The Cattaraugus County Arts Council is a busy, but sometimes overlooked body that annually supports a variety of cultural programs and events. According to its Executive Director, Anne Conroy-Baiter, "Since many of our activities have been centered in the southern part of the county, we thought it would be a good idea to take the arts council on the road."
This led to planning a series of "On the Road" receptions, to be held at various library locations around the county. Cattaraugus Free Library has the honor of hosting the first of these events Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. CCAC staff and board members will be present to meet and greet the public; hopefully, so will several participating local artists, who'll discuss the council's activities from their own perspectives.
Ms Conroy-Baiter explained the upcoming road-tour's agenda and goals, saying, "We're hoping to raise general awareness of our activities and to match faces with names."
"We also want to brainstorm about ways the council can do more in the Cattaraugus area" she concluded.
The council is an independent, non-profit organization, whose website states its goals as the promotion, presentation, creation and appreciation of the arts in Cattaraugus County. Executive Director Conroy-Baiter and her staff hope that the Cattaraugus reception and those that follow, will help acquaint the public with the multiple opportunities available to them through CCAC's services. A listing of these events, workshops and classes is available on www.myartscouncil.net . In the past, classes have been offered on such diverse subjects as pottery, photography, painting, egg dyeing--even cooking.
Although the CCAC has been around for a number of years, a large portion of the public is unacquainted with what it is or what it does. The director and the board of directors feel these 'on the road receptions' will help correct that situation.
Although based in the village of Allegany, CCAC's activities encompass the entire county. Funding comes from the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as from the Cattaraugus County legislature, membership support and fund-raisers like the "2011 Lucky Calendar," which can be accessed from the above website.
Kathy Parent, director of the Cattaraugus Free Library, said she was pleased to open the library's doors to the CCAC. "Anytime I can provide a meeting place for an organization, I try to do so," she said. "It helps bring people's attention to the library."