This week’s “My turn” column is by Jennifer McDowall, executive director of Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta.
Picture the horizon. Actual. Symbolic. It is a signature of all that we imagine. It guides us. It is the very definition of distance, yet because it is so present, so real, it is “know-able” and therefore achievable.
It is featureless at its farthest, and yet infinitely complex as we approach. It exists for us all, yet we experience it from our individual perspectives.
The horizon forms such an apt metaphor for any kind of dream, aspiration, ambition or hope. Our community houses many worthy aspirations. There are little horizons all over town. The Foothills Performing Arts Center is one of them.
As it is with so many transformative moments and transformative ideas, it is difficult to determine authorship.
The Foothills horizon has been defined and measured and tweaked by so many visionaries: Peter Macris, who galvanized immeasurable effort on behalf of this project; many artists and performing arts groups in the area who, collectively and individually, commit themselves to the importance of the arts in our lives; Doug Reeser and Norm Davies, who coerced the Foothills facility into being; Rick and Michelle Eastman, whose company so lovingly and exactingly wrestled notion into reality; many dedicated employees and generous volunteers, among whom I am one.
We have all been plodding, careening and dancing toward this horizon and, yet, even as it is coming into view, it remains elusive.
We are not deterred. We are moving forward with gusto, as the economy shudders and hiccups and all kinds of enterprise falters.
We’re fixed on that horizon and on our mission of providing experiences that change people, that make us all more human, bring us joy, reassure us, enlighten us, surprise or puzzle us.
Many such experiences are created here in Oneonta and the surrounding area every day, and Foothills may well be a conduit for offering these experiences to larger audiences, or in an improved setting.
Foothills is also determined to be an engaging force, harvesting the cultural diversity from across America and even around the globe and building connections to other locales where art, like the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, or the treasured history of families and villages, is a valued and integral part of each community.
Our emphasis now is on our programming. Since June alone, we have offered more than two dozen unique performances, ranging from award-winning Off-Broadway theatre, to Gilbert & Sullivan, from performance poetry, to movement theatre, from puppetry, to sleight-of-hand, from classical guitar, to heavy metal and so much more.
In one exhausting night we transformed an empty space into a respectably equipped black-box theater that can house our intrepid audiences comfortably.
The progress has been palpable; it nourishes our continued efforts to build toward the thunderous applause that will ring from the 600-seat theater that waits now for us to fill it with light and sound and movement and ideas.
Michael Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center, encourages arts organizations to take heart and push forward. “I do believe,” he said, “that sometimes it takes these terrible, difficult environments to allow us to be more creative rather than less creative.”
Art-making may occasionally be a solitary act, but by its very definition, art experiencing, art sharing, is not. We may be answering the phones here at Foothills and occupying the offices, but we know with certainty that this performance space belongs to everyone.
This is an invitation. Be active, engage us, challenge us to offer performing arts that will cultivate our imaginations, our empathy and our understanding.
To reach McDowall, e-mail jmcdowall@foothillspac.org.
To write for “My turn,” contact Daily Star Publisher Tanya Shalor at tshalor@thedailystar.com or 432-1000, ext. 214.
My Turn
My Turn: Much on the horizon for Foothills Center
- My Turn
-
-
My Turn: A retired pastor reminisces
This week's "My Turn" column is by the Rev. Ken Baldwin, a retired pastor from the United Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church. A lot happened in the early 1920s _ the Teapot Dome scandal, the founding of our Oneonta Rotary Club and Yours Truly first saw the light of day.
-
My Turn: Making Main Street Oneonta the best that it can be
THIS WEEK’S “My Turn” column is by Rachel Lutz Jessup. Jessup is the assistant branch manager at the NBT branch on Wall Street, and the president of Main Street Oneonta.
-
My Turn: Heres a run-down of all the Elks Lodge does
This week's "My Turn" column is by Oneonta Elks Lodge 1312 Acting Exalted Ruler Christine Gyure. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Oneonta Lodge 1312 has a belief in charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity. As Elks, we believe laughter is better than tears, and a kind word more powerful than a frown.
