Stepping Off the Stage

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.