The Decatur Daily Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 15

Decatur, Illinois, Monday, April 24, 1978 THE DECATUR DAILY REVIEW PAGE FIFTEEN 0 i i i i I I tvMiVV-tl vk i VL l' ifwV ir 4 If h' xs i Even during the summer, UNA: 'M conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchesta in a public performance during jmm-y jrw.iu, Arts Council 10 and productions are staged Ann Seidman. Frances Wilson. Rosenberg and Brown. Looking back. Howard Brown said, it (DAAC) reallv SDrane from a meeting he had one time with Margaret Fas- snacht.

who at that time was director of wn i 41 Tv 1. 1 1 1 juLisii. cuutauun iui uecaiur ccnooi District and stated there was a chance to bring the Paul Taylor Dancers to Decatur. The Illinois Arts Council would give a small grant toward that and Miss Fassnacht wondered if Brown could use the troupe as part of a county teachers in- takes a program into a school. Geora Solti growing stitute.

Miss Fassnacht at the time was an Illinois Arts Council board member. Brown did include the dancers as part of that October 17 institute. "After that was over what do you do fnr an prirnro Ri-nti-r ciiH uA em again." The second was under the cnnrcrtrc hinn nt 4 opuuouiauiup ui mc ncv ueidiur Arts Council. 1 he enthusiasm for bringing arts experiences to school children and to the community continued. In the earlv years, a pianist and artist visited classrooms, a calendar of events was published and there were tours of arts exhibits.

The opening of Kirkland Fine Arts Center at Millikin University in 1970 opened the door to a series of concerts for elementary school children in Macon County. The series is now called the Performing Arts Series for Students, produced in cooperation with Millikin. The Decatur Area Arts Council came of age in a hurry. In 1971, the Chicago Symphony Orcestra spent a week in residency, with two public concerts included in the schedule. In the months and years that have followed, the council has been involved in bringing to the county such groups as City Center Acting Companv.

Free Street Theater. Bella Lewitzkv Dance Company. William Warfield and National Ballet of Illinois. One of its most recent efforts was cospcnsorship with the Millikin Convocations Series of the award-winning plav "Sizwe Bansi Is Dead." There have been artist in-residence programs, neighborhood arts program, programs in area towns and purchases of arts for public places. The council has worked with other organizations, schools.

Richland Community College and Millikin. One of its instructional programs has been INTRO i introduction to theater for county first graders) under the leadership of Louise Fathauer. The council took another step forw ard in its continuing growing-up process in 1975 with employment of Paul Hummer as its first professional executive director. Elinor Gage served as interim director after Hummer's resignation last May, until J. Langston Boyles assumed the position in August.

As the council has matured it has become a more comprehensive community arts agency and its role as a cata-lst for the arts is becoming more apparent. To further its erowth the rnnnril in- itiated a study of the area's cultural re- uivts in me Macon county Arts Plan. The study is being used to continue evaluation of the program and to make recommendations for the future. As he looked back over the council's first 10 years, Brown said he saw the council as having been beneficial for cultural development of the area. He viewed as outstanding the programs which have brought arts of various forms into the schools.

People have become aware there is an arts council, though they may not always know the exact name, said Mrs. Fathauer. She says she sees healthy signs in the fact the council has helped some groups do things for themselves, rather than the DAAC doing it all, and in the fact that as "the old guard has faded out new blood has come into" the council. For the future, she said she sees a need for more persons from communities outside Decatur to sit on the board and become involved in such a way as to take opportunities to get pro- grams in meir communities. the 1971 residency.

Nutcracker." f. ,5 i i r--Wj By Lois Moore On April 8. 1963. the Decatur Area Arts Council (DAAO came into being. At ase 10.

it may still be considered a chiid. but a very precocious one. At that first meeting held in the office of attorney Emanuaf Rosenberg. Howard Brown, superintendent of the educational services region, as elected president. The first board of directors included Diane Carlson.

Margaret Fassnacht. Louise Faihauer. Elinor Gage. Orv Graham. Ronald Gregory.

Barbara Hosteller. Marvin Klaven. Edward Lindsav. The City Center Acting Company s.v I if X. 'X I I 5 i s' 1 I r' 4 -1 5 1 vi Jri 't -'ir 'I 5.

i A. v. j. "NS The National Ballet of Illinois does a scene from "The The Neighborhood Arts Program involves persons of various ages..