-
My Turn: Hunters Helping the Hungry is a self-serving endeavor
This week's "My Turn" column is by non-hunter David Irving.
-
My Turn: What's the secret to weight loss?
This week's "My turn" column is by Juliana Hanbridge, registered dietitian and owner of Curves of Cooperstown.
- Monday, January 4, 2010
-
My Turn: Tough financial times will make our community more important to us
This week's "My turn" is by new Oneonta Mayor Richard Miller. On Jan. 1, I was sworn in as mayor. Since the election in early November, I have been meeting with members of the Common Council, the administration and the mayor, as well as attending as many commission and committee meetings as possible.
- Monday, December 28, 2009
-
My Turn: Bassett and Fox's new task is to adapt
This week's "My turn" column is by Dr. William Streck, president and chief executive officer of Basset Healthcare. The decisions by the boards of A.O. Fox Hospital and Bassett Healthcare to forge a new relationship with Fox as a Bassett affiliate are very timely ones.
- Monday, December 21, 2009
-
My Turn: Fire chief was never 'off duty'
This week's "My turn" column is by Maggie Barnes, wife of retiring Oneonta Fire Chief Robert Barnes.
- Monday, December 14, 2009
-
My Turn: Executive Service Corps helps area businesses
This week's "My turn" column is by Douglas Fielder, secretary of the Board of Directors of Executive Service Corps of Otsego and Delaware counties.
- Monday, December 7, 2009
-
My Turn: Don't be fooled by 'lipstick' health care
This week's "My turn" column is by Stuart Anderson. Washington is up to its old tricks, putting lipstick on a pig and calling it reform. The Senate's discussing a public option that states can opt out of, so people who really need that public option may have to move to another state to get it.
- Monday, November 30, 2009
-
My Turn: You can get by with a little help from FSA
This week's "My turn" is by Deborah Chicorelli, president of the Family Service Association Board of Directors. This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Family Service Association (FSA). One hundred years of helping area residents and families meet their needs.
- Monday, November 16, 2009
-
My Turn: Being a local fan is hard in times like these
This week's "My turn" column is by Joseph C. Stillman, an Oneonta-based producer and director and founder of La Paloma Films. He is also a local sports and arts fan.
- Monday, November 9, 2009
-
My Turn: Troops appreciate care packages; we need postage
This week's "My turn" column is by Beverly Soldan, Tina Burnham and Lesley Beers, who operate "Care Packages From Home."
- Monday, October 19, 2009
-
My Turn: Exactly what is assisted living?
This week's "My turn" column is by Pat Breuer, executive director of Hampshire House.
- Monday, October 5, 2009
-
My Turn: Now is the time to buy a house
This week's "My turn" column is by Joan Fox and Barbara Roberts. brokers and owners of Prudential Fox Properties in Oneonta and Cooperstown.
- Monday, September 21, 2009
-
My Turn: A great education in the early years can make all the difference
This week's "My turn" column is by Gina Reeves, the head of school of the Brookwood School in Cooperstown.
- Monday, September 14, 2009
-
My Turn: Tips to make your wedding great
This week's "My turn" column is by Alison Crotts, director of catering at The Holiday Inn in Oneonta. Whether you're recently engaged or already knee-deep in wedding planning, this is the article for you.
- Tuesday, September 8, 2009
-
My Turn: I can't run for office, but what have I done?
This week's "My turn" column is by Gary Herzig, chief operating officer of Opportunities for Otsego. Each year, when our election season approaches, I am painfully reminded that I am not eligible to run for political office.
- Monday, August 31, 2009
-
My Turn: Hurricane relief is about people
This week's "My turn" column is by Garrick Hoadley, an active member of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team in Otsego County.
- Monday, August 17, 2009
-
My Turn: Fresh Air Fund opens doors to new worlds
This week’s “My turn” column is by Darlene Pondolfino, regional chairwoman with the Fresh Air Fund. Ever hear of the Fresh Air Fund? It’s a New York City nonprofit organization that sends inner-city kids to the country every summer.
-
My Turn: A retired pastor reminisces
