Your turn: The Rockford Area Arts Council looks into 2024 and sees you

The Rockford Area Arts Council is a membership organization. We rely on the generous spirit of individuals, corporations and granting bodies to provide increased access to the arts and sustain our operations.

We have parent and grandparent partner organizations in the Illinois Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additionally, we have state and national advocacy partners in Arts Alliance Illinois and Americans for the Arts.

As a local arts agency, we provide funding and employment opportunities to individual artists and organizations, arts advocacy at the state and federal levels and fee-free arts enrichment programs for all residents in our service area with priority given to underserved populations.

As the Arts Council looks ahead to 2024, there are various efforts, programs, and services that we would like to share with the community. The Arts Council plans to increase public art installations, expand its fee-free community programs and complete the Rockford Region Cultural Plan.

ART FOR IMPACT, the Arts Council’s public art program, installed five major projects in 2023: Jenny Mathew’s ‘Telephone Pole Walking Path’ from Haskell Elementary to the Fairgrounds Boys & Girls Club, Asia Peter’s ‘Sensory Pollinator Garden’ at Fisher and Haskell, Brett Whitacre’s ‘Rockford’ mural at Ernie’s Midtown Pub, Susan Burton’s mosaic towers at Fisher and Haskell and 55 Utility Box Wraps, a dynamic partnership with the City of Rockford and the Visitors Bureau.

The Arts Council’s programs for youth have increased by over 1000% since 2019. Our year-round arts enrichment programs for 250+ youth at Washington Park Community Center are currently made possible through Rockford Public Schools ARP Funds.

The ARP funds for Washington Park Community Center run out in 2024. The Arts Council is actively seeking alternative funding sources to continue and expand the presence of robust arts enrichment programs in several community centers.

In addition to our program at Washington Park, we serve over 100 students every summer through our SPARK! arts apprenticeship programs. In 2024, we want to add year-round arts enrichment for active older adults!

Your turn: Rockford Region Cultural Plan will connect arts and community

The Rockford Region Cultural Plan is happening — and all Rockford Region residents will be impacted by its outcomes. The why of the Cultural Plan can be answered by this year's Arts and Economic Prosperity study, published by Americans for the Arts: When communities invest in arts and culture, they are not doing so at the expense of community and economic development. Rather, they are investing in an industry that stimulates the economy, supports local jobs, and contributes to building healthy, vibrant, and livable communities.

The last public input session for the Cultural Plan, the State of Culture, will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Veterans Memorial Hall, 211 N. Main St., Rockford.

The State of Culture will provide an overview of the data that’s been collected by the Arts Council since March 2023. We’ve gathered first-person data from sector workshops, one-on-one interviews, public input sessions, focus groups, and a survey.

The State of Culture will provide an opportunity for the public to identify the community’s priorities when it comes to arts and culture and you’re invited. The State of Culture event is free, it is open to the public, and dinner will be provided. Register here.

Recently, the Arts Council started a volunteer corp, our ‘Street Team,’ and we’re looking for enthusiastic and active arts advocates to help us with projects, mailings and/or events.

Additionally, the Arts Council is in its Annual Appeal mode. We ask community members to contribute to our mission of providing increased access to the arts.

The additional purpose of our annual appeal is to update current members, educate potential members, and inform our community about the dynamic impact of the arts … with the hope that it inspires you to give!

Mary McNamara Bernsten is the executive director of the Rockford Area Arts Council.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Your turn: The Rockford Area Arts Council looks into 2024 and sees you