About

  • The Board of Trustees has identified four long-range goals:

    • Enhance village cultural capacity by encouraging and assisting artists and organizations to create and share their talent with residents and visitors
    • Build public awareness by advocating for and supporting art as integral to our Village’s well-being
    • Help stimulate economic development through the arts by developing artists, creative workers, and cultural organizations to strengthen the village economy
    • Develop the Arts Council’s capacity by building and sustaining our organization, which allows us to fulfill our mission

    The mission of the Yellow Springs Arts Council (YSAC) is to honor, promote and advocate for our community’s creative spirit, strengthening its capacity to build economic prosperity and enhance quality of life.

    Incorporated in 1972, the Arts Council grew out of the Yellow Springs Arts Association, active throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s in planning classes for children and adults. In 2008 a new Board of Trustees was formed, which immediately began the work of visioning and planning. Most importantly, the Arts Council expanded from a visual arts emphasis to include the Village’s wide array of creative offerings. To date, we’ve identified at least 13 art disciplines active in the Village’s arts industry—music, literature, media, movement, visual, theatre, culinary, wellness, crafts, innovation, environmental, design, and 3-D (sculpture/assemblage/ceramics).

    The re-structured Yellow Springs Arts Council was launched in June 2009 with the opening of Summer in the Springs, an eight-weekend-long series of events celebrating art and culture in the Village. During the Summer and Fall of 2009, the YSAC conducted a series of Arts Forums to bring together artists from many disciplines for an analysis of art in the village. In the future we hope to administer a comprehensive survey of artists to assess the impact of the arts on local economic development.

    The Arts Council enjoys its collaboration with artists and organizations on events and projects, including monthly art happenings in the Art Space during monthly “3rd Friday Flings.” (The Art Space serves as a hub for YSAC activities, plus a meeting and gallery space available for members’ exhibitions). A public art contest in 2009 resulted in three installations that grace our village at its west and north gateways.

    Four standing Committees are active within the Board of Trustees:

    • Finance & Grants Committee manages all finanacial matter of the Arts Council, including budgeting, fiscal agency, grant writing and bookkeeping
    • Membership Committee manages membership drives and renewals, develops member-related projects and programs, and serves as the liaison between general membership and the Board of Trustees
    • Advocacy & Fundraising Committee partners, collaborates, and provides representation to other village organizations to educate and create awareness about the arts. This committee is also charged with coordinating fundraising efforts to increase Arts Council capacity
    • Public Relations & Marketing Committee carries the message of the Arts Council to the greater area by maintaining our website, media coverage of arts-related events and opportunities, and insures that images and public messages are consistent with the Arts Council mission

    Yellow Springs Experience

    In January, 2010, the Arts Council entered into an unprecedented collaboration with many other Yellow Springs-based organizations to coordinate the Yellow Springs Summer Experience: 10 Days of Art and Culture.  This event was a Chautauqua-esque educational, inspirational and entertaining series of workshops, classes, performances and celebrations. A Project Coordinator was hired in May of 2010, sponsored by a grant from the Morgan Family Foundation. This paid coordination, along with hundreds of hours of work and services from YSAC volunteers, allowed for the successful presentation of the Summer Experience as well as Experience Artoberfest (October 2010), Experience Wellness Weekend (March 2011), and Experience Summer (July 2011). The YSAC plans to lead coordination efforts for  additional Experience events, including a Valentine Love-In Weekend in February 2012.

    As a YSAC Signature Program, Yellow Springs Experience continues to be a fundamental focus for YSAC. Future programs in our YS Experience series will continue to:

    · Facilitate partnerships with local organizations, educational institutions & businesses.
    · Provide opportunities for artists and presenters of multiple disciplines.
    · Focus on arts and cultural expression, presentation and education.
    · Draw regional as well as local customers/audience.
    · Encourage local commerce through retail, food, accommodations, etc.

    Gallery Exhibition Program

    The YSAC Gallery Exhibition Program is in its fourth season and has become central to the educational and cultural goals of the YS Experience series. As a Social Purpose Enterprise for developing artists, it provides experiential education for artists under a structured model of facilitation and support. The program encourages regional artist to fulfill their visions and enhance professional skills through the exhibition/performance process. The program is currently executed by a volunteer Gallery Committee and recent funding from the Morgan Family Foundation has enabled us to hire a part-time staff Gallery Coordinator. Through the program, art reception events occur monthly (10-month season) in coordination with 3rd Friday Flings and Experience weekends. Collaborations between visual artists and performers, including musicians, dancers, actors, filmmakers, culinary specialists and others are fundamental to the program. Educational workshops and demonstrations supplement exhibitions and are offered to the public for free or at a low cost. 

    Yellow Springs Arts Council
    P.O. Box 459
    Yellow Springs, OH  45387
    937-532-6237

    www.ysartscouncil.org
    art @ ysartscouncil.org