Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, the Springfield Art Association and the Prairie Art Alliance, the two largest arts organizations in the Springfield area, will merge. “The PAA is going to come under the SAA’s umbrella,”explains Art Association executive director Betsy Dollar. All classes will be held on the SAA grounds, and the Art Alliance will become part of the SAA’s 501(C)3 nonprofit status.
The H.D. Smith Gallery at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, the most prominent public fixture of the PAA, will remain in operation. “I think initially the public perception will be that not a lot has changed,” Dollar says, “but over the next six months or so we will look at rebranding both organizations as they have come together.” Going forward, Dollar and PAA gallery director Corin McWhirter anticipate a more collaborative spirit in the way exhibitions will be organized. “Hopefully with some of the events like Paint the Street and Roasted that are more hands-on, the member artists will get more involved and help to expand them.”
The merger came about largely as a result of struggles faced by the Prairie Art Alliance, which has been without an executive director for more than a year, with McWhirter stepping in to fill that role in an unofficial capacity. “After four years of leadership turnover, the PAA board of directors made it their objective to find a new, sustainable approach,” says McWhirter.
“Our hope is that the Art Alliance’s donor members and supporters who are not already members of the Art Association will now join and help continue to support the gallery and the arts in general,” says Dollar. She also expressed hope that some who are already members of both organizations might raise their level of membership or even decide to make a bigger investment by sponsoring an event.
There is optimism that this move will help unify the visual arts scene in town. Dollar is aware that there is a history of conflict between the organizations but is confident that this will not be a difficult hurdle to overcome. “It’s kind of funny,” she says. “Whatever the failings of the SAA were toward the PAA all those years ago, no one is around on this end who even knows what the problem was.”
According to McWhirter, this is nothing but a positive step. “One of the things the arts can do in a community is revitalize it and that’s clearly something we need around here. For these two organizations to start working together, I think, is one of the best things possible.”
Dollar agrees. “This way hopefully we can collaborate instead of duplicate and make each of the things that we do stronger. The other hope is to create an environment ultimately that attracts and keeps younger, emerging artists in town instead of leaving in frustration for someplace else.” To that end both organizations have already placed focus on mentoring programs. “It’s a way of teaming up established artists with emerging artists and encouraging them,” Dollar explains.
There are plans for an eventual series of master-level classes as well as an ongoing dialogue and discussion group, according to Dollar. “It will be an atmosphere where whoever is working on something can bring it to the group and say, ‘Come over and look at this – which color do you like?’” Both organizations have their years already plotted out in terms of exhibitions. “We have the Images of Illinois photography contest coming up very shortly,” says McWhirter. “We hope to see more participation in that through the partnership and to spread the word to a larger audience. I’m relatively new to Springfield but since I’ve been here, there’s a lot of people talking really positively about working together instead of just trying to create our own little pockets – there’s so much more we could do. Funding’s drying up so it just makes sense to pool your resources.”
Dollar views the merger as a great way to start the new year on a high note. “The idea is that we want to start fresh with a new approach and see what we can do to just keep jazzin’ it up.”
Contact Scott Faingold at sfaingold@illinoistimes.com.
