Octsummary

Introduction
for Small Group Discussions

Let's do a little time travel. Put our artists' imaginations to work.
Picture yourself several years in the future, living in Seminole County. At certain points in the past you had thought about leaving the area, in order to make it in your field as an artist. But now things have changed a bit for the better. This community seems like the place to be, at least for artists. Sure, it helps that the economy picked up, but maybe just as big a difference was made by the artists themselves.

We got our act together. Artists became a force for good in the community. Mostly we did it by creating a community of our own, a shelter so to speak, an association run by artists and responsive to artists. And several years later it continues to thrive.

Now we expect to see original works of art in every part of the county. Plays written by local playwrights and performed by local actors are showcased year-round. Musicians get together with dancers and poets to create new works that you can see regularly in inviting alternative performance spaces. The local film festival is distinguished by the work of local filmmakers. Local museums want to be the entry point to the visual arts of Seminole County. There's even an active Art in Public Places program that incorporates local artists of all types in county planning. Artists from diverse backgrounds collaborate so often it's hard to remember a time when we didn't know each other. And as the result of obtaining affordable housing and studio space, artists have created vibrant neighborhoods throughout the county. Our ideal community has become a model of cooperation and collaboration for all of Seminole County and we have support from all sectors of the community. What a turn-around! Now we get calls from other communities around the country, wanting to know how they can create a dynamic artists' association of their own.

Are you there? Can you picture it all? Now let's get your input…