Arts Scene: LCCA elects new officers

The Lancaster County Council of the Arts held its annual meeting June 21 at the Springs House. Thank you to so many interested people for attending our 2012 fiscal year business meeting and reception.
Attendees were also able to view the acclaimed Traveling South Carolina Water Media Exhibit on display in our galleries and hear a special music performance by Kelly Burdette on the flute. The wonderfully artistic table arrangement designed specifically for the evening was provided by Winona’s Flowers.
New officers, directors
I am pleased to announce the officers and directors for 2012-13: president, Pat Clancy; vice president, Amy Overcash; secretary, Marianne Palladino; treasurer, Mary Bernsdorff; ex officio, David Platts. Our newest board members are Mark Baker, Brittney Hammond, Dr. Ernest Jenkins, Nick Lawrence and Ashley Shannon, who join our current directors – Gigi Biggerstaff, Erick Crawford, Cherry Doster and Monica Harris.   
The meeting also honored David Platts, outgoing president, and Heather Blackmon, outgoing secretary, for their seven years of volunteer service to the LCCA.
Thanks to volunteers, sponsors
It was also a pleasure to offer special thanks to the special volunteers who have helped us all year: Kim Blum-Hyclak, Bob Doster, Whitney Williams, Mark Plyler and the city of Lancaster for the care and attention they pay to our physical home at 201 W. Gay St., Lancaster.
This meeting was filled with gratitude for all this and even more, including our successful 2011-12 programs and projects, a 50 percent increase in membership dollars and our fine corporate sponsors: Founders Federal Credit Union, the city of Lancaster/Performing Arts Series, Duke Energy Foundation, FB Enterprises and Nutramax Laboratories.
The LCCA board of directors and I have a renewed commitment to serve Lancaster with our organization as a community development engine and as a key in promoting our region as an excellent place to live and do business.
Upcoming opportunities
Here are some arts opportunities you and yours will not want to miss:  
• Marian Hagins Memorial Art Competition is open to all water media artists in Lancaster County. A call to artists has been extended and work will be accepted for judging the last week of August. This show will be exhibited in our galleries in September and October.
• A summer gallery exhibit by Dr. Frances Story in July and August in the Springs House galleries.
• A Creepy (Arts) Crawl Downtown is set for Oct. 26 – mark your calendars – and is sure to be another big hit for those who want to support the arts and downtown businesses and love to dress up for Halloween!
More community and cultural events can be found at www.lancastercitysc.com under the See Lancaster tab.
Annual reports available
LCCA’s 2011-12 annual reports are available at the Springs House for a more complete summary of our year.
And now we’re off to accomplish much in fiscal year 2012-13. We accomplish nothing without you, our community partners, and this past year was evidence that we will keep moving forward to strengthen the cultural landscape of our community, despite the weaknesses of our economy.
The arts are still a good investment in our future.
Here’s to a happy, healthy new year!
Arts. Take part.