A second act for Wash Arts
The health of a community can be measured through its tax base, infrastructure and job market, but its cultural life is also an important gauge of its vitality.
In Washington, the position of the Washington Community Arts and Cultural Center has been unsettled in recent months due to the departure of its founder, Sandee Umbach, and the withdrawal of funding from some key benefactors. Just a year after it relocated from West Beau Street to airy digs on South Street, it was left with unpaid bills, unscheduled classes and a sense that the organization was rudderless.
However, as we reported in the Sunday edition, the arts and cultural center – more commonly known by the shorthand Wash Arts – could well be heading not for the shoals, but for the second act of its 11-year life. There’s a new director, Jennifer Adamson, who sliced her salary in half so that more staffers could be accommodated, new members of the board and fresh curriculum and special events directors. They are looking toward making Wash Arts a hub for community activities and the arts, and drawing visitors not just from the city and its immediate environs, but from Pittsburgh, West Virginia and other points on the map.
“We want to be the arts resource for this region,” Adamson said.
In this endeavor, we wish Wash Arts the best.