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Oldham County Art Center tells board it serves thousands, expands scholarships and programming
Summary
At the Dec. 16 Oldham County Board of Education meeting, Mac McWilliams of the Oldham County Art Center presented enrollment, finance and programming updates — citing more than 3,000 annual students, scholarships and a near-$1 million annual budget — and previewed a spring musical with a live orchestra.
Mac McWilliams, representing the Oldham County Art Center, told the Oldham County Board of Education on Dec. 16 that the center now serves thousands of participants across the region and has grown both its programming and fundraising. "Over 3,000 students were enrolled in our classes," McWilliams said, noting 937 fall-quarter students and roughly 5,600 individual students who participated in performances and art shows last year.
The presentation emphasized access and scholarships as central elements of the center's mission. McWilliams said the annual operating budget is "almost a million dollars," with about 80% of revenue from tuition and substantial ticket sales; he also reported scholarships awarded to date totaling $823,000 and annual fundraising that has begun to increase after forming an Art Center Foundation. "We just started last year an Art Center Foundation," he said, adding that the foundation raised about $28,000 in its first eight months and a gala this fall brought in about $9,000.
McWilliams outlined several program highlights, including expanded preprofessional tracks (the CAPA program), a newly hired full-time theater director, Rachel Strader, and plans for the spring musical Into the Woods to include a live orchestra using Kappa string students. He said the center has grown its faculty specialties, expanded satellite string programs and staged workshops that allow student soloists to perform with full orchestra.
Board members received the presentation and were invited to the showcase that followed. The presentation framed the center as a regional arts resource that provides training from early childhood through adult levels and acts as both a cultural and educational partner for Oldham County students and families.
