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Armstrong County Arts Council plays host to community forum meeting




Once an art educator, now an entrepreneur, Robin Lemmon’s journey can be considered a microcosm of what progenitors of the Armstrong County Arts Council (ACAC) hope to produce locally. Having established The Building Art Gallery + Studios in Kittanning Borough, which Lemmon co-owns with her daughter, Erica Bowser, in late 2023, the former was eloquent in assessing how the positive response early on to her family’s enterprise parallels her hopeful vision for what ACAC and its leaders can accomplish.


“It’s always been my dream to have skilled artisans who work and stay in our area and have platforms for them to work from. I think what’s happening with the arts in our area is amazing,” said Lemmon regarding the atmosphere during the recent holiday

season, in which many patrons visited the collective of 16 local artists exhibiting and toiling on site at the structure erected in 1911, along South McKean Street, in the borough.


“Bringing art to the area has created such an economic impact,” she added. “It’s really a step in the right direction. I’m thrilled with

how it’s working out.”


As for Lemmon’s perspective on the ACAC, a 509(a)© non-pro[t organization founded this past May by the entity’s Executive Director Donna Weckerly — herself a noted area photographer — that is dedicated to nurturing, promoting and showcasing the

artistic pulse of the county?


“I hope the (ACAC), with their awareness of (the importance of) pulling in so many more people in the arts, (encounter) community support for the arts, and financial support for all the things they want to do,” Lemmon said. “Through the (ACAC), DKI and all the different organizations locally, they are really working together, and we’re really getting results. I just think the whole joint effort of everyone is really starting to pan out, and it’s exciting.”


Such a perspective was echoed and elaborated upon by more than a dozen attendees of this week’s ACAC Community Forum meeting held at Experience Armstrong, Inc.’s Welcome Center along Market Street in downtown Kittanning.


Weckerly served as de facto mistress of ceremonies during the roughly two-hour session, a gathering which entertained many colorful notions regarding potential for the entity’s growth within the county’s borders and the subsequent blossoming of an artistic renaissance in this area.


She was joined by many of the ACAC’s board of directors, which include: Drenda Tigner, Angelecia Shannon, Dave English, Alivia Wecht and Arielle Teer.


Described by Weckerly ahead of time as, “a fantastic opportunity for art enthusiasts, artists, and community members to come together, celebrate our progress, and shape the future of arts in Armstrong County,” many of the visions articulated by those in attendance made that forecast a reality.


The ACAC’s leader spoke wistfully of the inspiration for the organization, local artist Marilyn Rea.


As previously reported in the Leader Times, Rea and a group of like-minded artists, musicians, and craftsmen established the Armstrong County League of Arts in 1974.

As the League of Arts’ president and one of the founding members, Rea promoted arts and music in the county and the surrounding area for decades.


Noteworthy among the ACLA’s happenings was the playing of [ddles and banjos coming from the log cabin along the Cadogan- Slate Lick Road in South Buffalo Township, where the musicians and artists gathered to share in the fun of music and dance.


Decades of promoting the arts and creating a space for creative people to meet and learn was the cornerstone of this local organization. While the organization was dissolved in 2020, its legacy inspired the efforts of Weckerly and the ACAC’s board of directors to

bring the current entity to life. “I don’t ever remember Armstrong County being a hub for art,” said Weckerly, who last year reached out to Rea and oecials at Experience Armstrong about establishing the ACAC. “With the help of many people in the community, we started an art initiative that met once a month, and by July of last year we were a non-pro[t. It was crazy how quickly everything happened.”


The gathering on Jan. 10 focused on a number of topics, including a review of the vibrant array of events, initiatives and accomplishments of 2023, including:

“Tapestry in Motion,” a free ballet held Nov. 11 at Armstrong Junior-Senior High School, which was the [rst event sponsored by ACAC, in collaboration with Maria Caruso, founder of Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, a Rural Valley and current resident of Los Angeles.

On hand via Zoom was Caruso, who noted the following of the event’s success, and plans for a similar 2024 production, based largely on the community response: “We just had the most amazing experience. I think the ballet was just a launch pad to creating a platform for so many local artists. I think we were able to open the ioodgates to creativity and artistry and

craftsmanship and humanity in the local community.”



Donation of $10,000 by the county’s board of commissioners from its Legacy Fund.


