County art projects could be funded by Rural Arts Alliance
Members of Butler Rotary Club PM hopes to introduce more public art to the city, and they made connections with several avenues for that work Monday evening, June 5.
Organizations under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts spoke Monday at the Butler Little Theatre on Howard Street about grant funding opportunities for art projects and artist residencies. Leslie Osche, immediate Rotary Club past president and county commissioner chairwoman, said the grants caught her interest, because the club wants to place new benches in Butler, but could use help from outside funding.
“You’ve got to try to think about other creative ways to get it done,” Osche said. “The committee that is looking at the artscape environment is looking at a series of very creative bench areas, particularly along Washington Street. Our first one would probably be at Emily Brittain (Elementary School).”
Representatives of organizations like the Butler County Symphony Orchestra Association, Butler Art Center, Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, Butler County Chamber of Commerce and more attended the presentation. They heard from Becky Catelinet, executive director of the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance; Lindsay Herring, folklorist; and Jeff Wacker, Arts in Education service coordinator.
Catelinet said there are many opportunities for grants through the Rural Arts Alliance, which applies to more types of projects that people may realize.
“Rural communities often don't understand what they have,” Catelinet said. “With folk arts, we're emphasizing what folk art is. Weaving could be something handed down from grandmother to mother to them. Well, we think that's really significant.”
Catelinet said people who have attended previous presentations by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts have reached out asking if certain projects — like weaving — could be considered a rural art.
“We think it's incredibly important,” Catelinet said, “and we have found that people are very interested and they want to see what it's all about and they take the info back to whatever organization they represent.”
Wacker spoke about opportunities to have artist residencies introduced at places like schools, so children could get educational lessons from working artists.
Al Vavro, a member of the Butler Area School District school board, said administrators of Emily Brittain may apply for a grant to create a mural or other student-involved art projects at the school that could be used by the community. He said the district is interested in bringing an artist in to help with the project.
“There’s a lot of projects, we’re thinking about a bench and there’s other ideas as well,” Vavro said. “Trying to involve kids, that’s the key.”
Osche said the Rotary would also support working with school children on art projects, including the benches and a mural.
“The hardest part is finding the right place for something like that,” Osche said.
Osche also said the presentation helped bring many people together to brainstorm projects that have potential to work in tandem with one another in the Butler area. She said hearing the two-hour presentation was worthwhile.
“This was something we pushed and promoted, this presentation,” Osche said. “This is how the connections are being made.”
