GUILFORD — We thank Randolph T. Holhut for his reportage on the Core Arts meeting of Dec. 15. We are all aware that arts organizations in Brattleboro are working hard for the good of all artists in the area.
There are a few points I would like to add to the article.
The Arts Council of Windham County (ACWC) is the only partner with the Town of Brattleboro for the National Endowment for the Arts' “Our Town” Grant. The ACWC is the group that has proposed to use grant money to create an online presence with a website and app that would serve as the electronic map to the town arts scene.
So far, there has not been enough input by the community, and the ACWC has proposed a survey to find out what the community would like the remaining grant money to be spent on. These findings will bring forth the voices of local artists regarding the last portion of this grant.
The ACWC has been actively working on finishing this project as quickly and successfully as possible in hopes that there will be more opportunities for the area to receive other types of grant funding to further support the arts community.
The ACWC has been a significant organization in enriching Brattleboro's art community. Since 1995, Gallery Walk has been an ongoing project of ACWC.
The ACWC is also an umbrella for arts organizations that need nonprofit status. Our organization has helped many entities in town, including Mahalo Arts Center, The Women's Film Festival and many more, bring some great projects to the public for many years.
Five to six times a year, we present Artists' Forums to explore topics of importance to working artists, such as pricing artworks, business practices for artists, arts in health care, and much more.
For the past 35 years, ACWC has run Student Art Month in Brattleboro, giving the students in Windham County the opportunity to show their artwork to the public. Members of ACWC coordinate this project, keeping it going each year through donations and many hours of volunteer time.
I would like to see more credit given to the Arts Council of Windham County for their effort and good work.