Arts for a growing community

CRESTVIEW, FL - Whether by accident or just sheer diligence, the Crestview Public Library has also become the region’s de facto arts center. Local artists have found an outlet to exhibit their works in the library’s lobby display case, a popular venue for three-dimensional pieces, and the exhibition system on the north wall allows the display of two-dimensional art.

“We are booked through the year and already starting to consider 2010,” said reference librarian Sandra Dreaden happily. “The response from the art community has been wonderful.”

Dreaden, who is also responsible for booking the exhibition spaces, is enthusiastic about the opportunities the library has offered local artists.

“There are so few places in the city for artists to display their work,” she said.

The library’s meeting room has also become the meeting place for the regional north county committee of the Okaloosa Arts Alliance, which held its first meeting there last month. This month’s meeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.

“There is a lot of talent in Crestview and the Crestview area,” said Rae Schwartz, a board member of the OAA and facilitator of the July meeting.

The alliance is the county’s official arts organization, and in addition to organizing arts events is also responsible for distributing proceeds from the sale of the “State of the Arts” license plate in the county. Any member of the OAA, be it an individual artist, a performance group, a school, etc., may apply for grant money from the alliance to fund their artistic work. Grants are not limited to visual art; performance arts are also eligible.

Membership is a reasonable $25 for individuals or $50 for arts organizations, including schools. For the one membership fee, all of a school’s arts programs — including theatre, music and visual arts — would be included, Schwartz explained.

With tight budgets in our area schools, Schwartz encourages principals and arts teachers to attend the next meeting to learn more about how their schools, classes and programs can benefit from participation in the OAA and its financial grants. Just one grant can pay for a school’s group membership fee many times over.

Grants can be provided for performances, such as concerts or theatricals, covering everything from set construction to transportation to a regional competition. For student visual artists, a grant could provide supplies needed to mount a gallery exhibit or purchase supplies. The OAA even offers grant-writing workshops to help members apply for available money.

Individual artists can benefit as well, Schwartz said. Often an artist becomes so thoroughly engrossed in creating art that they don’t take advantage of resources outside of their studios that will help them share their art with the community. In addition, the OAA allows artists to network, which can be important to developing their art.

As the Crestview area grows, more arts events will be needed to enhance the quality of community life. Participation in the Okaloosa Arts Alliance will provide area artists with some of the tools they need to meet that demand.