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DOERS: Kate Jones, Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities

05 Aug DOERS: Kate Jones, Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities

Posted at 23:52h in Old Events, Personalities by
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[click “Play” to hear Kate Jones on Kate Jones]

Kate at Arts Fest The history of The Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities is the modern history of our town, from the tie-dyed days of hippies and falling down shacks to robust resort packed with ski bums, entrepreneurs, and ex-CEOs, living in hot-and-cold running condos and restored Victorians.

In 1971, Telluride was emerging as a ski resort and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Telluride Chamber Music Festival and the Telluride Film Festival were small events about to happen in a small rinky dink town filled with Fibroids. These people who loved to make quilts and knit pretty things had plenty of time on their hands, but not much money in their patched pockets.

In the bad old days, the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities was in the business of getting grants from the state and running benefits. Proceeds from Arts Council activities were then disseminated in small bundles among local artists. The goal then, as now, was to secure ongoing support for the arts and humanities by promoting a  flourishing cultural environment from the ground up through advocacy, education, and outright granting.

Having grown with the town, the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities has become a very adroit, multi-faceted organization with offices in the Stronghouse Studios Artist Cooperative, 283 South Fir Street. Ongoing support for the arts translates into a number of different programs: the Small Grants initiative, running the Stronghouse Studios Artists Cooperative, the Xmas TAG Bazaar, and Art Walk on the first Thursday of every month. Ongoing activities include serving as the mouthpiece for grassroots artistic initiatives and individual artists, developing partnerships with other non-profits and providing a link between Telluride’s cultural life and full-and part-time locals as well as businesses, providing technical support to local artists/arts organizations through seminars.

The Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities has been headed by a string of top notch executive directors, including county commissioner Art Goodtimes. The latest and, who knows, perhaps the greatest, is Kate Jones.

A national posting for the job in early spring yielded 75 applications and a very qualified pool from which to choose. The Council board selected Kate at the end of May. Kate brings 20 years of experience in strategic arts management, most recently as the director of Methow Arts Alliance, a vibrant Local Arts Agency in a small community in the North Cascades Mountains.

Under Kate’s leadership  the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities plans to explore opportunities to further coalesce and strengthen the local arts community. 

“We feel very fortunate to have Kate at the helm. She’s is going to be a great asset not only to the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities but to the entire Telluride arts community,” said Amy Boebel, board president, the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities.”

Kate is Doer #368.

To learn more about Kate Jones, read her short answers and click the “play” button to listen to her life story, including a sneak peak at future Council plans.

DOERS: Kate Jones

Time in Town: I arrived July 11, Started at TCAH the 15th
Age/Place of Birth: Bennington, Vermont/1968
Marital Status: None
Philosophy of Life: The world rewards reckless faith
Favorite Books: “I Know Why A Caged Bird Sings,””Freakonomics,” “Wikinomics,” and so much more.
Favorite Movies: “Like Water for Chocolate,””Paradise Now,” “Bandits”
Favorite Music/ Musicians: My daughter Sophie Willson, Eddie Vedder
Favorite Animals: Owls, horses, goats, tadpoles and my dog
My Last Meal Would Be: The venue is more important than the meal itself. It would be in a beautiful place with dear friends
Tragic Flaw /If I Could Change One Thing About Myself: Master of none
Favorite Hangout/Retreat: Anywhere with close friends
A Really Perfect Day: Includes snow, sunshine and a nice dinner
Most Influenced By: The power of the arts to elevate thinking
Favorite Childhood Memory: The smell of my parents’ tent
Friends in School Thought I Was:  Creative
Growing Up I Wanted To Be: A vet
If I Could Be Something/Someone Else: I would be a pilot
Person I’d Like to Meet the Most: Carl Jung
Actor Who Would Play Me: Cate Blanchett
When I Grow Up I Want to Be: In Telluride
I Would (Almost) Never: Say never
What I Can’t Bear to Throw Out: Art made by my daughters
Last Purchase: My seven-year-old dog’s first collar and leash
Greatest Indulgence: Living in beautiful places
Most Prized Possession: A positive disposition
Weirdest Artifact I Ever Collected: A dried rat
Favorite/Least Favorite Word/Phrase: Yes/No
Fitness Routine: Hiking and all kinds of skiing
Proudest Accomplishment: Helping make art happen
Wildest Dream:  Well…..
Biggest Challenge: Leaving my extended family back in Washington
Bottom Line: www.telluridearts.org or call 970-728-3930

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