From John Baumann
Monroe
To the editor:
Great art shares a story. Whether in the form of paint, poetry, sculpture, song or the words of a gifted playwright, good art illuminates, educates and inspires.
In Monroe we are very fortunate to have a professional arts organization (Monroe Arts Center); an accomplished community theater (Monroe Theatre Guild); and a public schools system that combine to give our citizens a breadth of artistic offerings. If you'd like a little convincing that quality art is core to our culture in Monroe, just take a look at our 2013 schedule of holiday concerts and plays, many of which were sold out. In an era when smaller cities like Monroe need to project a forward-thinking image to in order to appeal to young families, a healthy and well-supported arts community is important.
While Monroe's downtown Square has always offered a sense of charm worthy of Norman Rockwell's paint brush, I think we've all been able to sense the renewed sense surrounding our old county courthouse. Heavy foot traffic, and bustling stores and restaurants on the Square are the result of an investment- and volunteer-driven commitment to make our downtown thrive again.
Like the investment in our downtown, the Monroe Art Center's planned expansion and remodel represents a solid opportunity for Monroe to take another step forward. In addition to establishing a top-notch and modern venue to expand our community's artistic offerings, the expansion will allow MAC to greatly expand its youth education programs and provide convenient building access to those who require assistance.
The $3.7 million MAC Legacy Campaign is now within $560,000 of the dollars needed to break ground this spring. Nearly 100 percent of the dollars raised or pledged to date have come from local interests. When the building project is complete, Monroe will have a great facility that will support the interests of both MAC and our city.
For those of you who have an ongoing interest in community arts or the city of Monroe, I encourage you to consider a gift to MAC's campaign.
Monroe
To the editor:
Great art shares a story. Whether in the form of paint, poetry, sculpture, song or the words of a gifted playwright, good art illuminates, educates and inspires.
In Monroe we are very fortunate to have a professional arts organization (Monroe Arts Center); an accomplished community theater (Monroe Theatre Guild); and a public schools system that combine to give our citizens a breadth of artistic offerings. If you'd like a little convincing that quality art is core to our culture in Monroe, just take a look at our 2013 schedule of holiday concerts and plays, many of which were sold out. In an era when smaller cities like Monroe need to project a forward-thinking image to in order to appeal to young families, a healthy and well-supported arts community is important.
While Monroe's downtown Square has always offered a sense of charm worthy of Norman Rockwell's paint brush, I think we've all been able to sense the renewed sense surrounding our old county courthouse. Heavy foot traffic, and bustling stores and restaurants on the Square are the result of an investment- and volunteer-driven commitment to make our downtown thrive again.
Like the investment in our downtown, the Monroe Art Center's planned expansion and remodel represents a solid opportunity for Monroe to take another step forward. In addition to establishing a top-notch and modern venue to expand our community's artistic offerings, the expansion will allow MAC to greatly expand its youth education programs and provide convenient building access to those who require assistance.
The $3.7 million MAC Legacy Campaign is now within $560,000 of the dollars needed to break ground this spring. Nearly 100 percent of the dollars raised or pledged to date have come from local interests. When the building project is complete, Monroe will have a great facility that will support the interests of both MAC and our city.
For those of you who have an ongoing interest in community arts or the city of Monroe, I encourage you to consider a gift to MAC's campaign.
