Joe Patti, author of the arts blog Butts in the Seats and experienced arts administrator, writes about the connections that are created in a community engaged with the arts, and some not-often-discussed benefits that the arts bring, even in a small town.
Case in point, I met an administrator at the university early one Friday, later that day he got his haircut. That night his hairdresser, whom I had never met before, said he made positive remarks about me.
What has been interesting to me is to have confirmation of many of the benefits we in the arts claim we bring to the community.
People from the local hospital told me my arts center is important to the health of their organization because they generally don’t have problems attracting doctors to the area, but after a year or two pressure from their families often sees them moving away due to lack of activities. The better a job I do, the better it is for them.
