By Ruth Wood-Steed
He stands tall, with kind eyes and gentle character.
A clean-cut young man. Certainly well-educated.
A teacher maybe.
Yes, Tim, the young man I met toward the end of January, is all of these. But his education was gained not in college, but in prison. At just 28 years old, Tim is an alumnus of Missouri’s correctional system. He teaches all who are interested about how Prison Performing Arts (PPA) has changed his, and many other people’s lives.
Tim admits to making many mistakes in his life. At 17, when entering prison, he thought he knew everything. In fact, he thought that until he was 24 and met Meg Sempreora, chair of Webster University’s English Department, at a PPA-sponsored seminar at the Northeast Correctional Center, a high-security prison in Bowling Green, Mo. For the first time, Tim
didn’t know everything. It was a small change, but a beginning.
Later, at a rehearsal run by PPA founder and Artistic Director Agnes Wilcox for the musical, The Gospel at Collonus, based on Sophocles’ Oedipus at Collonus, the play about which Sempreora had spoken, he saw people singing and clapping. “People in prison aren’t happy, he says.” But these
folks were. Tim kept coming back, eventually playing Brutus in PPA’s production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
“Brilliantly,” says Wilcox.
“I fell in love with it,” he says.
Scrolling quickly to today, Tim is out of prison and learning his family’s business.
He participates in PPA’s Alumni Theatre Company rehearsals and performances,
giving him a support group to help continue his exploration of classic plays and keep
him out of trouble.
A compelling story, but what does it have to do with the Arts and Education Council (AEC). The AEC supports performance venues such as the Saint Louis Symphony, Dance
St. Louis, Repertory Theater and Center for Creative Arts, doesn’t it? Well, yes. But as Tim’s story shows, it’s much, much more.
Founded in 1963, the AEC supports arts and arts education organizations—80 of them in both 2007 and 2008. It supports organizations involved in visual arts, dance, theater, music, arts education and literary and film endeavors throughout the 16-county bi-state area.
You never know where you might see or hear products of AEC-sponsored organizations. AEC President Jim Weidman would tell you it might be a poetry reading at a local restaurant, portraits painted for an area company, tiles for decorative projects on a historic street, a theater or musical performance in your child’s school, a presentation of East Indian dances, a New Year’s Eve party or even a circus.
While many sponsored organizations are within St. Louis City and County, they can also range as far away as Warren County in Missouri and Clinton County in Illinois. The AEC also supports volunteer lawyers and accountants for the arts, professionals
who provide pro bono services for arts organizations.
When school districts run short on funds, arts programs are among the first cuts. So, really, how important are the arts? Andrew Serri, president of Ameren Energy Marketing and chair of the AEC’s 2008 fund-raising campaign, finds them very important. He says: “The arts are more than just dancing, singing, painting or sculpting. The arts introduce alternatives to children in our community who might not otherwise have an opportunity to find their true inner talents. Shaping the youth of today helps build solid leaders for tomorrow. Equally important the arts help enrich a community as a whole making it a more appealing place to live, work and play.”
The Council’s parent organization, Americans for the Arts, offers some statistics that might surprise you. The group says that young people who participate in the arts each week are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair and three times more likely to win an award for school attendance than those without weekly exposure. In other words, regular participation in the arts helps in many ways other than just developing artistic skills and giving us a means of enjoyment.
Weidman discusses even more benefits: “We strengthen St. Louis’ hand in competition for talent and new business activity. We help bring people to the city. Certainly more and more kids graduating from college are looking for where they want to live and why, and then trying to find a job. St. Louis has always wrestled with the export of its talent out of college. The more that you can offer within the city in terms of the arts, the
better off you are in terms of keeping and attracting individuals and businesses.”
The AEC is a true believer in the power of the arts, supporting organizations that
provide education and outreach throughout the region, for learning-disabled to gifted, poor to wealthy. In its 45-year history, it has raised over $95 million to support such
educational and outreach programs.
Former Board Chairman and Edward Jones Senior Partner John Bachmann says: “I think how you support the arts and how you
support health and human services—in other words, the people that are less fortunate—determine the community’s character.”
Last year alone, the AEC raised a little more than $2.6-million and distributed most of that to 80 organizations, which held approximately 5,000 events, reaching over five-million people. Thanks to the leadership gift from the Centene Corporation, along with many other supporters, the two-year-old Centene Center for the Arts and Education houses the AEC, plus 13 other arts organizations and performance and rehearsal venues, helping arts organizations use their funds more efficiently and effectively.
Centene’s Chairman and CEO Michael Niedorff, says: “The Centene Center for Arts and Education provides the Arts and Education Council with its first permanent home, allowing the Council the opportunity to expand on its mission of providing
support and advocacy for the arts in the
St. Louis metropolitan area.”
The AEC does superb work with the resources they have. But think how many more people could be touched by the arts
if the AEC could double, or even triple,
that amount!
Cincinnati’s Fine Arts Fund (FAF), the AEC’s sister organization in that tri-state region, raised more than $11 million in 2007 alone. Scott Provancher, FAF’s vice president and campaign director, says that like St. Louis, Cincinnati has a strong United Way. Again, as in St. Louis, many notable corporations and their employees provide volunteer and financial support to both organizations. Wouldn’t it be great to see St. Louis raise even half of what Cincinnati does?
The AEC works very hard for the funding it receives. It raises funds through corporate and workplace giving, individual and foundation gifts and special events, the highlight of which is the annual St. Louis Arts Awards. This event “honors groups and individuals who are integral to the success of the arts in our community and make St. Louis a unique arts community,” to quote the AEC Web site. Held earlier this year in the Khorassan Room with over 800 attending at the Chase Park Plaza, the event honored seven individuals, one arts organization and one corporation for their contributions to the arts in the metropolitan St. Louis area.
January 15, the AEC kicked off its 2008 Workplace Giving Campaign, which Weidman says brings in approximately
one-third of the organization’s funds. It has added many exciting new materials, from posters to sample e-mail reminders to
artwork—and it’s all available to download from the AEC Web site, www.keeparthappening.org, to help make the campaign even more fun and effective.
Last year, without these new materials, Edward Jones raised almost $250,000, a record not only for the firm, but also for the AEC. Jim Weddle, the firm’s managing partner, said the firm had set what they thought was a challenging goal of $191,000. Weddle and former managing partner Bachmann credit a very enthusiastic, creative campaign committee for the highly successful campaign. When asked what this year’s goal is, Weddle answers that the goal hasn’t been set yet, but it will be higher than last year’s.
How do they do it? Does management strong-arm associates into giving? Bachmann says everyone is given a pledge card with his or her name on it, but no one has to participate, and there is no tracking of who gives and who doesn’t. The firm’s campaigns feature fun activities such as drawings for gift baskets, displays of associates’ children’s art, and performers brought in to entertain. Last year’s campaign kickoff featured company partners dressed up and performing as the Blues Brothers. Now that’s a management commitment to a successful campaign!
Can you imagine what the AEC could do if more corporations would raise $250,000? Think of the good that could be accomplished! We may not be able to beat Cincinnati this year, but let’s shoot for that as a goal. Give to the Arts and Education Council and build the community in more ways than you ever dreamed! |
