Thank you for a great year

By Anne B. Pope, Executive Director –

This year has been so rewarding, filled with many accomplishments for the arts in Tennessee. I want to take a moment to say ‘thank you’ to all of you who have made this possible.

Thank you to those artists and arts organizations whose work moves communities forward through the arts. In the past year we have been able to make investments in every county in Tennessee, thanks to the hard on-going work of staff and constituents across the state. Many new projects are under way because of the ten statewide designated agencies distributing Arts Build Community grants. This year, we have 600 organizations receiving grants totaling $5.3 million—a testament to the breadth and depth of the arts in Tennessee. That is truly something to appreciate.

Thank you to our board whose dedication to the arts in Tennessee is beyond measure. Thank you arts leaders, arts administrators, arts patrons and arts educators. Because of you, the arts in Tennessee continue to thrive and flourish.

Thank you to the legislators who work on our behalf, especially members of the Arts Caucus; our chair, Senator Doug Overbey; and Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, who has championed the Specialty License Plate Gift Voucher Program.

Lastly, thank you again to the artists. You bring us music, dance, theatre, poetry, stories, crafts, photography, paintings and sculpture that make our lives better every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!