Full and rewarding.
That was how Arts Humboldt's first year was described by president Glenda Lees.
The umbrella organization which is meant to bring the different facets of the arts community in Humboldt together held their annual general meeting on November 15, attended by a small crowd of people.
This was the organization's second annual general meeting, but it concluded their first year of operations.
Now a year old, board members had something to look back on.
Arts Humboldt's first event was a bittersweet one, Lees noted, "as we said goodbye to Humboldt's performing arts theatre with the Sutherland Farewell Gala on Sunday, January 22. About 200 people attended the evening with a variety of performers from Humboldt and area."
At the end of June, Arts Humboldt partnered with the City of Humboldt to provide entertainment for the cultural stage at the Summer Sizzler.
"Although we didn't have a huge audience, we had fun," Lees said.
Their third event of the year - the Bash in the Boldt - wasn't officially an Arts Humboldt event, though it did heavily involve some board members, Lees indicated.
Arts Humboldt members assisted with the event, which was a multi-band concert featuring a multitude of local performers.
"It was a thrill for Arts Humboldt to be able to bring Missoula Children's Theatre back to Humboldt the week of September 10-15, for the first time in five years," Lees added.
MCT presented "The Wizard of Oz" on the new Humboldt Collegiate Institute stage with the help of about 60 students from Humboldt and area.
Lees said she and the other board members, most of whom stayed on for a new year, are looking forward to continuing to encourage the arts in the community by holding more events - one suggested was an Irish pub night around St. Patrick's Day - and by continuing to work with the city on planning for a new performing arts facility.
Arts Humboldt will likely be the catalyst from the public side when it comes to getting a new performing arts theatre here, it was noted.
A committee is being struck to start talking about a multipurpose city facility, which would include a theatre component, noted board member Rob Muench, who is also a member of city council.
"Arts Humboldt needs to be involved (with that committee) so it's planned out and usable as an arts facility," Muench said.
Within the next year, Arts Humboldt also wants to get its membership up.
Brian Grest, treasurer of Arts Humboldt, suggested that the fledgling organization do something to formalize membership, so they are asking local artists to fill out a form and become members for a small fee.
A membership means that you belong to the organization, that you are an artist or have a strong connection to the arts, Grest explained.
"We're hoping people in the arts community will buy memberships and become formal, card-carrying members of Arts Humboldt," he said.
They have also come up with "Friends" and "Patrons" opportunities for those who want to provide financial support to Arts Humboldt.
It will allow those outside the arts community to support what Arts Humboldt is trying to do.
These new opportunities are not a money grab, Grest said.
"But in the long run, if we're serious about being the body that puts the need for a performing arts centre front and centre, every little bit of money helps," he said.
Arts Humboldt might not be able to afford to build a centre, but they could perhaps help to equip such a facility, he said.
A membership base will also help Arts Humboldt do what it was meant to do - to bring the arts together, and act as a collective voice for that community when it's needed.
"The whole idea is to create a network in the arts community," said Grest.
Linking them through a common website, Grest noted, could increase the involvement within the arts community as well.
"It could be an incentive to get everyone involved in what everyone else is doing."
Financially, Arts Humboldt is in the black. Their basic financial statement, which dates to August 21, 2012, shows a net operating surplus of $1,788.83.
In the past year, they gathered together over $3,000 through fundraising, $1,000 in grants and just over $50 in donations. Expenses included an advance payment to and insurance for Missoula Children's Theatre, which amounted to just over $820, operating costs of $666, and fundraising costs of $824.
One of the major fundraisers of the year was actually the Sutherland Theatre Farewell, though it was initially held to raise the profile of the theatre, to bring to the community's attention that something was about to be lost.
Another focus for the group, bringing back Missoula Children's Theatre, was also very successful, Grest indicated. Arts Humboldt was able to find both sponsorships and grant money for that program.
