I got to thinking the other day, which in itself might not be a good thing; How does Indiana show it's love for it's Artists (Musicians, Singers, Actors, Painters, crafter, Poets, ect) Or does Indiana County Care?
I thought, well, we get hired to do things, like festivals, events, luncheons, concerts, fairs, ect.
We also have committees that work with schools and Universities and community organizations ect.
Our music gets played on the local stations- Let me reword that.. Our music gets played on a few local stations. Some of the local businesses have been extremely supportive of local music on the radio and live.. Some business hired us on a regular basis and have provided a great venue to play our music and sell CD's. To note our downtown music store has always been supportive of local artists. For that matter so have others as well. Galleries show our images and words, and crafts. We thank you all for that! As for one radio show that shall remain nameless, We have been blessed to have our sponsors that not only support the show, but actually listen to it.
They would have a comment I'm sure. Our shows have featured artists, as far away as Los Angles, Canada, South Carolina and New York.. While staying true to the local stars, professional an amateur. Maybe we should have a National Artists Day? That would be cool.
Or maybe we should build a Artists Peformance Facility to keep local talent here and attract others. It could be a facility that would have a performance part, a teaching part, a store front, a recording part and a meeting facility that could link up with others around the world. It's like thinking out of the box with this one...!! It would be nice, and would cost lots of money to start.. We'll I don't have that much in by account... So for now it's just an thought.
We do have events that showcase artists and musians... But I'm just not talking about the Indiana Fair! I'm talking about something like the Johnstown Folk Festival. Have you been there? It's awesome and free to the public. Talent from all around the county for free.
The bottom line is this... Artists (That's including all creative type hobbies and professionals) work hard at work we do. At times it's like have another full time job. With practice, learning songs, working with other musicians, setting up this and that, management stuff, time away from family (for some of us) and all the stuff that goes into creating the right background sounds and or paintings, or an opening act.
Indiana County is rich with creative artists. I'm proud to be one and to give voice to others.
So with all that, Does this add up to Indiana County caring about it's artists?
I was invited and attended the annual Chamber business Luncheon last week. The place was packed and there was a lot of energy in the air about Indiana County. I wondered, how many of these folks are Artists? Some I'm sure are closeted! But how many, sing, write, draw, dance, play an instrument ect. It was just a thought, cause Artists are part of the foundation for great cities and towns..(New Orleans) comes to mind.
If you read this blogg, you'll see that I recently went to IUP and listened to the symphony. I must admit, I don't usually go. But I did and enjoyed it. I enjoyed the talent, the energy and the fact that it was happening here in Indiana County.
Tell us what you think.
