Working in community partnership is a strong focus of The Arts Center’s mission. Through our continuing and developing partnerships, The Arts Center grows an ever increasing broad constituency and learns more about the communities we serve. The following list is a sample of the many ways The Arts Center works in community partnership.
Benton County Historical Museum
The Benton County Historical Museum is the host of the bi-annual county wide event of quilt exhibitions: Quilt County. The Arts Center participates in the event with an exhibit related to quilting, but not limited to quilts made out of fiber. Quilt County takes place every other uneven numbered year in September (September 2011 etc).
Benton County Cultural Coalition
The Arts Center partners with the Benton County Cultural Coalition providing space for events and meetings. The director of The Arts Center serves on the BCCC Board of Directors.
City of Corvallis
The Arts Center is fortunate to have a supportive partnership with The City of Corvallis. The historic building that holds the offices of The Arts Center is owned by the city, and a city commissioner is appointed as a helpful liaison to the arts organization.
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
Located directly across Central Park from one another, The Arts Center and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library partner with various children’s programs and special events such as author/illustrator presentations and artist displays.
Corvallis Fall Festival
Occurring right outside our front door, Corvallis Fall Festival partners with The Arts Center to supports artists and their work, arts advocacy efforts, and children’s participation in the arts. The Arts Center Fall Festival Youth Poetry Contest is one of our shared projects. The contest is open to all youth from K-12, culminates in an exhibit in the Corrine Woodman Gallery and a open poetry reading on the Sunday of Fall Festival.
Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center
With strong common interests in children’s education, The Arts Center and Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center work together to develop and present hands-on arts experiences that explore diverse cultures. Classes and workshops include storytelling, drama, cooking and printmaking.
VISIT CORVALLIS
The Arts Center works with Visit Corvallis to promote the arts and culture scene to visitors of our city. The Arts Center director usually serves on the Visit Corvallis Board of Directors.
da Vinci Days
Each July, The Arts Center provides a professional exhibition to complement the da Vinci Days theme. This partnership is reviewed annually to continue to develop opportunities for community members and artists of all ages to participate in this colorful local festival.
Downtown Corvallis Association
The Arts Center is a member of the Downtown Corvallis Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to continued preservation and enhancement of Downtown Corvallis as the heart of the Greater Corvallis community.
Guilds
The Arts Center is affiliated with seven Guilds. The Guilds are independent organizations, each with their own mission, by laws, membership dues and benefits. The Guilds meet at The Arts Center and fulfill an alternating guest-curatorship for the Main Gallery for one exhibit a year. Each of the Guilds are represented on the Exhibition Committee, one Guild representative is on The Arts Center Board. Guild members have the opportunity to exhibit in the Corrine Woodman Gallery.
- Corvallis Art Guild
- Corvallis Handweavers and Spinners Guild
- Willamette Valley PhotoArts Guild
- Willamette Ceramics Guild
- Mid-Willamette Woodworkers Guild and their Facebook Page
- Corvallis Belly Dance Performance Guild and their Facebook Group
- Contemporary Fiber Guild
Leadership Corvallis
Annually The Arts Center co-hosts a full day of activities that focus on arts and recreation for the current Leadership Corvallis class, partnering also with the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation Department.
Madison Avenue Task Force
The Arts Center has continued representation on the Madison Avenue Task Force. The vision of the MATF is to create a corridor of artwork from the OSU campus, down Madison Avenue to the River. MATF has been instrumental in the installation of many artworks along the way. A Walking Guide to the art is available at The Arts Center, or can be downloaded here.
Working with The Arts Center and Parks & Recreation Department, the MATF is the main sponsor and organizer of the Spring Garden Festival, which takes place on the first Sunday in May on The Arts Center Plaza.
Public Art Selection Commission
The Public Art Selection Commission (or PASC) is one of the many citizens’ commissions. The Commission advises the City Council on all public art matters. All outdoor and indoor art and art on or in City’s property requires approval from the commission.
Samaritan Health Services
The Arts Center’s ArtsCare Program schedules specially trained professional artists to work with many patients and staff in the health care system because of a strong and supportive partnership with Samaritan Health Services and its regional hospitals, clinics and treatment centers.
Tcha Tee Man Wi
Annually producing a nationally recognized storytelling festival, Tcha Tee Man Wi achieves its nonprofit status through a partnership with The Arts Center. The Arts Center mentors a limited number of promising nonprofit organizations in their formative years. As those organizations grow and develop, they move toward obtaining their own 501(c)3 certification.
