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 John Rohman, –Photo: Ken D'Errico PDF of this Article (2.4MB)
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I write this letter while looking out on a Maine winter day adorned with large accumulations of fresh crisp snow, the likes of which I have not seen in recent years. This spectacle convinces me that it is the four seasons and especially the winter cold that in large part makes us the prepared, capable individuals we are.
Clearly, these strengths spill over to our artists and to the quality of the Maine Arts Commission staff and commission members. As you perhaps already know, during the last portion of 2007 we were involved in a state audit that unveiled fiscal management recommendations that I am very pleased to report have been implemented.
Another very noteworthy news item has been our transition of the Maine Arts Commission leadership. It has been my real pleasure to work with Alden C. Wilson for nearly ten years. His dedication to the agency and more importantly to the artists and citizens of Maine has been tremendous. Alden, at the time of his retirement, was the longest serving director of any state arts agency. As president of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies I am fortunate to have come to know the directors of many other state arts agencies. There are many quality leaders in the country and Alden has been viewed as "cream of the crop." His leadership made a significant impact in the cost cutting time period of the early nineties as well as the organization of the cultural agencies for New Century Community program funding.
The good news is we are not missing a beat when we welcome Donna McNeil as our new director. Her unwavering support for Maine's artists is well documented. As I have said on many occasions, Donna has "fire in the belly" for quality art, and her appointment has been greeted with enthusiasm and respect from both the artist community and her agency co-workers.
As we usher in the next iteration of the Maine Arts Commission, I suggest the key words will be quality and communication. We intend to support, as we have in the past, quality Maine art and artists in all corners of the state. In 2008, we will be achieving our goals with significant amounts of communication as well. I suspect you have noticed greater news coverage, but we also, with our statewide workshops, hope you will benefit from more face-to-face time as well.
I am very proud to be part of a group that will continue to a greater level in 2008.
John M. Rohman
Chair
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