Arts and culture are coming to Celina. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve always had Arts and Culture here, but with the formation of the Celina Fine Arts Board, the arts and a bigger focus on our culture will be a key part of City growth.
The City Council decided on creating a Fine Arts Board back in 2020, but it wasn’t until September of this year that they decided to make it official. Made up of a 7-member panel, including myself, the Fine Arts Board has several local artists and individuals who have a background in visual and fine arts. Like any other city board or committee, we will meet regularly to discuss and develop initiatives to bring more art and culture to Celina.
But what does that mean? Art and culture? I know we’ve all seen the various murals on the Square. It’s quite the photo opportunity. We have quite a bit of Celina culture infused into our City life with our new Heritage Festival, the annual Oktoberfest, and our local Cinco de Mayo celebrations. We are very proud of our history and traditions and plan to build on this foundation.
In November 2022, we had our first board meeting followed by an open meeting where we invited the community to tell us what they want to see as far as art and culture in Celina. Some of the ideas and concepts: a performing arts center; more community art pieces to include statues, memorials and installation art; Shakespeare in the Park; outdoor music and concerts like Symphony on the Square; and an art in the park program featuring local artists.
Arts within cities contribute to a more vibrant and enjoyable community for all and, believe it or not, contribute to economic growth. Communities benefit from arts organizations by stimulating business and economic growth. Participating in public art generates excitement, which leads to more foot traffic, which helps nearby businesses.
It is amazing how art can transform any region into a tourist destination of choice. A large part of this is due to the wide appeal of art. Whether you're a senior or a child, everyone can learn from and engage with art. The tourism industry depends on more than 100,000 nonprofit arts and culture organizations every day. Why not add Celina to that list?
Keeping art alive in our society means passing it down to the next generation. Students learn, grow, and create at art centers across the country through classes, programs, and summer camps. Studies have even shown that children who get an art education have higher GPAs, better test scores, and fewer dropouts. Embracing children's creativity gives them the tools to succeed in life.
Enacting a Fine Arts Board is one of the most important things the city can do for the community. We are extremely excited to begin the planning process for the Celina Fine Arts Board and look forward to seeing what the future holds. In fact, we’ve even thought of changing the name of the board to better reflect our focus- Arts and Culture. By doing so, we would be able to open up the board to more art activities than just the “fine” arts. In the end, this will lead to more support and awareness of the board and the city as a whole.
Please feel free to share your ideas with the Fine Arts Board as we begin this process. We want to make sure that we are creating the best Fine Arts Board for the Celina community because it’s not just about the seven of us on the Board, it is about every Celina resident and every Celina family.
Thank you Brian Bender, a local resident and member of the Fine Arts Board, for you editorial submission. If you have an article for editorial consideration, please send to Barbara.Ireland@CityLifestyle.com