The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors received an update from the Starkville Area Arts Council at the county board meeting Monday morning.
“We’re here to thank you guys for the county support of the Arts Council the past two years,” SAAC Executive Director John Bateman opened. “This is my chance to present to you what we’ve done, where we’re going.”
Oktibbeha County budgeted $7,500 for SAAC for the fiscal year 2019. Bateman said 32 percent of SAAC’s gross revenue comes from private and public grants.
“We really couldn’t do this without grants and in-kind support and volunteers, so we’re appreciative of all of the support we get,” Bateman said.
SAAC’s mission is to build a strong, creative, connected community through the arts and SAAC has a variety of programs in the local community that support its mission. Bateman highlighted several of those programs during the meeting and one program highlighted was Art Partners.
“Art Partners is our after-school art education program taught by working artists,” Bateman said. “We launched that in spring of 2018.”
“I remind people that art education is not about teaching future artists or art teachers, it’s about well-rounded thinkers,” Bateman expanded. “Creativity is a muscle, just like anything else. You have to practice your math problems. You have to have opportunities to expand your skill set.”
SAAC currently funds one art teacher who gives visual art lessons once a week during three after-school programs as a supplement to students’ academic tutoring.
“(Art Partners) is something we want to grow to provide other enrichment opportunities at different locations, “Bateman said. “(The current program) is focused on visual arts but I would love to have somebody teach literary art ... or teach other creative forms.”
“Our program is ready to grow, it just requires funding and bodies,” Bateman added.
SAAC also provides summer scholar- ships, which are available to any youth ages 11 to 18 who resides in Oktibbeha County. The scholarship can go toward any art enrichment program during the summer, inclusive of all art form ventures from lessons to art camp to music camp to auditions.
"Last year we paid $6,000 in summer scholarships for summer enrichment programs to bridge the gap between school years ... we gave a scholarship to 18 youths,” Bateman said.
Bateman said SAAC has a budget of approximately $9,000 for this summer’s scholarships.
“We’re really excited to expand that with the idea that ongoing support of young minds is better than a one-time college scholarship,” Bateman said. “If we can start building the skill set for a youth when they’re younger, then that serves them better in the long run.”
SAAC also gives away small community grants to local art projects and art educators.
“We give away each year about $10,000 to local art projects located in Oktibbeha County. It goes to teachers, artists, other organizations,” Bateman said. “We also give $6,000 to art educators in Oktibbeha County, so public school, private school, home school, co-ops. This is for classroom projects that aren’t covered by school budgets.”
Any art educator, including literary art educators, in Oktibbeha County can benefit from the grant money. SAAC is still currently accepting applications for both community grant applications.
“And last but not least, you guys may know that we run the Cotton District Arts Festival,” Bateman said.
Bateman said the Cotton District Arts Festival generated approximately $194,000 in gross revenue for the vendors last year.
“We keep zero of that,” Bateman said. “That is revenue that goes to the vendors and $14,000 of that was sales taxes that were returned to the state.”
During the festival, SAAC paid artists just over $7,000 in prizes and $6,000 for musical entertainment free to the community.
Bateman said the Greater Starkville Development partnership estimated 1,001 hotel rooms in the Starkville region were booked at capacity for three nights surrounding the festival.
“The partnership estimates at capacity to be 90 percent, so 90 percent or more of those rooms were booked,” Bateman said.
“Our ongoing goals are to create these zero-to-low cost admission events such as Art in the park...festivals, gallery shows and increase educational opportunities,” Bateman concluded.
During the meeting, Bateman also introduced Mary Switzer, the future president of the SAAC board.
“She will be the president of the board starting in July,” Bateman said.
“We certainly appreciate the good work you’re doing in the community,” Board President Orlando Trainer said. “It’s a good investment. I appreciate the board supporting you all down through the years and we look forward to some even greater things.”