I served on the Arts Center Board in Corvallis from 1987 to 1996. I know that the paid employees and volunteers go above and beyond expectations in helping bring art to our community and state. The Arts Center is chronically underfunded and yet produces amazing exhibits, teaching opportunities and other arts related activities.
The Arts Center in Corvallis is a vibrant community arts center for people of all ages. I moved to Corvallis about 2 years ago, and I was immediately drawn to The Arts Center and started volunteering for some of their programs. Under the strong leadership of Cynthia Spencer and her staff, The Arts Center provides robust and meaningful art experiences for children, teens, and adults. There are programs that have been an integral part of the community for many years, and are still thriving, such as the Howland Community Art show (with over 200 entries), the second Saturday art programs for young children, the Arts Alive! program to help accelerate and support young artists getting started in their art careers, and many, many more! The Arts Center is the heart and soul of Corvallis's creative community. We're SO lucky!
Brenda C
The organization has suffered from inconsistent leadership in its purpose and role in the community. Several fabulous programs such as a "healing arts" program implemented in the local dialysis center and a "alley arts" program have made art more accessible within the community. However, other programs for raising funds (Chocolate Fantasy Art Auction) have strayed away from the charities original mission of making art accessible to the local community. Periodic opportunities to meet with artists help those artists get noticed, but are not well promoted and seem more for the benefit of the organization than the artist. Contentious relationships with artists guilds seems at odds with the charities charter and create a sense of "snobbishness" and "snootiness".