As another event attendee, Commissioner Pat Fabian responded to recognition of the board by ACAC oecials for the donation by saying: “I think Donna and the ACAC, from its inception, has a lot of momentum. At the early meetings I saw artists attending

from all over the county — Leechburg, Apollo, Freeport ... here in Kittanning. Art, music ... there was an agricultural piece. This is really going to impact more than just downtown Kittanning, it’s going to spread out to other communities, as well. We just wanted

to support that momentum and see where this initiative is going.”


Engagement with Education: Armstrong High School’s visit to Armstrong County Historical Museum


Update on a Vintage “Art” Display curated by Deb Hank at the county historical museum.

Summary of business meeting with elected and political leaders

A progress report on grant funding.

Word was also hatched of a brewing collaboration between ACAC and ACHMGS, Inc., to put forth an Artisan Festival May 4 on the

museum grounds along North McKean Street.

“From my point of view, I hope this will be the [rst of many (such events). There is so much potential for this to really grow on both of our properties,” Johnson said.

In addition, discussions took place regarding the possibility of public art installations along the Armstrong Trail. “The key thing is keeping people here — getting them to come here and then giving them a reason to stay,” said Chris Ziegler, executive director of Armstrong Trails and a board member of Experience Armstrong, Inc., who also noted the potential for 1

million people to make their way annually through the county by way of the trail. “You want to make it unique and different for them and then they’ll come back and spend more money and bring their friends and spend more money,” she added.


Ford City Borough Council President Carol Fenyes was welcoming to the prospect of a possible ACAC fundraising event in March or April in the borough, in terms of what might need to be done to make room for the resultant attendance via necessary street

closures in the vicinity of 10th Street Station, where monthly artistic events are already being held, etc. “All you need to do is just call us and we’ll talk through it,” she said. “So far, we’ve incorporated art in the farmer’s market. We’re talking about having some representation at our First Friday events and our Celebration in the Park this year. We’re happy to work

together with the council and hopefully we’ll have some spectacular events in Ford City for you.”


Another ACAC-related plan is to offer a class to those involved with the Progressive Workshop of Armstrong County (PWAC), with the possibility of PWAC artists having a booth at the festival.


In terms of planning for the future, items discussed during the forum included:


Preparations for a county-side survey

“If we get a survey back, and we get some really good information back, that’s what we use for grant writing,” Weckerly said. English added: “Surveying, especially with a new organization, and designing anything, without doing your research in advance

just wastes your time and resources. Getting a sense of what those who make art, sell art or perform ... what they want, what’s missing, what’s working and what did we overlook ... and then asking the same of audience or consumers of art ... that gives us a sense of what we should probably make our priority. And that shows the money the county gave us is being put back into the needs we are serving. We have this fantastic trail, and (with suggestions from the survey) we can sort of now add this decor and sort of lean into the tourism opportunity that we have in this really beautiful place,” English said.


Tigner added the survey is important to know what people want in different parts of the county to ensure preferences are met.


Spreading the word about the need for donations;

Connecting artists and venues.

Other action during the forum included:

Workshop and Adult-Education Class suggestions in arts for Armstrong County;

Discussion on resources for Advanced Art Learning in County Schools;

Suggestions for future art events organized by ACAC;

Connecting with community organizations.


Event attendee Andrea Verobish, a [eld representative for U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, was another one of the event’s attendees. “I met Donna here probably a year ago in January, and she was telling me all about her ideas for the ACAC, and I’ve been trying to

learn as much and help as much as I can, so I’m happy to be on board,” she said.


The mission statement of the ACAC is as follows: The ACAC is committed to fostering a vibrant arts culture in Armstrong County. We aim to support local creatives, enrich community life through arts and culture events, and establish effective collaborations.

Our goal is to ensure arts accessibility for all ages, ignite a community-wide passion for the arts, and serve as a leading organization in promoting arts in the Armstrong County region.


Those wishing to obtain more information about ACAC, or to donate to the organization, are encouraged to email:

and visit: armstrongcountyartscouncil.org/.


A.J. Panian is the managing editor of the Leader Times. He can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1325, or apanian@leadertimes.com.


Armstrong County Arts Council plays host to community forum meeting | News | leadertimes.com 1/16/24, 9:23 AM


AJ Panian

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