Choral Potpourri: An Arts Alliance

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” Vincent van Gogh

 I am privileged to be able to work with a group of arts and business organizations in my community on a regular basis. The core group has been meeting since late June/July of 2014 with the purpose of allying ourselves for the promotion of our community and art organizations, as well as stimulating our region’s economy. It has evolved into something bigger, something we had hoped for but didn’t quite imagine when we started. We are excited!

It started with the president of the local small business association believing it would be a good thing for the region’s economy if there was some sort of arts calendar available. He reasoned businesses could point out to customers the community had many things to do or new businesses would find the calendar and want to locate here.  He contacted the local community college’s music department and they reached out to other performing organizations. We reached out to our contacts as well and it went from there. About two years ago, a local university with an outdoor sculpture park and art gallery held an arts and business breakfast meeting. We were asked for our emails and if we would like to be involved in a community arts and business alliance and the rest, as they say, is history.

The south suburbs of Chicago have a vibrant arts community, both performing and visual arts. We have produced internationally known artists; such as Dawn Upshaw (who grew up in Park Forest) and Blues singer Koko Taylor and Bluesman Buddy Guy live in the area. To the rest of the Chicagoland area we are the Redheaded Stepchildren of the region or the place with all the golf courses. Our challenge has been to bring different factions together to share one vision. That vision has evolved into promoting the south suburbs as an arts destination as well as attracting new businesses and artists to live and work in the region. We are getting there, slowly but surely, and will officially kick off our organization toward the end of October. Our vision includes a yearly arts festival of some sort; highlighting a unique aspect of our community. Our first festival will begin next February and end in April, with all the arts organizations participating in some way. When I can blog about it here on ChoralNet, I will.

Our arts organizations include THREE different choral groups, as well as a professional symphony, a youth symphony, libraries (both municipal and academic), two performing arts centers, a professional theater troop, jazz bands, a college music department, college art galleries and a university based sculpture park, private art galleries and the South Suburban Small Business Association. It has been so much fun to attend meetings with others sharing the same goals, learning new things about other arts organizations and aspects of our community I didn’t know about.

We all know the arts heal but the arts can keep us healthy, both in body and in mind. If children are painting or singing or playing music together, there is less of a chance they will get into trouble. If people attend concerts or are looking at something together with the same purpose, there is shared experience and perhaps the beginning of understanding. Property values increase with a vibrant arts community. Fellowship and comradery with other artists is good for the artists and promotes creativity. We are trying, in our little corner of the world, to accomplish these things. What about you?