Community Arts Center of Cambria County hosts event to honor educators and volunteers

Community art initiatives are important contributors to the growth of our area.

The Community Arts Center of Cambria County held a special luncheon on Saturday to honor those that serve as educators and volunteers at their center – all in the hopes of elevating what it means to promote art in our community.

According to the Project for Public Spaces, community arts initiatives improve struggling communities in many ways. They promote interaction in public spaces, increase civic participation through celebrations, engage youth, and broaden participation in the civic agenda.

The Community Arts Center of Cambria County provides several opportunities for youth as well as adults to as they say, come together and participate in art in order to improve the quality of life for everyone.

Every year the center hosts a luncheon where they chose two individuals who have contributed to the growth and success of the organization. Organizers especially emphasize the importance of art events in small towns.

"In a small town art is so important to not just everyone but specifically to younger kids," said Rachel Turco, the Exhibition and Community Engagement Developer at the center. “It’s so important that these kids in school, in high school and college, know that the arts is just as important as anything else. We do all kinds of outreach with nursing homes, schools, and the amount of just pure happiness you see on a person’s face when whenever they accomplish something and when they’re able to let their creativity flow, you can’t compare it to anything else.”

We also spoke with the individuals that were honored at this years event. They were Norman Ed, a ceramics teacher at the center, and Sharon Wojnaroski a volunteer. Ed told us that teaching art is not just about learning a new skill.

“How do we find fulfillment and richness in our lives," asked Ed. "It’s through these smaller activities like painting, drawing, writing. It’s critical that we expand all these opportunities.”

Throughout the past decades, public funding for the arts has dwindled drastically. Many arts organizations now rely solely on grants, donations and volunteer work.

“I think that volunteering is a way to give back to the community," said Wojnaroski. "To make people aware of what is out there and if you’re looking for a place to volunteer, the community arts center is just a wonderful place.”

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