[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 12 (Wednesday, February 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              GOLDEN ISLES ARTS AND HUMANITIES ASSOCIATION

                                 ______


                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 1994

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, over the past year, I have had the 
opportunity to visit many times in Glynn County to meet with 
constituents at a variety of events and activities. One of those 
occasions was a Town Meeting which was attended by citizens from 
Brunswick, and the Golden Isles of Jekyll Island, Saint Simons Island, 
and Sea Island.
  The meeting was held in downtown Brunswick over the lunch hour to 
offer the opportunity for local citizens to discuss issues of interest 
to them. The meeting was a success based upon the number and type of 
legislative topics discussed and because of the size of the crowd. This 
was due in large part to the location of the Town Meeting, held inside 
the restored Ritz Theatre which serves as the headquarters of the 
Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association (GIAHA).
  Because of the significant contributions which the Association makes 
to the quality of life in the Glynn County area through its arts and 
humanities programs, I asked Helen Alexander, the Executive Director of 
the Association, to provide me with the following description of the 
background and recent activities of GIAHA, so I could share the 
information with my congressional colleagues.

              Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association


                         organizational history

       The Glynn County Board of Commissioners and the City of 
     Brunswick Board of Commissioners have designated the Golden 
     Isles Arts and Humanities Association, Inc., (GIAHA) as the 
     umbrella coordinating agency for the arts to act on behalf of 
     the local governments in various endeavors to strengthen 
     cultural arts organizations and artists in several art forms 
     and from all sectors of the community. This official 
     designation came early in 1993, but GIAHA had functioned 
     unofficially in this capacity for five years. As such, GIAHA 
     has as its mission. ``To promote and strengthen cultural arts 
     and humanities in Glynn County through programs, education, 
     and interaction with and support of artists and other arts 
     organizations.''
       From its inception, GIAHA has supported the total Glynn 
     County arts community through various means, and especially 
     through its Arts Advisory Council with members from all 
     county cultural organizations, art galleries, museums, and 
     other related entities. This Advisory Council, representing 
     all local arts and humanities groups, meets bi-monthly and 
     makes recommendations to the GIAHA Board of Directors and 
     carries out community arts projects on its own, as well. 
     GIAHA's 30-member Board of Directors includes community 
     leaders, business people, artists, and retired educators, and 
     is reflective of the multi-cultural population of the area.
       GIAHA coordinates the arts program for the Brunswick-Golden 
     Isles Chamber of Commerce Leadership Glynn participants, and 
     GIAHA's executive director is chairperson of the Chamber's 
     Cultural Arts Committee. GIAHA also serves the Chamber as the 
     coordinator for the local ``1966 Committee'' leading up to 
     the 1996 Summer Olympics to be headquartered in Atlanta, 
     Georgia, with some events occurring on the coast.
       Realizing the needs for direction and adequate resources to 
     assure growth and success in achieving its mission, the board 
     of directors has developed a long-range plan for the 
     organization. Plans adopted and implemented by the board of 
     directors in the category ``Interaction With Other Arts 
     Organizations'' include:--Provide opportunities for 
     developing boards/staffs through workshops, nonprofit 
     resource center, and networking;--Support activities of Arts 
     Advisory Council and other arts organizations through a 
     published directory, a KIOSK, and by functioning as a ticket 
     outlet;--Continue publishing the quarterly arts calendar;--
     Co-sponsor multi-cultural events, such as humanities lectures 
     with the public library;--Encourage autonomy of other arts 
     groups;--Maintain master calendar of arts/humanities events 
     to avoid overlap of services and conflicts in scheduling 
     events;--Develop partnership with Brunswick College to serve 
     each other's needs, e.g., provide opportunities for students 
     of theater to obtain experience in production, lighting, set-
     building, etc. Long-range plans are updated annually during 
     the Board of Directors' workshop.


