ONEONTA — Two local groups are merging activities to focus efforts to support and promote arts in the area, it was announced today.
The local Arts and Entertainment Task Force, formed as the result of summits last year on promoting the arts in the Oneonta area, will merge its activities with the Community Arts Network of Oneonta, formerly known as the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts.
“These two organizations operating separately ran the risk of unintended competition with suboptimal impact on the community,’’ Kellie Place, task force chairwoman, said in a media release. ``Those of us involved over the last 16 months believe that our integration with CANO will maximize our impact.”
Task force members will continue their program-related activities, including developing a database of artists and organizations and developing major programs, such as the destination weekend “Dancing In The Streets” to be held in Oneonta from May 11 to 13.
After a period of fiscal and governance difficulty, CANO has emerged from reorganization and is expanding its historic mission focusing on the visual arts to include other arts and entertainment related activities being brought to it by the task force, the release said.
Raina D’Amico, president of the CANO board, said the task force will help meet the need for ``a broader base of enthusiastic volunteers.’’
``Together we will be a powerful force for the promotion and support of the arts in Oneonta,” D’Amico said in the release.
Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller, who convened the arts summits last year, said if CANO had been in its current condition a year ago, the task force wouldn’t have been established.
``One organization representing the visual, musical and performing arts in Oneonta is a dream come true,’’ Miller said in the release.
