The Mabel Tainter’s executive director Gary Schuster is stepping down. His accomplishments at the theatre, besides that killer goatee, include the gigantic and recently completed restoration/remodeling project.

Gary Schuster’s contributions to the Chippewa Valley’s non-profit arts scene are incalculable, innumerable, and unquantifiable. As a staff member of the Mabel Tainter Theater these past eight years, Gary has helped expand program offerings, create an open door atmosphere, oversee the renovation project, and developed loads of partnerships in the community. His last day as executive director was June 5, so we made sure to catch up with the local arts icon to review the state of the arts, what he has accomplished, and find out what’s next.

Where have you lived and worked?
Raised in Nordeast, Minneapolis; graduated in 1976 from St. Anthony Village High; attended U of M and Minneapolis College of Art & Design; while in college worked for Amfac Hotel and Radisson Hotel as waiter, bartender, and cook; moved to San Diego in 1987 to work as food & beverage manager for Hotel del Coronado and then worked at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina as food & beverage director; moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1991 to work at Red Lion Hotels & Inns corporate office as director of menu development (ran a corporate test kitchen and opened a lot of restaurants up and down the west coast). Red Lion was bought out by Doubletree Hotels so I took a severance package and started freelancing in design across the river in Portland, Oregon. I worked for various commercial print shops and companies in Portland – Multnomah Printing, JK Advertising, Oregon Potter’s Association, Pioneer Printing, Oregon Steel Mills, Washington Community Foundation, and even a few small jobs for Intel. We moved back to the Midwest in 2000, worked part-time at Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild and a week later the executive director walked off the job so I became interim director for the next 6 months. After CVTG, I went to work as store manager at DigiCOPY (great staff but a grueling job), left in November 2001 to be communications manager at the Mabel Tainter, been here ever since.

What differences/similarities do you see between the arts communities in large and small cities?
Aside from demographics and volume of venues/productions, not a lot of differences. In today’s society the quality of production and commitment of performers can be experienced at all levels. Too many people feed off the “if it’s a big city venue/production it must be good!” I don’t believe this to be true. I’ve been to a show at the Pantages Theater in Minneapolis that was absolutely horrible and an utterly fantastic ECCT performance at the State Theatre. I mean look at the quality of productions coming out of the American Player’s Theatre in Spring Green. And they have a population of, what, maybe 2,000? It’s all about heart. What kind of heart does a community have? How compassionate is the community in regards to the arts? If a community understands the satisfaction people derive from the arts in their community, that is what separates the quality of life between communities.

What has been the most gratifying experience you've had at the theater?
Spending one week and the two following weekends with the Inner Mongolian musical ensemble AnDa Union. Even with an intense language barrier it was the most spiritual time of my life. I was so touched by the Mongolian culture, the fierce camaraderie, and deeply loving friendship that I have two tattoos to remind me everyday of our connection as sworn brothers and sisters.

What are some of the things you’re most proud of achieving during your time at Mabel Tainter?
It’s important to remember that I alone did not accomplish any of these things. It was a staff of dedicated (and underpaid) managers and volunteers that diligently worked to make the changes and improvements. Shaking off the museum persona and opening up the building to the community as it was originally intended by the Tainters; new programming initiatives that feature regional artists; strengthening and building community partnerships; and of course the renovation and restoration. But, really, the community partnerships are more important than anything else we have accomplished.

How has the Mabel Tainter changed since you started?
We are now a vibrant community cultural center. When I arrived in 2001, the Mabel Tainter was generally perceived as a museum that had a limited performing arts season. You could not enter the theater without paying a tour guide and loitering was discouraged by locked doors. The Mabel Tainter was perceived as a historic jewel box that had to be preserved by limiting use, keeping the blinds drawn, and changing nothing. Today guests are welcome to linger, socialize, and explore at their leisure. We have returned to the original intent of the building as a community center open to everyone.

What do you see as the future for community arts organizations in the Valley?
Until a significant demographic shift happens in the Chippewa Valley, the arts in general will remain grassroots, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the arts are accessible to everyone. Local movements like the Chippewa Valley Blues Society give me hope. If you want to examine a successful business model for the arts, look at community theater. That’s why organizations like the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre, Menomonie Theater Guild, and Chippewa Valley Theater Guild are so important; they put making art in the hands of the people who support the arts. Get more people involved in making art and you eventually have a prosperous art economy, because with personal experience comes appreciation.

What do you see as some of the biggest challenges to community arts and non-profit organizations?
Indifference toward culture and the arts. I am always saddened by people who say, “Yes, we know about the great shows at State, Heyde Center, or Mabel Tainter, but we just never seem to go to anything. Not sure why, just busy I guess.” I remember my grandfather always making time at least once a year to take my sister and me to a ballet or play. He was a plumber, who had season tickets to the Minnesota Twins, yet he knew the value of a well-rounded life.

How can our area fully engage the next generation of creative thinkers, workers, and talent?
Opportunity. I believe it really is that simple. Creative people come and go because of opportunities to fulfill their life goals. If you can’t find an opportunity in your area of interest, you look someplace else. So in order to retain creatives we must provide opportunities for them to engage the community, network with peers, and market their interests. Government agencies, banks, chambers, economic development corporations must send the message that small creative entrepreneurs are as important to economic development as big box distribution centers or production facilities.

At what level are you seeing the most investment in community arts organizations?
Local government support is dwindling under the misguided mantra of helping the taxpayer. If this continues long term, it will not only hurt the arts, but decimate the quality of life in the region. State support goes where the population density is highest, which means most of the funding stays in larger cities. This must change in order to provide growth for smaller communities. National arts investment is such an elitist quagmire that some days I think it would be better to downsize the National Endowment for the Arts and fund directly to state levels. To maintain both performing arts programming and facility operations, organizations such as the Mabel Tainter depend primarily on private support. In the intensely competitive world of grants and foundation subsidies, it will be the private contributors that keep the Chippewa Valley arts going over the next five years.

How do you perceive the Chippewa Valley's approach to community arts presenters and makers?
I don’t think the Chippewa Valley has a unified approach to the arts. There are certainly select organizations that, because of superb leadership and core audience support, make the region rich. In a small community those organizations always stand out and tend to be the measuring stick for everyone else. It is my opinion that the arts in the Chippewa Valley are appreciated and supported by a cultural minority. So if the region is lacking anything, it would be a greater appreciation for the work that goes into the arts. If you experience something firsthand you have a greater appreciation for the people who make a living doing it. Have you ever played a pickup game of basketball at the park, and then watched an NBA game? Your perspective changes, and you have a greater appreciation for the game.

What exactly are you going to do now?

About a year ago, I decided to reexamine my personal goals and going back to school was the first item on my list. Second is to get my mother’s children’s stories published. It would be a great moment for our family to see her stories on a library or store bookshelf. Third, open a small creative co-op that provides opportunities for emerging creatives to establish their work, and a life, in the Chippewa Valley.
So the plan is to attend Stout, sharpen the writing and design skills, start a small creative business, and then self-publish my mother’s most recent stories Rodeo Warrior and Gathering Magic. From there, who knows? Maybe a quarterly journal featuring writers and artists that have been neglected by mainstream publishing.