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2 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 1. Introduction of New County Arts Director and Update on County Arts <br /> 3 Activities/Future Goals <br /> 4 Bonnie Hammersley introduced the new Orange County Arts Commission Director, <br /> 5 Katie Murray. <br /> 6 Katie Murray reviewed the following background information, and PowerPoint <br /> 7 presentation: <br /> 8 <br /> 9 Over the last two months, Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) Director Katie Murray has <br /> 10 been meeting with stakeholders in the arts community to determine the future direction of the <br /> 11 Commission. Historically, the primary role of OCAC has been one of grant funder to artists and <br /> 12 arts organizations. While this will remain a significant role of the commission, the director, as <br /> 13 well as County Management and the OCAC Advisory Board, believe the commission can serve <br /> 14 the arts community of Orange County in a more significant way. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 In addition to grants, a needs assessment has resulted in the identification of several areas of <br /> 17 assistance for the County's arts community. <br /> 18 <br /> 19 1. Promotion/Marketing <br /> 20 Most of the 177 arts-related organizations within the county are nonprofit organizations with <br /> 21 limited marketing budgets, working to promote only their own programs and projects. The <br /> 22 OCAC can help to further promote arts happenings for the entire county through an enhanced <br /> 23 social media presence, an improved e-newsletter, a more engaging website and new media <br /> 24 campaigns. <br /> 25 <br /> 26 2. Unification of arts community <br /> 27 One common complaint among arts stakeholders has been a lack of communication within the <br /> 28 arts community, both within similar groups (i.e. theater groups, galleries), organizations within <br /> 29 the same community, and communication among the three primary communities of Chapel Hill, <br /> 30 Carrboro and Hillsborough. <br /> 31 <br /> 32 3. Coordination of county-wide arts projects <br /> 33 Again resulting from the fact that most county arts entities are working within the confines of the <br /> 34 nonprofit world (limited resources and time), most organizations are strictly focused on their <br /> 35 own mission. There is a lack of projects that benefit the greater arts community and promote, <br /> 36 on a larger scale, the arts of Orange County. The communities within Orange County are <br /> 37 heavily saturated in the arts. This fact, combined with a demonstrated commitment to the arts <br /> 38 by County management and the Board of County Commissioners, means that Orange County <br /> 39 could potentially serve as a major arts destination. By helping to promote, unify and <br /> 40 contribute to the overall arts community, the OCAC will serve as the catalyst to make the <br /> 41 arts a primary identity and economic driver for Orange County. <br /> 42 <br /> 43 The resulting goals from these observations are to be determined at the Arts Commission <br /> 44 retreat on Saturday, November 19, 2016. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 The Arts and Orange County <br /> 47 A Summary of the state of the arts in Orange County, NC <br /> 48 Orange County Arts Commission <br /> 49 Katie Murray <br /> 50 <br />