                          programming history

       In a Brunswick News editorial titled ``Glynn Arts 
     Flourishing'' in May 1993, a reference was made to the naming 
     of Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association as the 
     coordinating agency for all the major arts-related groups in 
     the country, stating ``This move should enhance the efforts 
     of all the organizations.'' Continuing efforts to carry out 
     the responsibilities implicit in this designation, an example 
     is the very successful media workshop held for non-profits in 
     September 1993, with over 50 perticipants from county 
     organizations.
       The Tillandsia Festival held in May offered performances, 
     art exhibits, well-known authors in a speaker's forum, 
     activities for children of all ages at Tillandsia in the 
     Park, and many other events. Jazz concerts in the park were 
     exceptionally well-attended, providing an opportunity for 
     families to picnic while enjoying the music and sea-breeze. 
     Believing that investing in our children can help alleviate 
     potential problems of the future as well as enrich and 
     enhance the quality of their lives, the ``Ritz Kidz'' agenda 
     continues to feature innovative programs for children, 
     working with Glynn County schools through the Partners In 
     Education program, was well as with the African-American 
     Institute for the Arts. GIAHA provides after-school drama 
     workshops at the Ritz Theatre for children who might not 
     otherwise have an opportunity for theatrical experiences. 
     Also, through a partnership with other arts organizations and 
     the Partners In Education program, artists-in-residence 
     programs are established to provide much-needed arts 
     activities for elementary schools in Glynn county, drawing 
     from the wealth of local talented artists available. 
     Humanities programs for the schools include the recent poetry 
     readings by a well-known local author.
       As the agency responsible for updating on a weekly basis a 
     local Arts Hotline, GIAHA receives informaiton from other 
     organizations about events, performances, classes, etc., for 
     this purpose, as well as for inclusion on the master 
     calendar, the quarterly ``Cultural Arts Calendar,'' and, as 
     space allows, in the bi-monthly newsletter. Part of GIAHA's 
     outreach efforts include supporting and including in its 
     programs the multi-cultural population and offering classes 
     and performances at the Ritz Theatre and other locations to 
     the ``Developmentally Disabled'' population. The downtown 
     location of the Ritz has the advantage of close proximity to 
     neighborhoods populated by African-Americans and low-income 
     citizens living in public housing projects.
       GIAHA has been successful in developing a ``Season at the 
     Ritz'' with five professional performances, as a result of a 
     partnership with the City of Brunswick to manage the city-
     owned historic Ritz Theatre in downtown Brunswick. Named the 
     ``Best Non-Profit Group in Georgia'' at a statewide meeting 
     of Downtown Development organizations in 1992, GIAHA has 
     gained recognition for its vision in seeing the potential for 
     the almost-abandoned Ritz Theatre and for increasing its use 
     dramatically since assuming management of the facility. 
     Several programs are becoming annual events in conjunction 
     with the Downtown Development Authority's Main Street 
     Program.
       GIAHA has been named (by Georgia Council for the arts) the 
     regional administrative agency for the newly-established 
     Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) for a seven-county Coastal 
     Georgia region. This program is designed to bring arts 
     activities to every county in the state with new state monies 
     for the arts appropriated by the Legislature. Applications 
     have been received in GIAHA's office, and will be reviewed by 
     the 15-member GAP Advisory Committee consisting of 
     representatives from all seven counties. GIAHA's executive 
     director is the staff person responsible for administration 
     of the program.
       Joining the national public awareness campaign, GIAHA 
     received proclamations from the City of Brunswick and the 
     Glynn County Board of Commissioners declaring October 1993 as 
     ``Arts and Humanities Month.'' Ads were placed in various 
     media, including billboards, recognizing all the local arts 
     organizations and showcasing their October events.
       To help celebrate Arts and Humanities Month, Georgia's 
     Governor Zell Miller was present for the opening of GIAHA's 
     Governor's Art Exhibit at the Ritz Theatre on Saturday, 
     October 16. Other activities during October included major 
     art festivals by Glynn Art Association and Coastal Center for 
     the Arts, season openings of the Brunswick Civic Orchestra, 
     the Island Players, Season at the Ritz, and the Island 
     Concert Association, as well as many other arts and 
     humanities activities at Brunswick College, the library, and 
     other locations.
       A letter to all of us from President Clinton said in part, 
     ``The arts and humanities enable Americans from every walk of 
     life to respond to both their indivdiuality and their shared 
     experiences in ways that make the human spirit soar. . . .the 
     arts and humanities help us deepen our understanding of one 
     another, honor our differences, and celebrate our shared 
     experiences and values as Americans.''
       This is only a small sampling of what is happening in Glynn 
     county, Georgia.

                          ____________________