Chancellor joins local arts board

The Bloomington Area Arts Council (BAAC) announced Thursday that IU Chancellor Sharon Brehm was appointed to a two year term on the BAAC's Board of Trustees.\n"I am delighted to join the BAAC," Brehm said in a statement. "It is a vital and vibrant community organization, which provides strong support for the arts and emphasizes the importance of the arts to Bloomington's quality of life and its economy."\nThe BAAC Board calls for 19 members who, according to Executive Director Sally Gaskill, "act as stewards of the organization to serve the public good."\nThe work of the Board includes many functions, but mainly the tasks include ensuring the financial health of the organization it oversees. The board is encouraged to further the organization's mission by supporting it through financial contributions and participation at all events. Unlike Brehm's counterparts in the for-profit sector, she will not be compensated for her membership.\nIn other words, she will probably wind up writing them a check, instead of cashing one.\nIf any of the board members did receive money, it would come from this year's BAAC budget of roughly $625,000. That money, Gaskill said, comes from "a combination of earned income, and contributions." \nThese sources include tuition paid-for classes, the rental of BAAC facilities, memberships to the organization, donations and grants. Two of the grants come from the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Revenue also comes from an Indiana Department of Commerce tax credit program. \n"One of our goals at the council is to have a seamless partnership between community based arts and university based arts," Gaskill said.\nGaskill said she is excited about the opportunities that will arise as a result of Brehm's acceptance. \n"I think she's going to enable us to work even more closely with the cultural entities of Indiana University," she said.\nPresident of the Board A. John Rose said he is happy to begin the community partnership Brehm has been endorsing since she was appointed as Chancellor.\n"Since she arrived in Bloomington just over a year ago, Sharon Brehm has made it clear that community-university collaboration is a priority for her," he said. "She will be a great asset to the BAAC, and we welcome her participation."\nBrehm said pairing two very active and well-known arts communities together can only yield positive results.\n"IUB is known around the world for our great resources in the arts, and the arts scene in Bloomington is very active and growing," Brehm said. "I look forward to doing my best to advance the arts here in Bloomington -- on campus and off."\nIn response to her appointment, Brehm, who served on a similar committee, Broome County Arts Council, in Binghamton, New York, said she is ready to get back into this type of work.\nRose said Brehm's appointment was something the Board wanted when she first arrived in Bloomington.\n"We asked her a year ago, but she was just getting her feet on the ground with the University and told me to call her in a year," he said.\nAs promised, one year later, Rose sent the Chancellor an e-mail reiterating the invitation, and the Chancellor accepted.