Jamestown Art Center campaign, artist-in-residence and culinary partnership win board approval

The Jamestown Public School Board on May 5 approved an artist-in-residence program with the Jamestown Art Center and heard details of the center’s ongoing capital campaign and educational partnerships.

Mindy Schmitz of the Jamestown Art Center told the board the center has raised about $1.8 million toward a $2.7 million campaign and recently secured a $235,000 grant to pilot an art therapy program with students from Lincoln and Washington schools. She asked the board to continue the Center’s partnership with Jamestown Public Schools for the 2025–26 school year; the board approved the artist-in-residence program after a motion by Melissa Gleason and a second by Jason Rohrer.

Schmitz said the center’s artist-in-resident (Anna Brock) teaches tactile clay projects and visits every K–6 classroom; the center typically limits artist placements to three years to avoid burnout. She also described plans to use two large corner windows in the center’s renovation and noted broad community interest in a planned culinary kitchen. The center reported receiving a $25,000 tourism grant to support local producers using the culinary space (for example, cottage food producers selling at Frontier Village) and said culinary equipment has been ordered with installation scheduled once the space is ready; the program is targeted to start in the spring semester after the facility is prepared (presenters mentioned a January start for instruction tied to equipment install scheduling).

Board members exchanged logistics questions about the culinary program and staffing; presenters said a newly hired teacher (listed earlier on the personnel agenda) has culinary qualifications and will teach Culinary Arts 1 and 2. The board approved the artist-in-residence program by roll call; the meeting packet included the proposed agreement.