ArtsQuest Board Governance Manual

ARTSQUEST PERFORMING ARTS BOARD
JOB DESCRIPTION
ARTSQUEST MISSION: TO CELEBRATE ARTS AND CULTURE
The Organization is incorporated under the Non-Profit Organization law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
for the following purposes:
A. To enhance and promote the public appreciation of the musical heritage of the City of Bethlehem
and surrounding areas.
B. To promote performing and visual arts in the City of Bethlehem by presenting programming of a
wide variety for the general public.
Mission: ArtsQuest will be an international model for providing access to exceptional artistic, cultural and
educational experiences promoting individual and community development, creativity, enlightenment and
fulfillment. ArtsQuest will provide access to the arts, culture and educational programs for the diverse residents
of the Lehigh Valley and others who seek access in our community by:
I. Using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities.
II. Providing quality cultural experiences for individuals, families, youth, children at risk, senior citizens, and
individuals with special needs.
− Present local, regional, national and international visual and performing artists.
− Constantly up-grade the quality of all programs.
− Offer opportunities for development and exposure of visual and performing artists.
− Be proactive in providing access to new artistic and creative formats afforded by technology.
III. Providing education in the creative arts in areas not well represented by traditional educational
institutions in the community and becoming a resource for arts education and arts-in-education for
the region.
IV. Partnering with business organizations, educational institutions, government agencies and other
not-for-profit organizations.
V. Maintaining a strong, clear communication network for all stakeholders, including volunteers, donors,
staff, vendors and the community.
VI. Empowering volunteers to govern the organization, and to develop and produce cultural programs that
meet community needs.
VII. Developing a staff that demonstrates the excellence of the organization and works in harmony with each
other and the volunteer corps.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE ARTSQUEST PERFORMING ARTS BOARD
The Performing Arts Board will further the mission of ArtsQuest through monitoring and advising the
professional staff on the content of performing arts programming by the organization. For the purposes of
ArtsQuest, performing arts includes music, cinema, theater, dance, comedy and all other traditional performing
arts. Initially the Performing Arts Board will have at least four committees: The Music Arts Committee (to review
music and various entertainment submissions and make recommendations to programming staff), the
Comedy Arts Committee (to make recommendations and provide feedback on comedic programming of the
organization), the Cinema Committee (to make recommendations and provide feedback on movie related programming
throughout the organization), and the Musikfest Advisory Committee (to make recommendations and
provide feedback across the entire festival). The role of the Board will be to:
a. Represent the community and reach out to others in the community to bring performing arts
programming ideas to the attention of Board members.
b. Have an interest and independent knowledge of one or multiple areas of performing arts to assist
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