life skills for youth

Contact Arts-Kids at: info@arts-kids.org or 435-615-7878

Press Release

Park Record (Park City, UT)

October 5, 2005
by Matt James

Arts-Kids has new executive director. Kris Beer now at the helm of arts-based non-profit.

When Arts-Kids launched its search for a new executive director last June, Kris Beer submitted her resume for the position.

Initially, the organization decided to go in a different direction, hiring Roxanne Hinds, who was previously director of Weber State's Annual Fund and had significant non-profit experience. But in August, shortly after she was hired, Hinds, a native of California, was offered a position at an organization in her home state, which she chose to accept. So Arts-Kids went looking again, and this time, it found Beer.

She started the job about two weeks ago, soon after helping to launch the Park City Literary Festival as its volunteer coordinator and a member of the steering committee.

"The timing was really good for me, because the Literary Festival was over on the 11th and that was right before this," said Beer.

A 13-year Park City resident, Beer comes to the organization with experience as an English teacher and entrepreneur and also with experience in corporate management and volunteer positions with non-profit groups - such as her work with the Literary Festival.

She said the community shouldn't expect any dramatic changes from Arts-Kids as she takes over the organization.

"Things are going well," she said. "You don't fix it if it's not broken."

Beer said that initially, her challenge would be to make the public more aware of what exactly Arts-Kids is about.

"My main goal is to get the image, and what the organization is about, and get that out more than it is now," she said.

While she said many people in the community know about Arts-Kids, she said that not all are fully aware of the organization's methods and aims. Arts-Kids isn't simply an art education program, she noted.

"We're a youth development program using art as a medium of expression," said Beer.

Beer said she hoped to manage Arts-Kids' growth, so the organization can continue to fulfill its mission and grow without outstripped its resources.

"We have to make sure we can support the program with the manpower - or womanpower - and the finances we have," she said.

The organization offers arts-based after-school educational and development programs to select youth from ages eight to 15.

Currently, Arts-Kids offers its programs in all of the elementary schools in Summit County, plus Ecker Hill "International" Middle School and North Summit Middle School. Due to Park City School District's grade realignment, arts-Kids is not currently offering its programs in Treasure Mountain "International" School, but Beer said the organization is exploring some new options for the students there.

"We're looking into the possibility of workshop-type things for Treasure Mountain," she said. "We're looking for a way to still involve them with the program but involve them in a different way." 

According to Beer, the different format would account for the larger extra-curricular commitments that often face eighth and ninth graders.

Bur aside from the possible introduction of new programs at Treasure Mountain International and increasing the public's awareness of the organization, Beer emphasized that most aspects of Arts-Kids would remain unchanged. The organization will still hold its annual fundraiser, Paint the Town, in spring, and the organization's summer camp programs will likely remain unchanged.

"I'm just really excited about what's going on," said Beer.

Beer said her presence in the organization would allow Pat Drewry Sanger - who founded Arts-Kids and was formerly its executive director - to focus on fine-tuning Arts-Kids program without worrying about all of the organization's nuts-and-bolts operations.

"I can take over the administrative duties and she can do what she's trained to do," said Beer.

With that division of labor, she said, the organization should be able to continue to offer development through art to kids in need and those who will most benefit from it, and with continued community support, increased awareness and a few more volunteers, the organization should be able to expand those programs to serve more youth and more of the community.

And that, said Beer, is what she'd really like to do.

For more information about Arts-Kids, go to www.arts-kids.org or call 615-7878.

(c) 2006 Park Record. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.

Arts-Kids would like to thank the following sponsors

facebook sitemap | contact us | resources | donate | volunteer | resources
copyright © 2014 Arts-Kids, all rights reserved