The following speech was originally presented by Drew Williams, Assistant Superintendent at Summit DD, at An Evening with Artists on December 12th, 2024:

Good evening,

Thank you again for attending tonight’s event, which has highlighted the important work of local artists, ArtsNow, and the impact that the ArtsForward grant has had in supporting local artists and organizations to build a more vibrant community. I am not an artist–probably sounds a bit odd to hear that, given this program is titled An Evening with Artists. In many ways I’m standing before you because I missed a meeting, and the planning group decided I should say a few closing remarks. We will all find out if that was a good idea in about 4 minutes.

Though I may not be an artist, ArtsNow, local arts organizations, the artists on stage tonight, and the ArtsForward grantmaking process has had a meaningful impact on people I care about, and as a result, has had an impact on me. I’m going to briefly share two examples- Rex was one of the first people I met when I started working at Summit DD. As I got to know him, I learned he was a painter. Over time I had the privilege of seeing some of his work. Yet, when I asked him if he had the opportunity to have his work displayed in a gallery, the answer was “no.” Rex hasn’t always been viewed in the context of the talented painter he is. The fact that he has a disability has at times been a barrier and his art has been viewed in the context of that disability. An “artist with a disability” vs. just an artist. Yet, the Summit Artspace team, an ArtsForward grant recipient who, along with ArtsNow, has done more to advance inclusion and accessibility in the arts in Summit County than any other organizations I know, saw Rex as an artist and that was it. Because of that, Rex was asked to include his works at Summit Artspace, and the pictures you see behind me is Rex at the closing reception discussing his work. After the reception, I sent Heather an email, and I’d like to read a portion of it: “What a wonderful closing reception for Rex. It was fantastic and I’m really thankful for the ways in which Summit Artspace and you personally have embraced accessibility and inclusion in the arts and culture sector. Saturday was completely about Rex and who he is as an artist and that was it. And Rex is not the only one. Amanda, Rachel, and Elizabeth have all connected with Summit Artspace in some way over the last few years. Without your support, these types of opportunities just would not exist, so I’m incredibly grateful for your support and the work you are doing to support all artists.”

Photos by The Green Photograph

Next, is about an artist you heard from tonight, Althea Jones. I got to know Althea because we were part of the group that helped plan this evening’s event. I knew about the work Althea was doing as I had the opportunity to sit on the ArtsForward grant committee. And, while I didn’t really know much, I did a bit of online snooping, saw some pictures and thought, this would be a fun Saturday afternoon activity. Convinced my kids–really, what I did was convince my twelve-year-old son who would have opted to stay home given the choice. Athlea was warm, inviting, and immediately got my kids engaged. It takes some work to get my son out of his shell, but she accomplished that with ease, and as we were making collages, he really got into it and Althea leaned right into his creativity even supporting his impulsive decision to try splatter painting. As we were wrapping up, she asked if she could display their work in her upcoming show. At the time, I am positive Althea did not understand the massive impact she had just made. Leading up to the show, they daily brought up that their work was going to be in a “real art show.” They invited their grandparents, and my daughter picked out a dress because “ you need to dress fancy for art shows.” The show truly embodied the community Althea created and my daughter, the social one in the family, had a fantastic time talking with whomever would give her time. But it was my son who was most impacted. Althea made a comment when we first arrived that people were talking about his work. At the time, he didn’t say anything, but as he and I were walking out, he turned to me and said, “Were people really looking at and talking about my picture?” I replied “Yeah, they were” and the sense of pride and excitement he had was truly something special.

These stories would not be possible without ArtsNow, their partner organizations, and the funding that comes from the ArtsF o r w a r dgrant program. The community building, the genuine connections that were created through the stories you heard tonight, are only possible because of the funding that ArtsNow provides. So, I would ask you to please consider donating to ArtsNow so future connections and new stories can happen.

Thank you for attending.