Arts Participation Initiative - Orcas Center

Upon arriving at the Orcas Center, while trying to find the backstage, I met Executive and Artistic Director, Barbara Courtney, as she crested the hill with her dog on a crisp, bright Fall day. The healthy, energetic look on her face mirrors the vitality that I found at the Center. (Barbara was just returning from the post office to mail a grant application.)

The Orcas Center is located on Orcas Island in the small town of Eastsound. The journey to get there is a long one. The aging ferry takes time to stop at Lopez and Shaw where cars sometimes back off the ferry. The scenery is astounding and the pace slows.

Conservatory class schedule.

At the Center, I first met with “Sparks,” Deborah Sparks, Theatre Programs Director. She runs the conservatory that was started with the Arts Participation Initiative Grant. Sparks gave me a tour of the their facilities. I was surprised by the size of the Center. I had viewed pictures on the website, but I was not aware of how big it is. The building was built in 1984 and a new wing was built three years ago. The facility includes a 213 seat theatre, ample lobby, large community room with a large kitchen, courtyard garden, black box theatre with a separate entry and lobby, production shop, costume shop, offices, and another large building that is for storage. The lobby and community room are used for art shows. The Center is impressive. When I asked Sparks how they could build such a great facility, she said, “We live in a community with significant personal wealth.”

The arts in this rural community are challenged with economic diversity. The rich may retire and have homes on Orcas but there are plenty of people on the island with families that are just getting by. They are raising kids and trying to make a living. The Center saw the need for arts education that is not being met in the schools. The long term goal is to create and sustain arts education in the schools. The Conservatory at the Orcas Center is a way to begin to address this need. They offer classes and make sure that anyone can attend even if they cannot make the tuition fee of $10 a class. Even with tuition fees, the cost of the classes is not completely covered.

Right on the newsletter it states, “Does the cost of tuition prohibit you or your child from participating in class? If so, please call to inquire about payment plans and tuition assistance.” That's so straight forward and clearly inviting to those interested in taking a class.

I asked Sparks how it is to work in her rural community. She says that she has to work with each individual. There is no cookie cutter approach. She must work with each person or family to find out how their needs can be met. She works to create a container for creativity and to empower people to be creative. The Center is the playhouse for residents to play in.

The Center has five people on staff and they are listed in alphabetical order in their newsletter. Shaun Albrechtson, Technical and Facilities Director; Barbara Courtney, Executive / Artistic Director; Artha Kass, Front of House Manager; Annie Moss Moore, Business Manager; and Deborah Sparks, Theatre Programs Director.

Sparks describes the relationship of the staff as collaborative. They have gotten into a good groove. Shaun Albrechtson just started and she is excited for his initiative to organize the facility and better meet the technical needs. She said that prior to Barbara Courtney coming in, the board was sometimes known to micro manage. The staff had a large say in hiring Barbara and that contributed to the deeper level of collaboration at the Center. They hired a headhunter to seek applicants and received 50 applications for the position.

I was able to sit in on a Conservatory class, hip hop taught by Anthony Manuel. He was able to lead the girls through a complicated routine and break it down so that they could take in all the new steps. The interest and commitment of the students was apparent. There were there to learn and were enjoying it.

Orcas Island is lucky to attract many people with creative talents. This gives them a pool of teachers that other rural locations may not have. They have to seek out these relationships with the many talented people who live on the island or nearby islands. It's an asset to run a center in a place that attracts interesting individuals but they are also limited by the teaching pool available.

After the class, I met with Barbara Courtney, the Executive and Artistic Director. She came to Orcas a few years back. She was Executive Director at Artist Trust in Seattle where she had a stellar reputation. Even with this reputation, she wasn't warmly greeted by all in her new job. About five of the board stepped down and there were a lot of personal agendas worked into the Board. She didn't let politics stop her. She set out to find what Orcas Center is to the community. From that they wrote a vision statement: “Providing Orcas Islanders with artistic and cultural experiences that nourish our hearts, minds and souls.”

When Barbara came on board she didn't assume anything. She did see that there was not a real focus. She got to work with the members, board, and staff to make a Strategic Plan. The plan spans 2007-2012. It outlines five goals, what will measure their success and the strategies to get there. The first two, Goal #1 Increase significantly the number of individuals participating in meaningful arts and cultural activities and Goal #2 Make Orcas Center a vital resource to Orcas Island artists for production support and performance opportunities, are right in line with the Arts Participation Initiative objectives. Goal 1 and 2 aim to build participation in the arts by deepening, broadening and diversifying relationships in the community.

The population of Orcas Island is 5,000. The center can boast 20% of the island as members. Barbara feels that you can see the impact of their work more readily because of the smaller population. They must balance the programming to make sure that all their members find something they want. The box office will never cover all their expenses. On one level their success is how many “butts in seats” they have. It will show that they are meeting their member's needs.

They will however do riskier projects that challenge the population artistically. But these have to be in balance with the overall mix of programming.

The Orcas Center is growing because of the work to make a strategic plan and having a great staff that can realize their goals. It a true success story in the making.

Site visit and photo Saya Moriyasu, October 2007.

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