45th Season: The Art of Community
More Than a Season. A Celebration of Who We Are.
Forty-five years ago, a group of community members and Mineral Area College employees believed something simple but powerful: the arts belong to everyone. Dr. Dixie Kohn spearheaded the creation of the Mineral Area College Arts Council. This council was comprised of members of the community, college administration, college fine arts faculty, and many many volutneers who believed the arts were worth being supported in our area.
In 1981, this group began to serve the Mineral Area College region and its communities. It had over 30 supporters and grew to be a powerful arts advocate in the area.
That belief became the Mineral Area Council on the Arts (MACOA) in 1990, and for nearly half a century, our organization has worked to ensure that creativity has a home in the Parkland. We've hosted concerts, theatrical productions, festivals, student art shows, literary contests, public art projects, workshops, scholarships, and educational programs that have touched tens of thousands of lives.
Some people know us because they attended a concert.
Others know us because their child entered our K-12 Student Art Show.
Some discovered us through the Banner Contest hanging proudly throughout our communities.
Others found their confidence standing on stage for the very first time.
Every person has a different story.
Yet every story has something in common.
Community.
As we begin our 45th Season, we wanted to celebrate not only the art we create, but the people who make it possible. That's why this year's theme is The Art of Community.
Because community isn't accidental.
It's created.
It's found in volunteers who give their days and evenings to hang artwork before our K-12 Student Art Show.
It's found in local businesses sponsoring our programs because they believe children and our community deserve access to the arts.
It's found in parents driving their children to shows, artists sharing their talents, musicians performing for strangers who quickly become friends, and audiences who choose to spend an evening supporting local creativity.
Art has always had the power to connect people.
A painting starts a conversation.
A song brings back memories.
A play reminds us we're not alone.
A festival turns strangers into neighbors.
Every MACOA program exists to strengthen those connections.
Each year we provide opportunities through:
Live concerts and special season events from professionals
The Kâ12 Student Art Show featuring thousands of works of art
Scholarships for future artists at our local K-12 schools
Artist workshops and educational programming
Public art initiatives like our Banner Contest
Theatre United, providing professional opportunities for performers
Theatre performances
Our growing Summer Nights Arts Festival
New programs like our upcoming Fine Arts Discovery Camp
None of these happen because one person makes them happen.
They happen because an entire community believes the arts matter.
This season is perhaps our most community-focused yet.
You'll hear local ghost stories preserving our area's history.
You'll experience professional theatre created by local performers.
You'll laugh with your family during an evening of hilarious family-friendly entertainment.
You'll sing along to music that has become part of American culture.
Every event was chosen to celebrate the people who call this community home.\
But celebrating community also means investing in it.
As a nonprofit organization, ticket sales alone cannot sustain the programs we provide. Donations help us keep student opportunities affordable, provide scholarships, offer grants to schools, bring theatre into classrooms free of charge, and continue expanding opportunities for artists of every age.
Whether you've attended one event or every event for the past forty-five years, you're part of this story.
You're part of our community.
And together, we're proving that when a community invests in the arts, everyone benefits.
Join us this season.
Purchase a Season Ticket and experience all four events for just $45 in celebration of our 45th anniversary.
If you're able, consider making a donation that helps us continue creating opportunities for future generations of artists.
Because the greatest work of art we've ever created...
...is this community.
