Vermillion Area Arts Council raises funds to employ art teacher
One Vermillion organization hopes to get art back into some of the city’s schools.
The Vermillion Area Arts Council (VAAC) is raising funds to get an art teacher back into the school district, as there hasn’t been an art teacher employed at the elementary or middle schools for three years.
VAAC board member Jessi Wilharm said there are a couple programs in place that VAAC raises money for.
“One is an after school art program and the other is a group of parents and artists that teach children different art styles,” she said.
This past weekend, the VAAC held an art show and beer-tasting event called “Untapped” at the Washington Street Arts Center as a way to promote art in the community and to contribute to their mission of employing an art teacher.
Attended by more than 75 patrons, musician and USD faculty member Mike Hilson serenaded the guests with acoustic renditions of music during the mingling.
Some of the art at the show was on sale, featuring different kinds of media such as ceramics, dresses and canvas art. Many of the art pieces were created by USD students.
A 3-D printer was on hand and printed a small owl throughout the three-hour event. The owner of the printer also had several Star Wars-themed models, including a to-scale lightsaber, which was part of a silent auction.
Wilharm said she considered the “Untapped” event a success, as $1,500 was raised during the event and was well-attended. The organization is hoping to raise $50,000 to put an art teacher back into the Vermillion School District, and are in the very early stages of that goal.
USD students can become members of the VAAC for $10 a year. Membership provides a discount to all VAAC events and helps maintain the Washington Street Arts Center. The organization has 250 active members.
While the VAAC receives funding from the City of Vermillion, the United Way of Vermillion, the Vermillion Area Community Foundation, Clay County Commission and the South Dakota’s Arts and Humanities Council, VAAC relies on membership donations for significant portions of its annual budget.
Wilharm said she’s been actively trying to get the community interested in the arts.
“We have a problem reaching the university crowd because of the high turnover. We want the students and faculty to be involved with the art of Vermillion,” she said.
The VAAC is trying to raise $60,000 this year.
Other events hosted by the VAAC include Chili Blues, which is an annual event that’s been going on for 25 years, and Messy Hands Summer Camp.
The summer camp is a two-week program in which artists teach preschool to 14-year-old children about art and then work on different projects. One past project was a mosaic on the steps of the Washington Street Arts Center.
Wilharm said the VAAC hopes to expand its event schedule by hosting a garden party in May. One of the highlighted events organizers hope to have is a string quartet.
“Hopefully holding all of these events will let us raise enough money to help the community,” Wilharm said.
