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Left and right brain see the light
(by Barbara Christian - April 29, 2010)
WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, BY BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Left and right brain see the light
As a rule, artists and business people operate in different worlds, but they doesn't mean they can't bee great allies. Case in point is how they might work together in securing Chagrin Falls' future as the place for all things cultural.
Last week, village arts commission chairman Scott Lax held out his hand in welcome to what he called the "for profits" in our town. He wants the business types to join the group's ongoing conversation about Chagrin's way forward. "We'd like their energy to be part of our energy," is the way Scott put it. And why not? Art and business could be a match made in heaven.
If you have ever hung around artists at all, you may know how woeful they are at left-brain thinking.
Yes, that is a sweeping generalization, but it holds more than a grain of truth, and folks involved with institutions like the Chagrin Valley Art Center and the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre understand this. So they are inviting business people onto their boards to add that all-important "for-profit" thinking.
The Valley Art Center thrived under the leadership of Bob Halliday, a certified public accountant, and that continues under insurance industry executive Dave Toole. Together with others on the board, VAC has managed to make money in a bad economy. Not only that, but it has been on time and on budget with a multi-phased program of exterior and interior renovations.
Had the artists alone been faced with the task of pulling that off, they might still be arguing over colors for the walls.
Over at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, businessman Tom Neff has been the stalwart for the past several years. Now retired, Tom, another bottom-line guy, easily segued from big business to little theater presidency.
He and the CVLT board have managed to keep most of the drama on the stage and attention focused on the theater's future.
Now in its 80th year, CVLT continues to produce theater for everyone, from kids to the avant-garde sophisticates year in and year out, even in the down economy.
By the way, that intake of air you hear from River Street is Tom and his board taking a deep breath as they head into their capital campaign, which kicks off with two sold-out shows starring native son Tim Conway.
The little theater and the art center are examples of the good things that happen when creativity and business sense join in a common cause.
Just look at an events calendar if you have any doubt about how arts and culture are becoming a big deal in Chagrin Falls and the top choice for people looking for the best place to spend their entertainment dollars.
The restaurants and galleries are a natural fit, but Scott says he is hoping for a wider "light-bulb moment" when the rest of Chagrin's business community understands "how we feed each other."
Oh, the potential and synergy there can be when left-brain savvy meets right-brain creativity. The arts commission meets at 6 p.m. June 14 in Village Hall. A big turnout from the business community would be great.
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