was able to finance such a massive effort, make it free, and even end up with a substantial profit towards new projects are some secrets that the AES course promises to teach.
The need for the kind of service that the AES provides is very obvious. The Arts Extension Service does exist and can meet those needs. It is important to realize that this service is not simply another elitist art group. AES is unique. In fact, there are only two other organizations trying to develop the arts and art interests on the community level that exist in the United States at all.
There are people in every community that share an interest in the arts. There are also artists living in your community that need exposure and support and it is possible to stage activities without spending a lot of money. Community arts programs can work. However, if an organization such as AES has to go out and search for interested people, then they most assuredly will have to continue to go out and search for funds just to stay alive… and funding for ‘good ideas’ is hard to get.